3 iGaming Applications of Cloud Computing

While it is easy to dismiss some of the trending technologies of today as mere hype, one thing that is almost universally agreed upon is the added value brought by cloud computing. Cloud computing is about so much more than storage. It has provided a way for businesses across every single industry to improve data security, increase bandwidth, and make systems more accessible.
While we have already seen plenty about how cloud computing is enhancing processes in finance or e-commerce, what hasn't been explored are the myriad cloud computing applications within the $100 billion a year iGaming industry. Let's take a closer look.

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Unparalleled payment security

Across all betting platforms, payment security is paramount. Let's look at an example of one particularly prominent platform, the European betting site Paddy Power. If you were to play bingo for real money at Paddy Power, you would make a deposit to purchase your e-bingo card or wager on a "slingo" spin.

Meanwhile, you would need to ensure that your financial data is safe when withdrawing any winnings you make from those bingo games. Paddy Power has a lot of customers, meaning that huge volumes of digital payment data pass through the platform every single minute.

With cloud-based servers, this sensitive data is much, much less vulnerable to hacking than if it was all stored on a single, physical server. This security guarantee is something that iGaming customers value, which is why the cloud offers such significant opportunities for platform operators. 

Real-time betting

One of the most in-demand iGaming products in recent years has been real-time, "in-play" betting. With these, players can bet live on unfolding sports events such as the Super Bowl as they are occurring, with the odds and data changing by the second.

This requires a constant flow of data and inputs into iGaming platforms that operate sportsbooks. Traditional data support infrastructure is less able to handle this, but the enhanced bandwidth and scalability of cloud computing means it is much easier to operate real-time betting that users can rely on. 

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Enhanced scalability

Across all industries, the scalability of cloud computing has been touted as a major draw. Without being constrained by physical infrastructure, high-growing companies such as Netflix or Twitch can rely on the cloud to scale their operations up and down as needed in just a few clicks, at least as far as data storage is concerned.

If an online casino suddenly becomes very popular, that casino's infrastructure will be flooded with huge volumes of data, all of which will contain valuable insights that the casino can use to improve the customer experience.

If the casino was to rely on traditional IT infrastructure, it might be unable to expand the online business quickly enough to accommodate this new demand and enhanced data flows. With the cloud, however, this is simply not an issue. 

In the online casino industry, success often depends on the ability of platforms to adopt new technology. As we are already seeing right now, those that can utilize the potential of the cloud are well-placed to survive and thrive in the future.