This isn’t the most hidden fact in the UK, but did you know that one of the biggest casino game developers in the world was founded and still makes its home on a small island off the coast of the mainland UK?
No, it’s not the Isle of Wight, it’s in fact the massive Microgaming, based in the Isle of Man, which is one of the oldest and most established developers in the iGaming industry, and even lays claim to running the oldest online casino in the world.
So the question is, could the Isle of Wight play host to something similar?
What exactly is iGaming?
Chances are you already know many of the biggest names in iGaming, as many of them are evolutions from the traditional betting world. Businesses like Paddy Power have grown from a standard sports betting company to an online empire featuring real money slot games including those from Microgaming, huge live table games and lotteries on top of the sports.
It’s a massive industry that’s had a great few years of growth, expanding across the world and bringing in big money. As of 2021, the industry globally was worth around $61 billion (£56 billion) and has certainly increased since then.
Is there space for a new developer?
Calling online casinos a crowded market is an understatement, especially in some areas. The number of small online casinos that pop up every month is huge, and there’s not a lot of space to move around.
Game developers have a little more room as there are far fewer of them around, although finding a unique business idea is still a tricky prospect. Many developers have moved into a niche of games, such as action games, live casino games or officially licensed titles from various movies or even classic rock groups. The money is there for it as well, with over $8 billion (£7 billion) expected to be added to the market by 2024.
One area that could be a niche is in the technologies being picked up by the industry at the moment. There’s a lot of movement towards virtual reality and interactive tech, and a developer focusing purely on that could find success.
What would it bring to the Island?
The big positives straight out of the gate would be the local economy and a large number of jobs. Microgaming, for example, employs over 200 people with a lot of specialised roles. Naturally, any new business would start much smaller than this, but the potential is there.
Many people may be initially concerned by the idea of bringing more gambling to the Island, however, as a developer, they wouldn’t be operating the gambling side itself, only providing games and software to other global companies. This means that the people being brought in would be more likely to be programmers, designers and marketers more than anything else.
So is it likely?
If the similar case of the Isle of Man is anything to go by, then there’s certainly room on the island to accommodate a development business, and it would do a lot to boost the island’s tech reputation. There’s not any good reason not to at this point.
