Online gambling has been on the rise for years. Younger players are used to betting from their homes and often on their phones or tablets. It’s convenient and it provides all the thrills and potential winnings of actually going to a casino.  

Web design plays a big role in this popularity. Casinos are always looking for ways to improve their design and make it more appealing and practical for online users. In this article, we’ll go over some of the trends that are shaping web design for online casinos.

Dark Mode 

User experience is the most important thing for web design and users are asking for a dark mode on every website and every app they are using. It’s now a standard for online casinos to have a dark mode that’s easily accessible and that still has all the notifications and features as playing in the light mode.

At the same time, when a casino website isn’t in dark mode, it’s usually loud and flashy in its design. This is made to mimic the experience of going to an actual casino. This too is the user’s favorite as long as they have the option of switching to a more calming and minimalistic user experience.

Implementing AI

 AI has come a long way in the last couple of years and it’s now an essential part of web design for casinos. The best online casinos already use it to determine odds, suggest games to new users, and modify the user experience so that it’s unique to the needs of every player.

When it comes to the outward-facing parts of web design, AI is most noticeable in the use of chatbots for customer support purposes. Chatbots can deal with most of the simpler issues the players may face when contacting customer support. This lightens the load for the support team and makes the process faster and less expensive.

Introduction of Player Portals

 A player portal is an interface designed to allow individual players to have a “personal kiosk” through which they’ll interact with the casino. The portal provides them with live accounts on leaderboards, odds, and winnings, as well as quick access to customer support channels of their own.

This approach makes the design simpler for the end user allowing them to have an interface tailored to their needs. At the same time, such a relationship with a casino site builds loyalty in the long run, and that’s important in such a competitive market.

Adding New Payment Options

 Online casinos are always adding new payment options to their interface. Casinos are also accepting different cryptocurrencies as payment methods, as these are popular with the players betting online and provide a unique set of features.

The payment process, regardless of the method the players are using, is as simplified as it can be. Casino design is made to facilitate one-click or one-tap payments as soon as the player is signed in. At the same, the payments remain as safe as they were when players needed to enter personal information to make a payment.

Responsiveness and Speed

 In a fast-paced online betting environment, where players often make split-second decisions, the speed of a website is usually one of its most important features. Online casinos are often made to be flashy and to have appealing visuals but they also need to be as fast as possible.

This is especially true when it comes to live events that are becoming the bread and butter for many online gambling establishments. These events allow the players to bet on events in real-time and often with real dealers, mimicking the experience of visiting an actual casino. The web design and the interface therefore use compressed images, reducing CSS and JavaScript files, and minimizing external scripts.

Rise of Social Elements

 Social elements of betting are increasingly becoming a focus point for website design. Having a public profile that allows the players to share what bets they’ve made and how those bets are doing is now commonplace in casino design.

It’s also possible to comment and chat with other players who take part in the same bets or who follow you. These social elements are sometimes connected with the already established social media allowing the players to connect their casino accounts with social media accounts using their real name.

A Move to Mobile Betting

Using mobile devices to bet online has been a trend amongst younger players for years now. This is a convenient and easy way to bet and it allows the players to bet on simple games of luck without paying too much attention to them. Web design is, therefore, mobile compatible, so that the player gets the same experience when moving from a computer to a phone or a tablet and the other way around.

Most payment methods, such as e-wallets, cards, or banking accounts are also available on mobile devices. This means that a player can finance their game, play it, and withdraw their winnings all from a phone.

The Use of Cameras

 Many online casinos are taking advantage of cameras and implementing them in their design. This allows the players to easily turn on their camera and to be visible to other players during the game. It’s an especially useful feature for games with live dealers.

The use of cameras makes playing in online casinos that much more similar to being in actual physical venues. With some games, such as poker, being able to see your opponents can also help with the game itself, and figuring out who’s bluffing is always one of the most fun aspects of the game.

Virtual and Augmented Reality

 Virtual and augmented reality have also advanced greatly in recent years and are now used in many different industries including online betting. The use of augmented and virtual reality provides the player with a chance to interact with the dealers and the other players directly.

This is done by adding 360-degree videos of an actual casino via JavaScript API. Combined with the other design trends we mentioned VR and AR make online gambling a more social game.

Thematic and Branded Games

 Many players decide which game to play based on its look and aesthetics alone. Themes and symbols used in a game are therefore the most important part of its design. This has led to a rise in casino games that use already existing intellectual property as a basis for their design.

The themes can come from movies, comic books, or game shows. The casinos and the game developers usually have an IP right to deal with the studies that produce that content and the players get to enjoy an aesthetic of their favorite film franchise when they bet.

To Sum Things Up

 Online casinos need to be on the cutting edge of design trends. The betting sites always need to implement the latest technology and remain as user-friendly as possible. There are also trends in terms of aesthetics and look.

Modern online casinos are oriented towards mobile gambling, as well as towards personalizing their user experience to meet the needs of individual players. In this regard, the casinos use artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and the latest cryptocurrency tech.

About the Author

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Mirko Humbert

Mirko Humbert is the editor-in-chief and main author of Designer Daily and Typography Daily. He is also a graphic designer and the founder of WP Expert.