Dozens of genres appeal to gamers all over the world. Whether it is regional choice or gamers who lean toward a specific type of gaming due to their personal preference, many different genres have found their audience, mainly because of the internet. As gaming continues to grab audiences’ attention globally, there’s a cycle of genres that bring in more attention than others, and the profit margins highlight this fact in more detail. 

#3 – Blackjack gaming

Casino gaming is one industry that has taken the potential of the internet and used it to full effect. While other sectors were treading water at the beginning of the century, prominent names in the gambling industry worked tirelessly to connect their global audiences with more convenient ways to play. Blackjack is one of the most iconic casino games, and its popularity predates a time before even television or planes existed. Still, the internet and mobile phone technology have meant that this type of casino gaming has found the millions of new customers far more manageable than before the emergence of the internet and the incredible interconnectivity it affords casino gamers and operators. 

Perhaps blackjack has continued to find an audience due to the game’s simplicity. Although other card-based casino games have a global audience, games such as poker are more challenging to pick up, have many more nuances, and focus on strategy and luck. Blackjack is a game of complete chance — it involves you being dealt two cards, and you choose to hit or stick, hoping your total gets as close to 21 without exceeding it. The exact value of 21 is known as blackjack, and unless the dealer also manages to get the same hand, this means that you win the game. The quickfire nature of blackjack has drawn in many fans. With digital casino algorithms able to settle payouts instantly, gamers can get through games quickly, which has been highlighted as one element that has allowed blackjack to flourish, more so than other gambling games.

#2 – Slot machine gaming

Sticking to the casino game theme, slot machines encompass a much broader world than blackjack. Although blackjack as a standalone game might be more recognizable, slot machines cover a whole range of genres, so it might be slightly unfair to label it as its own genre, given how many games fall into this bracket. 

However, it is a casino gaming genre that has seen explosive growth since the early 2010s. As casino gaming and sports betting are looked upon a lot more favourably by lawmakers in America, the world’s biggest gambling market, slot machine gaming has made its way to the top of the industry. This positive foundation has helped the sector generate tens of billions of pounds annually. Not only does this continue attracting substantial institutional investment in companies that design these innovative games but it also opens up the doors to millions of new gamers looking to experience online casino gaming for the first time.

#1 – Blockchain gaming

Few inventions have made global news in the same way cryptocurrency has. It is one of the few financial innovations that has genuinely emerged to challenge traditional, centralised banking, and the blockchain technology that underwrites it is considered the key reason it has challenged these conventional financial systems. One of the many interesting elements of the blockchain is that it is now being used for gaming. 

Blockchain gaming is one of the first examples of being able to play and earn simultaneously. Depending on the type of blockchain game you play, you can own NFTs, mine cryptocurrencies, and sell them on exchanges. Most, if not all, blockchain gaming utilises free-to-play designs, and designers can take a small fee from each transaction made within the game to generate the profit they need to continue investing in and developing their game. 

A couple of years ago, blockchain technology exploded onto the scene due to the bull run, which saw Bitcoin hit an all-time high price of over $70,000 and push the entire market value beyond $3tn. However, now that the market is worth considerably less than that, the appetite for blockchain gaming has also taken a slight hit, but the way this industry has risen from the fringes in the last few years and still manages to find a big audience despite a serious market retraction means that it is not just one of the top gaming genres of this year but one of the most significant to look out for in the 2020s.