New research from SOFTSWISS, a renowned IT supplier for iGaming, has revealed that the crypto-friendly gaming business is still growing impressively. That is, there is still a strong preference for crypto payments among players, despite the setbacks experienced in 2022.
The report’s findings, based on an analysis of data from 700 users of SOFTSWISS’s Game Aggregator and Casino Platform, were astounding. Total bets placed via the provider’s platform climbed by 31% compared to 2021, despite the volatility of the cryptocurrency market. Overall gambling earnings, measured by Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR; the sum of all bets and all payouts, including taxes and fees), increased by 36% year over year.
Impressive Growth Figures for Crypto
One of the most interesting revelations was that although the number of fiat-based initiatives has been growing, the influence of the existing global crypto community is not waning. It is still a priority for iGaming businesses to accept cryptocurrency payments and create new cryptocurrency-centric technologies.
Bitcoin is the most widely-bet digital currency despite a 60% price decrease in 2022, making up an astounding 72.7% of all crypto bets. Ethereum, on the other hand, has seen a 3.7% growth in popularity since 2021, and now accounts for 13.6 percent of all crypto bets. 5.5% of all wagers are placed on Litecoin, which is not far behind.
A total of 20.2 billion Euros was wagered on cryptocurrencies, a reduction of 14.6% compared to 2021. Nevertheless, the decline in crypto bets has been countered by the increase in fiat bets, which accounted for 76% of the total player bets by the end of 2022. This indicates that the growth of fiat bets has more than compensated for the decline in crypto bets.
High Expectations for the Future
SOFTSWISS is confident in the long-term viability of cryptocurrency in the iGaming industry despite the aforementioned swings and hurdles in 2022. Vitali Matsukevich, Chief Operational Officer of SOFTSWISS, claims that crypto’s fast transactions, privacy, and decentralization continue to make it a popular choice among gamers. He is optimistic that the trend toward using cryptocurrency by gamers will continue.
“Despite the fluctuations, crypto has already gained a strong foothold and has become an integral part of the market. For this reason, SOFTSWISS continues to strengthen its partners’ projects, whether fiat or crypto, with new innovative tools and solutions, providing operators with security, reliability, and top-level service.”
Vitali Matsukevich, Chief Operational Officer of SOFTSWISS
The sector as a whole is expanding and diversifying, and stakeholders increasingly gravitating towards digital services and products with crypto leading the pack.