During the last two decades, technological advances have fundamentally altered the way humans live their daily lives. The proliferation of high-speed broadband internet services, the widespread use of smartphones, and the importance of social media have forever changed the lives of human beings. In recent years, technological advances have irreversibly changed contemporary living, but the gambling and gaming industries have been especially revolutionized by these changes.
With the introduction of online gaming and gambling, similarities in structure and visual appearance have recently been found between the two activities.
Let’s see which elements contribute to that.
The Difference Between Gambling and Gaming
People in the gambling industry tend to use both terms synonymously – particularly when referring to games. Gambling involves the investment of money or other valuables on uncertain events. In contrast, gaming is a formalized expression of play. The two can be seen as similar activities. With online gambling, all outcomes are determined by chance. But with online gaming, it is the exact opposite. Some gaming activities also include gambling elements.
To be precise, gaming consists of playing video games or engaging in interactive computer games. Depending on the title, it can be either purely for entertainment or it may be meant to develop playing skills and strategies. Gambling, by contrast, consists of bets made on events with uncertain outcomes. Risk or chance is typically involved, as is the possibility of winning.
In consequence, perceived boundaries sometimes become blurred between the two sectors. Below, we highlight some of the main points of convergence between gambling and online gaming.
The Loot Box
The convergence between the two is also demonstrated by products that allow players to purchase loot boxes. Gamers do this by purchasing keys to open the loot boxes, chests, crates, or cases, where they receive random items. For instance, basic customization options can help players progress more effectively by customizing their online avatar or other assets.
A side-scrolling MMORPG called MapleStory first introduced loot boxes in June 2004. Western nations saw the first loot boxes in September 2010 with Team Fortress 2. Since then, loot boxes have taken the gaming world by storm. There is some variability in the legislation and gambling laws of different countries, resulting in different definitions of what constitutes gambling when it comes to loot boxes.
Esports
The esports scene is another area of convergence between the two industries. There is a new category of online entertainment called esports that has experienced rapid growth. Adults, teenagers, and children of all ages enjoy playing video games today. A growing number of communities for competitive playing is available online, and betting on the outcomes of tournaments and competitions is also becoming increasingly common. Furthermore, esports has gained a huge following thanks to the rise of online streaming services like YouTube and Twitch.
Esports is competitive playing where gamers play with/against others. eSports fall into four main categories:
- FPS – first-person shooters
- RTS – real-time strategy
- MOBA – multiplayer online battle arenas
- Combat games
Lotteries
Scratchcards are being used by lottery corporations globally, incorporating both adult and childhood games. Some examples of popular themes are Monopoly, Bingo, and even Pictionary. In the past few decades, the internet has grown to become an integral part of all of these entertainment options, so they can now be found on a variety of websites. Namely, low deposit casino sites and the lottery games offered there are primarily considered gambling because they require actual money to bet. However, skin lotteries, which operate similar to gambling mechanics are increasingly featured in online games.
Free Social Casino
There has been a huge increase in online gaming traffic in the US over the past two years, as well as a rise in social casino games’ popularity. These types of game industry trends simulate gambling features without involving actual cash. In addition to being found on social networking sites, social casino titles are also offered on video game platforms. Players can play such titles via handheld devices and on their personal computers as well.
Social casinos are often launched by gambling sites to attract future customers to their sites. There are various social casino titles that are offered by regular casinos that want to keep their regular customers aware of their services. This type of advertisement for the regular online casinos can attract players who do not have the funds to play at regular online casinos.
Conclusion
Combining the two may increase the appeal of these activities to players, causing more engagement. A destabilized payment rate, on the other hand, may encourage more people to place bets. Such gambling activities may increase the prevalence of gambling. Even if the differences between these two industries are clear to some, they are commonly mixed up by many. Still, the constant development of the two sectors in the same direction is sometimes adding to the confusion.