Online gaming is hugely popular, with millions of players around the globe logging on to play their favorite games on PCs, consoles, and smartphones every day. In 2021, the video game market in the United States generated revenues of more than $34.5 billion. In the USA, the line-up of games available to play online has been boosted thanks to the rise in the popularity of online casino gaming. Video gaming and casino gaming are rarely mentioned in the same breath, but they share many familiar elements and many fans of one are also often interested in the other.

The wagering explosion

Casino gaming options were once restricted to brick-and-mortar establishments in states such as Nevada. But the last five years have seen an explosion in online casino options across the USA. At that same time, online sports betting has also enjoyed a surge in availability, and many wagering websites offer both casino and sport wagering options. The most popular casino game options are traditional table games such as roulette, blackjack, baccarat, and video slot machines, which are available in hundreds of themes.

Pennsylvania leading the way

One state where online casino gaming has been a massive hit is Pennsylvania. Since 2017, more than a dozen online casinos have set up operations in the state and the results have been eye-watering. In March 2022, the casinos generated a staggering $142 million in gross gaming revenue. That figure stands as a US record for monthly online casino revenue. In May, that number was nearly matched again with $136 million recorded.

The state is also a big player in the video game world. Back in 2015, Fortune magazine listed Pennsylvania among the top 10 US states for video game development. The industry is worth more than $80 million to the local economy.

Attracting new players

For those new to US casino gaming, many wagering sites will reward you for playing for the first time. Most offer welcome bonuses to get you up and running. But not all online casinos are equal, and each have their own strengths and weaknesses. Sites such as Bonusfinder offer a good introduction to PA no deposit bonuses and how to get them. They also help you find the casinos with the best features. Pennsylvania is the second biggest market for online gaming in the US, and there is a large choice of regulated online casinos.

Convergence of gaming genres

Since casino games moved online in the late 1990s and early 2000s, they have drawn influences from the video gaming world. The obvious influences are the visual and sound effects, which have become more sophisticated giving casino and slot games a similar look and feel to traditional video games. Lots of casino games, especially slots, have multiple themes, many of which are inspired by video games.

Casino games have also adopted social interaction into their development. Video gamers have enjoyed social features for well over a decade, but many live online casino, bingo, and poker games now have live chatroom facilities. The online casino world has also brought gamification elements into the equation, where skill and luck are combined to make games more interesting to play.

Likewise, video gaming has become part of the wagering world via eSports competitions. Most bookmakers now offer betting markets across all the major eSports tournaments covering the most popular games. Players can wager with cash or by using in-game skins as a virtual currency. Skins betting is most commonly associated with the 2012 multiplayer first-person shooter game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

There is doubt that online wagering site are taking the US by storm. This, combined with the growth in the video game market shows that the USA is a country that loves to play.