The online gambling industry in Canada has been growing rapidly over the last few years as various states have moved to legalize most forms of gaming. This has paved the way for some of the world’s biggest developers to get their claws into the lucrative sector in the country and help to advance it at the same time. One of the most recent major developments was the announcement that NetEnt will be live on the regulated Canadian market for the first time. The world-renowned developer could inspire others to follow suit in what would be a massive boost for the iGaming industry in the North American country.
NetEnt has been a huge player in the online gambling sector from its early stages and was founded in 1996. The Swedish developer has historically aimed to get into newly regulated markets at an early stage. In 2011, for example, NetEnt moved quickly to expand in Italy when online gambling was legalized in the country. Around the same time, it became one of the earliest developers to break into the budding mobile gaming scene. It was moves like this that helped NetEnt make a name for itself as one of the most important iGaming companies on the planet.
NetEnt is best known for creating some of the top slot games on the market. Indeed, the company’s 2010 offering, Gonzo’s Quest, is still one of the most popular games among online casino players. When they announced their partnership with the British Columbia Lottery Corporation, NetEnt spoke of how important it was to get into this regulated market as a gateway to expanding in North America. It seems like after this it is only a matter of time before NetEnt will branch out to other locations including Ontario.
The fact that such a progressive developer is gaining a foothold in Canada is good news for the gaming industry as a whole. NetEnt has shown that a primary focus of the company in the near future will be to create content on future platforms. Virtual reality is still expected to have a massive impact on gaming and NetEnt believes that the slot machines of the future will be in VR. In fact, they have already started preparing for this by making VR versions of Gonzo’s Quest and Jack’s World.
One of the reasons why the gaming industry has grown so swiftly is because of the competition between developers to be right at the forefront of innovations. With NetEnt now making moves in the Canadian industry, local developers will have to raise their games in order to keep up with this giant in the sector. They can also look to the Swedish company to get an idea about where the industry may be headed next.
Canada could soon be one of the leading countries in the iGaming industry, and that will be in part thanks to the fact that major developers are taking an interest in the growing market there. Netent’s presence will help other developers to improve, and will also make other big companies see the potential in setting up links in Canada.
