Why Devs are Shying Away from Dedicated Apps in the Casino Space

It wasn’t so long ago now that if you wanted to be on smartphones, you needed a dedicated app. It gave birth to a new era of mobile app development, as any company with serious ambitions launched their own dedicated software for either Android or iOS.

The picture was no different in the casino space either, as virtually every online casino operator employed development teams to create their own dedicated apps.

Of course, these apps are still available, but the strategy for many new casino operators has been to shy away from the development of a native app and, instead, rely on mobile-friendly websites. What’s causing this shift? Join us as we take a look at some of the reasons.

Multi-Platform Support

One of the primary benefits of building your online casino as a web app rather than a native app is, of course, multi-platform support. The mobile market is exceptionally fragmented, with customers using untold numbers of devices of different shapes, software and hardware. That makes developing for every platform and device a serious issue. By focusing on the web, developers have been able to create a truly multi-platform environment with relative ease.

Reduced Development Cycle

One of the hallmarks of online casinos is their rapid evolution. New games, features and technologies are constantly deployed to keep them ahead of the competition. With a website already in place for desktop users, switching away from dedicated apps allows casinos to focus on only updating one platform, dramatically reducing development times.

Customer Attraction

Casinos have, increasingly, moved to offer new sign-ups large bonuses in a bid to convince new customers to sign up, with bonuses of over $1000 available, according to Oddschecker. Many customers are simply unwilling to download an app to sample such offers, requiring more clicks than simply visiting from a banner advert or clicking a link. It might sound trivial, but in the ultra-competitive world of online casinos, such minor edges are truly worth their weight in gold.

Browser Advancements

Perhaps the biggest driver behind the shift towards web-based casinos is the important fact that modern mobile browsers are hugely capable. The industry-wide shift towards HTML5 has enabled ultra-fast graphics, perfect for casino games, while new security protocols have meant that web-pages can now be just as secure as dedicated apps. It’s meant there are fewer good reasons not to develop for the web than ever before.
Are you considering ending the development of your apps to focus on the web? Let us know in the comments below!