India is the world’s most populous country, with a population of over 1.3 billion, making it an increasingly attractive business market. However, despite its vast population, internet penetration rates in India are still below 50%, which presents a significant opportunity for businesses looking to tap into this market. As internet penetration rates continue to increase, so does the potential customer base, opening up new avenues for businesses to expand and reach new markets.
Given India’s big business opportunity with its high population and low internet penetration, the mobile phone market is one area businesses can capitalize on. In 2023, the top 10 mobile brands in India are expected to be Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo, Realme, Apple, OnePlus, Nokia, Lava, and Micromax. This means that online businesses such as iGaming looking to target the Indian market must ensure that their iGaming platforms run well on these devices to maximize their reach and engagement.
In addition to the mobile market, the online betting industry is also growing in India. The top 5 betting apps in India are Parimatch, 1xBet, Betway, 22bet, and 20Bet. These apps offer users a range of betting options, from sports betting to casino games, and have become increasingly popular among younger generations. For businesses looking to enter the Indian market, partnering with or developing similar apps could be a lucrative opportunity.
India’s vast population and low internet penetration rates present a significant opportunity for businesses looking to expand and reach new markets. Businesses can capitalize on the country’s growing digital landscape by focusing on the mobile market and partnering with or developing online betting apps. However, as with any emerging market, conducting thorough research and understanding the cultural nuances and legal requirements is essential to ensure success.
iGaming market research in India: top 10 slot games performance comparison
Testa conducted iGaming market research in India, using SlotCatalogs’ list of India’s top Game Providers as a reference. With crowdsourced market research & benchmarking, Testa loaded the top 10 Slot games from major operators’ websites. The test case provided to the testers was to launch all 10 listed games by clicking. The timer started when a game was clicked and ended when the game was playable. All browser diagnostics were saved for analysis.
iGaming technical terms explained
- Game load time (sec) – less is better; this is the actual waiting time of players when they click a button or navigate on something on the platform. The minimum gaming load time shouldn’t exceed 5 seconds or playable at least within 15 seconds, or you risk players’ retention.
- Load speed (MB/s) – larger being better; refers to the rate at which a website or application loads data from a server, so it’s important to know the local network stability and resources before setting up the platform.
- Game size (MB) – normally smaller being preferable; refers to the game’s file size that a player needs to download before playing it. The size of the game can vary depending on the type, the length, and the graphics used. There’s a difference between resources and transferred, see below:
- Resources – uncompressed size of all resources, the MB of your website content (ex. 10MB) resources refer to the data a website uses to provide content and features, such as images, videos, and games.
- Transferred – compressed size of all resources, the files you download when opening your website (ex., equal to or less than 10MB) transferred files may include game assets such as graphics, sound effects, background processes, and software updates needed to ensure optimal gameplay.
Because games vary in terms of load speed, game size, and overall load time, it can be useful to consider a combination of these factors when comparing them. Given that first impressions can make or break a player’s experience, it’s important to note that a game that loads slowly can lead to frustration and increase the likelihood of players leaving the platform (also known as bouncing).
The average game load time is the actual waiting time between a player clicking on the game icon and the game reaching a playable state. In comparing games, it’s helpful to consider this metric along with other factors like game size and overall load time, as some games load faster than others.
Playson’s Book of Gold has the shortest loading time at 4.1 seconds, whereas Hacksaw Gaming’s Wanted Dead or a Wild takes the longest at 14.8 seconds. While anything above 10-15 seconds is considered a long wait time in today’s fast-paced world, it’s worth noting that two-thirds of the games tested loaded in 15 seconds or less with a cold cache.
Google has found that when a page takes 3 seconds to load instead of 1 second, the bounce rate increases by 32%. While slots players may be more understanding of longer load times due to media-rich software, they still have high expectations for speed and efficiency, just like they do with other on-demand services like Netflix.
Moving on, we will now examine the average game load speed or throughput (where a larger value is better). This metric indicates how quickly data is transmitted from the server and Content Delivery Network (CDN) to the player’s browser. Playson’s Book of Gold has the highest measurement at 14 MB/s, while B Gaming’s Gift Rush is the slowest at 1.08 MB/s.
Several factors can affect a game’s load speed, including the network connection and proximity to the player, the number of assets stored on a nearby CDN, the processing power of the end-user device, and the amount of processing required by the browser for rendering complex graphics or Javascript.
The average game size, which is the file size that a player needs to download before playing a game, is ideally smaller as it ensures smooth gameplay on devices with varying processing power and memory levels. By optimizing the game size and memory usage, iGaming providers can offer players an uninterrupted gaming experience while limiting the game’s impact on their devices.
Based on our test data, Reel Kingdom’s Big Bass Bonanza has a game size of 49.2MB but only transfers 22.8 MB of compressed data, resulting in a compression ratio of 54%. On the other hand, Playson’s Book of Gold has an uncompressed game size of 64.3MB but only transfers a total of 61.2 MB, leading to a compression ratio of just 5%.
iGaming market research in India: get visibility on game performance
To succeed in the highly competitive iGaming industry, running a successful slots business requires a global market presence. However, each market has unique preferences and user behaviors, such as phone quality and network connectivity variations, making it challenging for game studios and providers to be physically present in all markets they serve. As they expand, they may lose visibility on the customer experience.
This is where Testa iGaming market research comes in to help. Our team of testers in key iGaming markets provides real “on the ground” results and generates insights for providers’ own games and their competitors. Testa’s crowdtesters come from diverse backgrounds and skill levels, ensuring that the testing process reflects real-world player usage and is not limited to a specific group of users.
Testa enables providers to obtain market data and provide evidence to both internal and external stakeholders. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video of real users playing and interacting with iGaming products from within the market must be worth a million.
To begin the process, clients work with their dedicated service delivery manager to define test cases and data outputs. The tests are then assigned to our team, and the results are posted to the Testa Web portal and summarized in reports, including pictures, video, browser diagnostics, or any other output defined by the client.
Testa is the only crowdtesting platform built specifically by iGamers experts for iGaming experts. See how crowdtesting can help you with Quality testing and improve Compliance, Performance, Integrations, and many other key areas of the iGaming landscape. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive future research and updates, or Contact us to learn more and receive a free demonstration of our crowdtesting services.