How global digital trends are shaping the gaming industry, from data safety to sustainability

For Marion Gamel, Executive Coach at Mariongamel.com, the trends shaping the iGaming industry are not necessarily emerging from within the industry itself. Having worked at Google and served as CMO of Betsson before moving to executive coaching – where she has coached leaders at major companies such as Spotify, Uber and Coca-Cola – Ms Gamel is keenly aware that customers’ expectations are now set by the digital giants they use on a daily basis.

“I don’t think that iGaming trends are influencing the gaming industry; I think global trends are influencing the gaming industry. These trends – personalisation, data safety, sustainability, diversity and inclusion, intuitive UX, and seamless transition across devices – become expectations from customers who also happen to enjoy online gaming,” she explains in the Winter 2021/2022 edition of iGaming Capital magazine, the sister publication to iGamingCapital.mt

Looking ahead, Ms Gamel believes the gaming industry should become more inclusive and open to the outside world, attracting talent from other industries, diversifying the background of employees, and moving beyond the male, middle-class, digitally savvy target audience it has so far largely focused its efforts on.

Moreover, she says, companies’ future offerings will have to consider the new realities created by the pandemic. The distinction between customers’ work and play activities has become increasingly blurred, while SportsBook and the opportunity to bet on events was limited. “This has to be replaced by other experiences, especially as sports betting has always been the acquisition channel for gaming companies. Esports has been talked about for many years and I suspect the time has come for this activity to explode. Could esports be the new sports bet?”

This forms part of the Cover Story in the Winter 2021/2022 edition of iGaming Capital magazine, the sister publication to iGamingCapital.mt, on the future trends shaping the iGaming sector