The online casino industry has led to several internal scuffles as casinos often try to innovate within the same parameters and fight over the same small piece of cake. Well, to be fair, it’s a multibillion-dollar industry, so perhaps cake is not the best analogy.
While they try to beat each other to the punch, many have failed to see the bigger opportunity that sweepstakes casinos present. Some top casino developers have tried to innovate with slot game designs and themes that nobody has explored before, sometimes with great success while other times resulting in outright bizarre ideas that are best left in the dustbin of history.
Some casinos have found success by focusing on slight variations of traditional games or identifying payment methods that could attract different types of clientele. One area that remained relatively untouched until it became clear in the mid-2000s that it could attract quite a sizeable customer base was the sweepstakes casino.
Sweepstakes casinos
A sweepstakes casino is a platform that encourages people to play casino games without using real currency. When the idea was first launched, there wasn’t much optimism. Casinos were too focused on the burgeoning industry of traditional, online providers.
The idea that casino gaming platforms would provide an alternative where players could play games without using any cash seemed absurd, and many thought there was a better use of time. Not only did sweepstakes casinos quickly dispel this theory, but they also tapped into areas of the casino industry that the larger providers had overlooked.
Millions of gamblers across the US don’t have access to traditional online casinos as they aren’t regulated in their state, which can lead to issues if they win a decent jackpot.
Sweepstakes casinos have meant that these gamblers can access sites that provide a way for them to play roulette, slots and poker without worrying about the financial burdens that could come with it. However, this revelation hasn’t stopped with the domestic US market. There are plenty of overseas customers who want to see what sweepstakes are all about and find out why they were creating such a wave in the industry.
The rise of review sites
Although casino review sites have managed to find a significant audience, a surprising number of sweepstakes casino gamers are also looking for expert reviews about the sites they’re playing at. Highly trusted platforms, such as Sweepstakescasino.net, will give you a great idea of the services that each sweepstakes casino offers.
Highly rated sweepstakes casino review sites will base their review on both their experience and opinion, giving users a good idea of what to expect from new sweepstakes casinos as well as those that have been around a little longer. Some of the main criteria they use to evaluate the quality of a sweepstakes provider include:
- Choice of games
- Redemption options
- Mobile app latency and experience
- Site aesthetic and layout
- Dissecting other reviews from fellow experts
Review sites have become the first port of call for thousands of sweepstake casino players who don’t want to go through the headache of exploring several different sites and what they have to offer. You can go to a review site, search or rank by your chosen category, and handpick the ones you most like the look of.
While recent business news relating to the casino industry has shown that enormous sums of money and profit still exist, this money trickles down and creates significant markets for review sites. It also helps to shine a light on subsidiary markets like sweepstakes casinos.
Adding new layers to the industry
Sweepstakes have become one of the first casino options that genuinely deviates from the original, traditional form. Nowadays, we’re seeing the emergence of VR technology as a potential competitor to the sector. Analysts predict that VR will be worth over $400bn by the end of this decade, so this will undoubtedly impact the casino industry, given it is one of the most apparent use cases.
Other ways that casinos have innovated involve alternate payment methods such as cryptocurrency, which removes the need for a bank to be involved in your withdrawal or deposit. Despite the perennial naysayers, the demand for crypto and blockchain has continued to grow over the last five years.
While cryptocurrency and blockchain have also benefited from much wider adoption, the emergence of these casinos does resemble the creativity exhibited by sweepstakes casinos, as they are another type of casino that doesn’t rely on traditional payment methods in their quest to become a viable part of the industry.
All these innovations wouldn’t have been possible without the early pioneers in sweepstakes casino gaming, who were able to illuminate the potential. Who would’ve thought there’d be a market for those simply looking to play the casino game without the stress of potentially losing cash while doing so?
It’s all well and good if platforms discuss innovative ideas, but the development of profitable sweepstakes casinos sits in stark contrast to the increasingly saturated traditional industry and highlights just how much potential there is for the companies that have pioneered a new way to play casino games.
Moving away from profit-driven ideas
Ultimately, the bottom line of any business is the most crucial component. While sweepstakes casinos aren’t operating for free, they have demonstrated that the industry doesn’t need to have an unquenchable thirst for profit to drive innovation, and there are other elements to factor in.
This wasn’t an idea that was explored in any sort of great detail. Sweepstakes casino ideas were rolled out in land-based casinos before the internet, but they did not find a significant audience, which is to be expected due to the logistics.
The internet, alongside many other facets of online gambling, has allowed specific markets to be tailored for global audiences. In hindsight, it’s no surprise that sweepstakes casinos have flourished. Even with that in mind, there was still reluctance, especially early on, for casinos to offer a handful of sweepstakes games. Some of the methods that sweepstakes casinos incorporate to make a profit include:
- Redeeming large amounts of in-game tokens for prizes
- On-site advertisements
- External investors
- Company sponsorships
The idea of a casino that isn’t solely focused on making money directly from customers has not been a well-trodden path, but it’s helped many game designers, particularly those who specialize in free mobile gaming, to appreciate how big the market is for traditional games with a sweepstakes-style twist to them.
The mobile gaming industry is worth a staggering $80bn per year. Without the emergence of sweepstakes casinos showing people that they could play free games, there might not have been a surge of designers who were able to identify how enormous the demand was.
Pioneering safe gambling
Traditional casinos emphasize the importance of setting time and deposit limits whenever you play on their platform. We can’t drive home the importance of putting these measures in place if you’re playing at a traditional casino.
Sweepstakes casinos pioneered by offering ways to play without the monetary loss that comes with it. This has resulted in waves of new clientele keen to play slots or poker without having to keep one eye on their time or deposit limits. While this is good gambling practice, you certainly don’t want to devote an entire day to playing at a sweepstakes casino.
Regardless of the level you play at or how much you bet, it’s crucial to only bet within your limits. Each bettor will have a different budget, but as a golden rule, if you spend money while gambling, you should only bet with money you can afford to lose.
Final thoughts
It’s not only sweepstake casinos that have engineered some of the more revolutionary ideas within the online casino industry. They’ve absolutely played a part, but other facets have helped pull the broader industry towards new pastures.
Online gambling is projected to be worth hundreds of billions of dollars by 2030, and this would not be possible without dozens of pioneering ideas coming together to help the industry juggernaut continue exploring dizzying new heights.
Sweepstakes casinos have definitely helped, as they have created another arm of the industry. They demonstrate that not only is there a market for those who aren’t looking to gamble, but there’s a wealth of options and expert reviewers who are more than happy to review the big names in the business.
While they might be a separate package from traditional platforms, they’ve also galvanized traditional providers to stay on their toes. They’re now aware that it’s not just other similar platforms they need to keep an eye on but groundbreaking sweepstakes providers who are appealing to a traditional gambling base and highlighting the cost-effectiveness of their gambling platforms.
