Examining the 2023 online casino landscape and early 2024 trends reveals that slots still hold over 80% market dominance. However, there are notable shifts in the popularity of specific games. Leveraging data from its Game Aggregator, a leading hub for iGaming projects, SOFTSWISS shares insights gathered by analysing more than 300 clients and 16,500 games.
Slot Games
In 2023, slots consistently ranked as the most popular game category, both in terms of Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) and Total Bet Count, capturing 85.56% of the market. Although there was a slight dip to 83% at the beginning of 2024, the expectations are that slots' popularity will stay above 80%.
Throughout 2023, Pragmatic Play's Gates of Olympus and Sweet Bonanza asserted their dominance, consistently holding top positions in the top 10 games. However, the landscape shifted in early 2024 when Push Gaming's Retro Tapes ascended to the pinnacle, relegating the previous leaders to second and third places.
Live Dealer Games
While slots dominate, the leaderboard also features other game types, reflecting diverse player preferences. Beyond individual titles, live dealer games emerge as a highly popular category following slots.
Distinguishing itself from slots, the live dealer game category attracts a different target audience. Players in this segment seek the atmosphere of a live casino and tend to place higher bets. For instance, the average Bet Sum in card games in 2023 was 49.95 euro, whereas in slots, it was only 0.75 euro.
Within this category, roulette and card games capture the spotlight, reflecting the enduring appeal and widespread popularity of classic casino offerings among players.
In Q1 2023, the live casino game Crazy Time held the third spot, slipping to the fourth by year-end. Yet, at the start of 2024, Prive Lounge Blackjack 5 outperformed it, securing a higher rank.
Playtech's live roulette game, Roleta Brasileira, stood out in 2023, ranking high at the beginning and end of the year. Although its global position might change in early 2024, the game remains a top choice for players in Latin America, highlighting its ongoing popularity in that specific market.
Crash Games
The crash game category, emerging as the next most popular genre after live casino games in terms of GGR, showcases its appeal, with Aviator by Spribe leading the charge. This game notably ascended into the top three rankings in the last quarter of 2023 despite starting the year from the sixth place. However, by early 2024, Aviator saw a slight decline in popularity, returning to the sixth position, illustrating the dynamic nature of player preferences within the crash game category.
Tatyana Kaminskaya, Head of SOFTSWISS Game Aggregator, comments: "Analysing just the first month of the year doesn't provide the full picture, yet we do this to predict emerging trends. While slots continue to reign supreme in the gaming world, the diversity we see among the top-ranked games highlights the varied interests of our players. It emphasises the critical need to maintain a diverse portfolio that meets different layer preferences, ensuring a rich gaming experience. Adopting this strategy helps attract a wider audience and retain players by offering them various options, reducing the likelihood of them seeking alternatives."
