Rohan MathawanIt’s no secret that consumers are turning online in ever greater numbers to fulfil their entertainment and shopping needs. From the dominance of Amazon to self-booking travel sites to online dating. It seems, no matter what we used to do solely in the physical world, we can find a more convenient digital counterpart. One area that has seen major change is the gambling industry. Sports betting, slots, card or table games, and online casinos are seeing massive growth. There are many reasons for doing so, but there are also drawbacks. Let’s take a look at both to see if online gambling beats offline classic casinos.
The benefits of gambling online
Let’s start with the good news, and there is a lot of it. Gambling online comes with a host of benefits. The industry is expected to grow by a compounded annual rate of nearly 10% from 2019 to 2025, that’s a dollar amount of $53 billion to $95 billion. Events like Covid-19 have been factored into that projection and have only emphasised online gambling’s inherent qualities:
- Comfort – no need for dressing up, finding parking, or dealing with crowds. Indeed, there is no need to even leave the house.
- Safe, fair gaming – with the introduction of strict regulators, modern online casinos run fair games that are as safe as physical casinos. Many online games even offer better odds than their offline counterparts.
- Games – games are at the core of any casino. Online casino games open up new and fantastic worlds to discover thanks to the huge advances in technology. It is even possible to play live table or card games on any device, hosted by real-life dealers.
- Bonuses – online casinos are highly competitive. As such, an arms race situation has developed with operators offering bigger and better bonuses for customers to take up.
- Convenience – Online gamblers play wherever they are, whatever they want. It’s the modern consumer’s dream.
Physical casinos still draw in the crowds
With all of the benefits listed above some may wonder why people bother visiting a real, bricks and mortar casino. Well, there are some things that playing online can’t quite recreate. The most obvious is the excitement of getting all dressed up and mingling with strangers. That buzz of walking into a plush casino, not knowing where the night will take you is yet to be fully re-enacted on a device. Sure, there are live dealers online, but it’s not the same as meeting up with friends for a memorable night out.
So which is the winner?
While gambling is moving online at an exponential rate, there is still a fond place in many people’s hearts for betting in a real casino. This means that players are the overall winner at the moment. Both forms of gambling offer clear advantages over the other that neither can quite eclipse. For the sheer range of games, ease of use, and convenience, you just can’t beat gambling online. For vibe, atmosphere and hanging with friends, physical casinos are the obvious choice. Both offer something completely different so online, and offline casinos are there to cater for any mood that strikes.