The rise of Canada’s online gaming industry

“quad-head MacBook Air (sorta…)” (CC BY 2.0) by blakespot

Online gaming is on the rise worldwide, with the overall market size in 2016 according to Statista standing at $45.86billion. This figure has almost doubled since 2009 when the estimated total market size was $24.73billion. One of the main countries flourishing from this growing business is Canada, whose online gaming sector represents over $10billion in current capital constructions. Here is a brief look at how Canadian’s online gaming industry became so popular, and where it is headed in the future.

Major beneficiary to the CA economy

The online gaming industry is a major beneficiary to the Canadian economy, and in 2015 the number of computer game companies in the country reached 472. The total games industry in 2014 generated revenues in the region of $570million. These climbing figures show just how lucrative the sector is, and software developers are doing all they can to exploit this thriving market.

Accessibility has instigated growth

Ease of access has been a key factor in the ever growing popularity of online games, and the most successful companies have made their games available to play across a multitude of different platforms. 62% of all gamers report playing games on the internet, and certain games are specifically designed to be played in an online setting, with the online casino sector pulling in around 29% of the total market share of all types of gambling. These figures from the Gambling Commission may be a little skewed and not provide the full picture though, as a vast majority of online casinos allow players to play for free as well as for real money.

The most popular browsers for accessing online casinos are Safari and Google Chrome, who reported an 83% total desktop user share for 2015. 32Red, a popular online casino that provides online roulette options for Canadian players, is available on both these platforms, which is why the company is becoming better known each year.  In addition to this, the games are reachable on every device, including desktop, tablet and smartphone.

It’s the sites that allow users to play from anywhere that is ruling the roost in the Canadian gaming scene. When this accessibility is combined with attractive offers and bonuses, it is easy to see why the market is booming. 32Red gives users $10 free upon joining, All Slots Casino provides a $5 dollar no-deposit bonus, and All Jackpots Casino lets players earn loyalty points as they play. This is why it is estimated that the amount of online gamers in Canada will increase by 6million before 2020.

“HTC Vive VR – Mobile World Congress 2016” (CC BY 2.0) by Janitors

Where is Canada’s online gaming headed?

The total amount of gamers in Canada at the time of writing is 22.34million, but as previously stated, this number is expected to grow further over the next few years. Mobile and online gaming represents a large proportion of this figure, and as smartphones and tablets have advanced in recent years, the number of online gamers has grown in correlation. Virtual and augmented reality may act as a hindrance to the amount of mobile users rising as steadily as before, but the new technology also opens up fresh avenues for online gamers to get their fix.

The advent of Virtual reality is nigh, with the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive already on the market, and software developers are scrambling to produce the next ground-breaking sensation in this setup. Online casinos are at the forefront, with well-known casino software providers Microgaming coming up with VR roulette, and new ways to play slots where the reels will spin before the VR wearer’s eyes.

Pokémon Go has set the tone for augmented reality, and the next big thing could be for cooperative first person shooter games to burst into this format (see video below).

As VR will doubtlessly open up a wealth of opportunities for things to do online, such as virtual chat rooms and multiplayer games, the online gaming industry certainly isn’t going to start deflating. And with Canada boasting such a large number of online gaming enthusiasts, their economy seems set to prosper even further.