Poll: What will be the biggest egaming theme of 2013?
Mobile, social, poker and acquisitions could all be major talking points over the forthcoming 12 months.
We may be just one week into 2013, but egaming companies are already hinting at what may be some of the larger themes of the year ahead.
Gamesys today announced the acquisition of Virgin Games and this, coupled with an agreement being reached in the William Hill-GVC-Sportingbet saga in late December, could be an indication that the industry consolidation hinted at for the best part of two years could finally be coming to fruition.
One of the most significant acquisitions last year – if not the most significant – was PokerStars’ takeover of Full Tilt, and the two brands contribute the lion’s share of worldwide poker liquidity, challenged only by PartyPoker after the operator combined its liquidity pool with that of bwin in December.
With iPoker and the MPN lagging behind in the liquidity stakes and IGT admitting defeat in closing its own network last month, could 2013 be the year that the poker network model falls out of fashion?
Elsewhere, the new year has begun with Bodog88 the latest operator to launch a mobile sportsbook offering, while the channel was cited by NetPlay TV as the main contributing factor in strong fourth-quarter figures.
NetPlay claims 31% of new player sign-ups have come through mobile, but by the end of the year might we see mobile begin to overtake desktop for a number of operators? Could this then in turn be surpassed by the growth of other channels, with TV apps on the rise?
Finally, following a period of phenomenal progress in recent years, the social gaming space has seen a number of companies – including the market’s arguably most recognisable name Zynga – explore real-money opportunities.
As the California-based operator prepares for the realisation of its partnership with bwin.party and with Plumbee having announced its joint venture with Sportingbet, commentators will be forced to consider whether the next 12 months will see those within the social space “sell out”, so to speak, and go down the real-money route.
What do you think will be the main industry talking-point in 2013? Have your say by voting on the poll on the right-hand side of the page, or visit the eGaming Review LinkedIn Group.