Online gambling has become the ‘go-to’ entertainment activity for millions of Gen-Z adults, and that trend looks set to continue for the foreseeable future.
Advancements in technology have facilitated the boom, with people able to access their favorite games via desktop or mobile devices easily.
Experts have estimated that revenues in the online gambling industry will reach $60 billion globally by the end of the year, highlighting how popular betting has become.
Games of luck and skill are equally popular with younger adults, with the likes of bingo, slots, poker, and blackjack all played on a regular basis.
Much like other age groups, the opportunity to win big is the main driving force for the new wave of people who play games online.
We take a look at six popular online gambling games that have become massive hits with Gen-Z adults over the past few years.
Bingo
The original version dates back to Italy in the 1500s and has since gone on to become established as a worldwide cultural phenomenon.
It proved to be most popular in the United States and the United Kingdom during the 20th century, particularly amongst working-class people.
However, the creation of the internet transformed the image of bingo, opening up the game to a completely different demographic.
Online gambling operators used innovative marketing techniques to attract younger adults to bingo, and their efforts have paid off in style.
The likes of 90 Ball and 75 Ball Bingo have proved to be hugely popular with Gen-Z adults who experience these bingo games daily.
The boom in online bingo has also reignited the land-based scene, with themed events such as rave bingo and reggae bingo staged in venues throughout the year.
Slots
Many people develop a love for slots at an early age, with visits to amusement arcades during seaside holidays responsible for fuelling that passion.
Researchers have suggested that a generic sense of ‘seasideness’ provides people with a romanticized view of coastal places, thus heightening their positivity towards slots.
This type of nostalgia interplays with our personal recollections and is an element that game developers have leveraged to their advantage.
Many of their modern titles have features that are based on the slots that people grew up with, thus tapping into their desire to reminisce about the past.
That point is a particularly pertinent one for Gen-Z adults, with their previous enjoyment of slots still fresh in their minds.
With the added bonus that slots can pay out huge progressive jackpots, it is easy to see why they have such enduring appeal to millions of players.
Poker
Online poker is hugely popular amongst younger adult players, with many of them dreaming that it will provide a route to fame and fortune.
Most land-based tournaments are now filled with Gen-Z players who have progressed into that arena from the online ranks.
The successes of players like Peter Eastgate and Joe Cada at the World Series of Poker were an inspiration to the next generation of players.
Eastgate broke Phil Hellmuth’s 19-year-old record as the youngest WSOP main event champion in 2008 before Cada took it off him the following year.
People are able to get started in poker for just a few dollars, making it a game that is easily accessible to the masses.
The simplicity of poker is another added attraction, with poker players able to pick up the basic skills needed to play the game in just a couple of hours.
Blackjack
Although blackjack differs from poker in terms of how the game is played, it bears plenty of similarities from a skill standpoint.
That makes it an attractive proposition to Gen-Z adults who are renowned for enjoying the competitive element of playing games online.
Many of the new waves of players see blackjack as a game they can master, with the mathematical element factoring strongly into their thinking.
The exploits of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) blackjack team around the turn of the century may well play a part in how young adults view the game.
The group of students used card counting techniques and other sophisticated strategies to win large amounts of money at casinos across the world.
Their success highlighted the life-changing possibilities of blackjack and goes some way to explaining why Gen-Z adults love playing the game.
eSports
The popularity of game consoles such as Xbox and PlayStation spawned the creation of the massively popular eSports genre.
eSports is the professional level of gaming, bringing together the finest exponents of popular games to battle against each for massive cash prizes.
This inevitably attracted interest from gambling operators, with many top sites offering odds on leagues and tournaments on a regular basis.
League of Legends and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive are amongst the popular games that Gen-Z adults are able to wager on.
Much like poker and blackjack, the competitive nature of eSports is what makes them attractive from a gambling perspective.
It is even possible to implement betting strategies on eSports, thus making them even more appealing to young adults who take their wagering seriously.
Roulette
While skill games like poker and blackjack hold plenty of appeal for Gen Zedders, there are times when a quick gambling session is the order of the day.
Roulette certainly fits the bill in that respect, with the game lending itself to being played in short, sharp bursts.
This game of chance is easy to play – simply pick a number, place a bet, and hope that the ball lands in the corresponding slot on the wheel.
Roulette is a game that works seamlessly on mobile, increasing its appeal to a generation who are repeatedly glued to their devices.
The repetitive nature of roulette is part of its charm, with players knowing that the opportunity to place another bet is never more than a few seconds away.
Live dealer roulette is also popular with young adults who enjoy the face-to-face interaction those types of games provide.
