Online gaming continues to grow in the UK

Recently, we discussed the growth of online gaming in India and how, despite the best efforts of its proponents, gaming has yet to become a fully licensed industry. There are strong hopes that this will change in the not too distant future but for fans of online cash games in India, there could be a long wait in store. The same cannot be said of the UK, where the online gaming community is blessed with a plethora of choices.

In fact, according to government statistics, the online gaming industry in the UK is worth £5.6 billion while £2 billion of that was online slots alone. And in case you were wondering, that represents a huge increase on the previous year’s figures with the industry set to grow even further in the coming years.

Why is online gaming so popular in the UK?

The fact is that gaming in any shape or form has always been popular in the UK. From bingo to any casino game you can think of, the British public have always enjoyed playing games for money.

So it should come as no surprise then, that when online gaming became a bona fide industry, those with access to the internet took advantage of it. Of course, the online community was much smaller back in the early 2000s, but as you may have guessed, with the advent of the smartphone and tablet, the industry started to grow.

Now that there are both mobile and desktop apps available, online casinos such as the long-running Sky Vegas, have become hugely convenient to join and play anywhere. Add to that the fact that they often have a massive range of casino games and you can see why the industry is still booming almost two decades after it first began.

A new attitude towards online gaming

One aspect that has had the most telling effect on the online gaming industry as a whole is the change in people’s attitudes towards playing online. Playing a video game, and not just online cash games, is no longer considered a waste of time or something that will ‘melt your brain’. People now realize that it’s a largely harmless pastime that in some cases can actually have a positive effect on your cognitive ability.

This is before we even mention the fact that with the rise of smartphone and tablet use, many people are now more open to the idea of playing a game. It’s something to pass the time and when you can whip your phone out and play while sitting on a bus, it becomes a much less serious undertaking. No consoles or waiting on your PC to start up; just tap an app and start to play.

This new attitude has also led to more publicity for online cash games. Watch British TV in the evening, you’re pretty much guaranteed to see at least a few ads during each commercial break.

But what about 5G?

Ah, now this is where it gets even more interesting. The 5G era is just about ready to get started and with it will come internet speeds that we could only dream of in the past. This will make connecting to gaming servers easier than ever. It will also cut down on the dreaded lag time that can have a detrimental effect, particularly on games such as poker that involve other players.

The effect this will have on the online gaming industry really needs no explaining. With breakneck internet speeds available just about everywhere, a whole new section of the population will have the opportunity to game online. People in rural communities will benefit in particular. These are the potential gamers that, until now, have had no genuine opportunity to play online as both their home and mobile internet connections were intermittent at best.  

With three major providers already launching their 5G networks, it’s only a matter of time before 5G broadband becomes a reality in the rural areas of the UK. Once this happens, we can only surmise that the £5.6 billion figure we mentioned earlier will increase. How much it will increase by is anyone’s guess, but if it doubled in the next 5 years, we really wouldn’t be surprised.

The change in attitude towards online gaming along with the convenience of mobile apps to play online cash games means that the industry in the UK continues to flourish. Add to that the speed of 5G and this is one nation where we can safely say that online gaming is here to stay.