Are you ready, player one, to enter a gaming world where a combination of skill, strategy and chance can result in prizes and payouts with real-world value?
The days of saving up your pocket money to buy a single game are long gone. Today, there are all manner of exciting gaming experiences at your fingertips — some of which pay you to play! Thanks to major advancements made in digital and gaming tech over the years, real money gaming has gone from being a niche activity to a gaming trend sweeping across the globe.
If you’re curious to find out more about real money gaming sectors like online casinos, GameFi and more, grab your joystick and read on.
The Development of Real Money Gaming
The gaming industry changed forever with the dawn of the internet, which opened a whole universe of brand-new gaming experiences. Real money gaming has been around in one form or another for several decades now, but it’s only in recent years that it’s become so universally popular. And we can thank advanced technology for this!
Take the iGaming sector, for instance. Digital tech has modernised traditional gambling for a 21st-century audience. Users can access mobile poker apps on the go, are playing crypto slots and even taking part in social casino tournaments. Meanwhile, the Play to Earn crypto sector has spun the established gaming monetisation model on its head.
Popular Real Money Gaming Sectors
Whether you’re a casual gamer looking to branch out from the typical fare of battle royale games or a dedicated pro aiming to make a living from your passion, gear up, strategize, and dive into the following digital adventures and their real-world rewards.
Online Casino Gaming
Even the most casual gamers among you will know that the power of present-day gaming can transport players into immersive and engaging experiences. The online casino sector delivers all the thrills of brick-and-mortar gambling onto desktops, mobiles and more.
Whether it’s the spin of the roulette wheel or the whir of slot machines, cutting-edge technology has meant that players now feel like they’re in a real-life Vegas or Macau casino when they log into their favourite online casino platforms. With a vast array of card, table and live dealer games on offer, it’s no wonder that a huge percentage of the world’s 3 billion gamers participate in the sector.
Online Poker
A cousin to the online casino market, digital poker is proving to be immensely popular with those gamers who crave a mental challenge as well as the thrill of competition. Poker’s a game that’s appealed to a wide range of players for centuries; thanks to the advent of digital innovation, it’s never been easier to play than it is today.
As well as online poker tournaments with jaw-dropping prize pools — several of which offer entry into prestigious real-world tournaments like the World Series of Poker — one of the best things about remote poker is that virtual poker rooms bring together players from all over the globe. The anonymity of online poker provides the perfect avenue for beginners and players from marginalised groups to access a discipline that still has several barriers to entry, making competition about skill and gameplay.
Digital Sports Betting
As well as online casino gaming and digital poker, sports betting is considered a real money gaming activity under the iGaming umbrella. Today, real-money sports betting is widely regarded as a way for sports fans to take team and player support to the next level. Although it’s not a standalone gaming genre in and of itself like digital poker, online sports betting nevertheless follows a similar format to other iGaming sectors.
Like the remote casino and poker verticals, sports betting has widespread appeal and is enjoyed by everyone from team sports fans to experienced punters. Online sportsbooks offer numerous betting options, from straightforward moneyline wagers to complex parlays and prop bets, while real-time betting markets make it possible to bet on a wide range of local and international sporting events.
Play to Earn Gaming
One of the newest real money sectors to burst onto the scene, play-to-earn gaming (P2E), is revolutionising the industry for its potential to empower players to earn tangible rewards simply by playing games and competing tasks. In harnessing the power of blockchain technology, P2E games provide opportunities to earn cryptocurrency, digital assets like NFTs, or even fiat currencies by taking part in and excelling at in-game activities.
Benefiting players is at the centre of the radical gaming economies that are springing up in this sector. In traditional titles, the virtual assets bought (or won) exist only in that particular game. In contrast, the assets earned by players in P2E titles have real-world value that exists outside gaming environments. Since players then actively own these items, they can go on to sell or trade them via digital marketplaces.
