Online Casinos Might Just Drive Actual Casinos Out of Business – Here’s Why

By  //  August 18, 2020

Many believe that most people in casinos are there looking to make a quick payday and enjoy the glamour that a casino environment has to offer.

Many believe that most people in casinos are there looking to make a quick payday and enjoy the glamour that a casino environment has to offer.

However, these people don’t realize how wrong they are as most people who gamble do it because they enjoy the game and the uncertainty of the bet (and winning) gives them the thrill they are seeking.

These gambling enthusiasts would be happy playing poker at a friend’s house as much as he would at the world’s best casino.

Then there’s also the fact that most people in the world do not live in a city where there is a casino or where gambling might be legalized.

So going to a country where there is a casino, simply to gamble, can become very expensive. You can’t just worry about how much money you lose at the table.

There are also costs for flights, fuel costs, accommodation, food, etc. If nothing, a trip to vegas should cost you somewhere in the neighborhood of $1000.

For genuine gamblers, online casinos have offered a very convenient and cost-effective alternative to actual casinos. Its been a little more than 20 years that online casinos have become popular, with more and more users making the switch each year.

Today, one website will have tens of millions of users from all around the world and the surprising part is that there is still more room in the market for competition. This is mainly because the demand continues to grow all over the world, as more and more people gain access to the internet.

Today, we will take a look at the evolution of online casinos over the years and dive deeper into the reasons why online casinos have become so popular.

You will see that these reasons range from costs to convenience to choice of games. Regardless of the reasons, there’s little chance that you could deny that online casinos have surpassed the Las Vegas strip and provide a much better platform for gambling enthusiasts.

THE HISTORY

Online casinos first appeared in 1996 with a great majority of them being based out of Europe. Nowadays you’ll find online casinos operating out of different parts of the world, but in the early days, it was limited to Europe and Asia.

Websites would have the bare minimum in terms of graphics and design, and you would be limited to slot games, which ran on a three-reel three-line model.

Nowadays, websites have improved significantly to feature a whole list of features along with heavy use of graphics, themes, and design. A great deal of change has also come to the format of the games. At first, players would have to pay in order to play any games and would have to risk losing their money.

That has changed and, as you will read below, players no longer need to pay if they’d like to enjoy a few hands of poker or blackjack. 

UTMOST CONVENIENCE

As mentioned above, not everybody lives in a city where there would be a casino. Even if you can afford to take regular trips to a city with one, you still need to go through all the inconvenience of traveling and booking a hotel.

If your only objective is the thrill and enjoyment of the game, then an online casino can give you all that without any geographical restrictions.

You could be in any country and all you need is a working internet connection to access your favorite online casino.

In the early days of online gambling, your only option to access online casinos would be a PC. However, with continuous innovation, the invention of smartphones, and the introduction of dynamic websites, online casinos are now accessible on PCs, laptops, smartphones, and tablets.

You could play a few hands of poker while you wait for your doctor’s appointment or enjoy a game of the Nifty Fifty while you’re waiting for your pizza delivery.

YOU CAN PLAY FOR FREE

Going to a casino will ALWAYS end up costing you money in one way or another. Even if you have a lucky streak and don’t lose a single hand, you’ll be paying for the room and the food and the drinks and the following festivities. In the end, you’ll have lost a decent amount of money as well.

With online casinos, you’re saved from all those additional costs. You already have an internet connection at home or through your network provider, so your only cost would be data charges.

Moreover, with actual casinos, you’re bound to place a bet and risk your money. There are many people who enjoy these games more than gambling with money.

For such players, it is unfair to expect them to pay and risk their hard-earned money. Online casinos offer a great alternative as most online casinos also offer free-to-play games.

You would be “gambling” with virtual money (which is just assigned to you at the start of the game) and you get to enjoy the game without having to risk your hard-earned money.

Now, to be fair, one can’t expect actual casinos to be able to offer the same service. Casinos are difficult to run and they have massive overhead costs which include property costs, maintenance, salaries, utilities, taxes, and other expenses.

Simply put, they can’t afford to give away space in their game area for players who do not want to spend money. From an economical standpoint, it wouldn’t make sense for a casino to offer free-to-play games.

For online casinos, it’s the opposite. By having free-to-play games, they increase site traffic and they can still earn a decent amount of money through ad revenue.

In fact, there are many online casinos that exclusively offer free-to-play games only and they make their money using subscriptions and ad revenue. These online casinos are quite successful and also tend to make decent profits.

YOU GET MONEY JUST FOR SIGNING UP

Imagine if a casino was handing $100 bills to everyone who walked through their doors so they can go and gamble. A casino like that would be very successful, but it’s never gonna happen. That’s not true for online casinos though.

Many sites offer sign-up bonuses where you get a decent nominal amount (usually $20) to start your gambling with. There will also be regular promotions where you’ll have chances to double or triple your winnings in any game.

Then there are deposit bonuses where your first two or three deposits are matched by the casino. Although, these bonuses will usually be capped at the $200 mark and will rarely (if ever) exceed $500.

So, if you deposit $500 into your online casino account, the online casino will match it and deposit $500 to make your balance $1000.

It should be noted that different casinos will have different matching percentages depending on whether it’s your first, second, or third deposit. However, if you’re using a reputable site, then you will have some form of a deposit bonus.

So, not only do you save money by not having to travel to a casino and pay for tickets and hotel rooms, but you also stand to win more money if you choose to use an online casino for your gambling. So it’s safe to say that an online casino offers more value for money.

SAFER HANDLING OF MONEY

If you have a good night at the casino, carrying out wads of cash isn’t exactly the best idea. Chances are you’ll have had a few drinks in celebration and in your compromised state you’ll probably get mugged.

Even if you have something set up with the casino, you still have to go through the hassle of coming to collect it at a more suitable time or give control of it to the casino to transfer to your account.

With online casinos, you’re saved from every hassle and you control your finances through and through. A casino won’t let you buy chips on a credit card or any credit system unless you’re a prominent billionaire, but you won’t have to face the same restrictions when it comes to online casinos.

You can deposit money into your account using debit cards, credit cards, PayPal, and other digital banking methods.

Withdrawals also work just as conveniently, letting you make transfers to your digital banking account or your own actual bank account. At no point would you be handing over control of your money to anyone and you can access your funds whenever you want.

WIDE VARIETY OF GAMES

There are a lot of different types of casino games but not every casino will have every casino game. Casinos have limited space and they need to include games that make the most money and are in most demand.

They also need to keep space for other parts of the casino like rooms, conference rooms, convention halls, restaurants, kitchens, staff quarters, parking spaces, etc. Therefore, a lot of thought has to go into how casinos utilize their overall space.

Online casinos are not limited by such restrictions and they take full advantage. You’ll find sites where you can find every casino game known to man in twenty different variations depending on your tastes and preferences.

You’ll find poker games with Disney themes and entire websites that revolve around Egyptian themes. You won’t ever be left wanting as every taste is catered to.

DIFFERENT PLATFORMS FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF GAMBLING

Gambling comes in many forms. You have sports betting, casinos, horse racing, and many more. Online casinos tend to be organized in what they offer.

So, an online casino will only have casino games and a bookmaker site, like Betfred, would only deal with betting. This lets communities form with people of similar interests, which ensures there’s a level of human interaction when you’re using these platforms.

ONLINE CASINOS COULD BE SAFER

Given the circumstances we are living in nowadays, with the COVID pandemic and the awareness of infectious diseases becoming more common, there’s an argument to be made for online casinos being safer than actual casinos.

A casino has thousands of people inside it at any given time, who have all been to different places and have been exposed to different things. Going to such a place increases the risk of exposure to viruses like COVID-19.

While one can argue that a vaccine will be invented any day now and, while this might be true, one can’t deny that the risk currently does exist. Moreover, it’s difficult to deny that the pandemic has not affected public life as a whole, which is causing casinos to implement safety measures which can cause great inconvenience. 

Online casinos eliminate this risk as you won’t have to leave the confines and safety of your home. You would still be able to play all your favorite casino games and win money the same way you would at a casino.

YOU WON’T EVER FEEL LEFT OUT

If you’ve been to a casino or watched a movie that involves gambling, you must have heard the term “$100 minimum”.

This means that you need to place a minimum bet of $100 if you want to join the game. Many casinos tend to have a pretty hefty minimum but online casinos don’t have such restrictions.

However, rather than getting rid of the concept entirely, they allow for all types of minimums. You’ll find a poker table with a $100 minimum and another with a $1 minimum.

Some games will even half a 50-cent minimum. The objective is to not let anyone miss out on the gaming experience for the reason of money.

Keeping the higher tables intact allows for the higher level of competition to be upheld. Also, let’s not forget about the free-to-play games as well. All of this ensures that everybody has a good time and nobody feels left out.

CLICK HERE FOR BREVARD COUNTY NEWS