Gambling has often been perceived as an evil sport, a sport for the spoilt and the filthy rich. However, gambling has been a part of our lives since historical times; there are pieces of evidence of dice playing, which is also a kind of gambling. It has always been associated with different cultures across the world in some form or the other and has recently entered the limelight with the evolution of new forms of gambling like online gambling and online casinos.
Recent evidence shows that the public perception around gambling has been changing for good, which has resulted in the legal status of gambling in many US states. Public acceptance has increased as gambling is no longer seen as a moral issue; economic and tax benefits are offered for communities involved in it. Another reason for this change is the mode of gambling, with the emergence of online gambling it is hardly conspicuous, and the economic benefits are also high. Online gambling has also kept the sport largely outside the purview of the government, which has given a free hand to gambling enthusiasts. Some other notable benefits of online gambling have been described below.
Fast & Anonymous
One of the first advantages of online gambling is that it is fast and anonymous. One can enjoy the game from the comfort of his home. With a good internet connection, a computer, and necessary know-how, one can easily connect to an online casino straight from his home. This also adds elements of safety and convenience and makes the process smooth yet profitable with good bonuses and payouts.
Profits
Talking about profits, recent examples show that gamblers in online casinos are making profits equivalent to or sometimes even more than players in the traditional ones. Contrary to popular belief that one can hardly make good gains from simple online gambling games, one can earn millions of dollars, especially with the advent of cryptocurrency in the gambling market. The prices of tokens have increased relatively, and players are benefiting from online gambling with or even without cryptocurrency.
Choice of Games
The choice of games is also large for online gambling compared to land-based ones. Land-based casinos, however large and varied, are limited by size and geographical jurisdiction, which do not apply to online casinos. Online casinos offer a huge variety of games, including the classic games found in the traditional casinos, and the choice is large as these are not bound by any geographical limitations. Players from all over the world can participate in a wide selection of games. Therefore, such casinos also have global access and transnational reach.
Bet Sizes
Bet sizes are not strictly restricted to online casinos, unlike land-based ones. Traditional casinos have maximum and minimum restrictions on the sizes of bets as they need to cover multiple costs and the overhead charges of running a land-based establishment are quite high. Online casinos, on the other hand, incur less overhead charges as they are easier and cheaper to be operated and thus, offer a wide range of wagering options. This is a highly inclusive feature of online casinos, as players with a small budget can also choose a smaller bet size as per their convenience and participation. The wide acceptance of online gambling has ensured that gambling no longer remains a sport for the filthy rich only.
Value for Money
Online gambling is a value for money option as compared to traditional gambling. Casinos are legal only in a few places; therefore, the gambler needs to plan accordingly and travel to a particular location to make money. With online gambling, players can indulge in gambling at their comfort and convenience without spending any extra bucks. Moreover, traditional casinos have a higher ‘House edge,’ which implies that the chances of winning are less than that of online casinos. Thus, they offer a perfect combination of comfort, economy, and profits.
Payment Ratio
The payout ratios offered by online casinos are also way above the conventional ones because of stiff competition. Online casinos are numerous, and therefore, they need to provide a higher payout ratio to attract more customers. Sometimes the payout ratio can be as high as 95% more compared with land-based casinos and one of the major reasons why even seasoned players have taken to online gambling. Payouts are also high because establishment and maintenance cost is very low for online casinos vis-a-vis traditional ones. Online casinos do not need to “pay for expensive buildings with lavish furnishings, croupiers, and suchlike.”
Attractive Bonuses
Another incentive that online casinos generally offer is attractive bonuses where the customer is earning a good bonus for even buying chips. Traditional casinos rarely offer such lucrative bonuses that, too, with the first deposit, which can be equal to almost 100% of the deposited amount. They certainly have some cap on them, yet one can earn hundreds of extra dollars from bonuses, which can be used for playing later.
Free Games
Online casinos also offer free games, i.e., they allow the player to use the free version of a game at least for some time. Though all games may not have free options, most of them have, and the game is free from risks as no money is involved. Thus, these games can be used by beginners to train themselves for the real game. Some online casinos also allow players to play for free until a certain period, which is unthinkable in a traditional casino. This is because in a traditional casino, there is a limited number of gaming machines, and a fixed number of players can use them. In online casinos, multiple players can play at the same, and therefore, offering a few players, some free games is hardly an issue.
Loyalty Points
Online casinos also offer loyalty points for using or remaining loyal to their site even if one is losing in the game. This means even if one has made some losses in the game, he can accumulate some loyalty points to use them to buy casino credit, etc. and the more one plays at a particular casino, the more points he accumulates. Traditional casinos offer free drinks, some dinner options, or hotel upgrades to their loyal customers, but the benefits are far less compared to the online ones.
Traditional casinos also have limited options for payment methods, i.e., they accept only certain payment methods, mostly cash, from customers buying chips. Online casinos, on the other hand, offer many options for payment like credit/debit card, PayPal, Neteller, Skrill, etc. to their customers from which he can choose the option that he is comfortable with. Some online casinos also allow the use of cryptocurrency to pay, and some others have the eVoucher option that “allow you to purchase a payment voucher from a store using cash.” The voucher can be used to make online casino deposits and transactions more secure and anonymous.
Today, almost everything is available to us from the comfort of our home; why should gambling be left behind. Gambling enthusiasts, especially the young, are trying to avoid expensive trips to casino and gambling hubs. About 40% of gamblers are young, which shows that online gambling is emerging as the preferred gambling option worldwide. This has also helped to create a new kind of employment, giving rise to many online entrepreneurs who, along with service providers, have helped to provide these online casinos.
Although there are certain negative aspects of online gambling, the positives outweigh the negatives in this case. Illicit gambling needs to be regulated, but regulations should not be such that they restrict the games altogether. Online gambling has made the gambling business more egalitarian, with people from diverse backgrounds participating in its thrill. Therefore, we should make use of its potential for positive outcomes rather than focusing only on the ill effects of gambling.
