Sidney Adams
June 11th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
So much of life and leisure has moved online over the course of the last year. The coronavirus pandemic has shifted almost everything that possibly can be digitalized away from in-person and right on to the web – and gambling is no exception.
Some people have predicted that the vaccine rollout and the tentative easing of coronavirus restrictions might end up leading to a shift away from the institutions and places which have enjoyed a boost in success over the course of the pandemic. But the benefits of gambling and gaming online are clearly being felt – and there’s little sign of online casinos winding down any time soon. This article will delve into more detail about how and why this is the case.
The numbers
The evidence shows that online gambling is very much on the up. In-person casino firms have spent recent months making acquisitions that bolster their online gambling credentials: Caesars Entertainment, for example, has picked up the British firm William Hill in part in order to build out its web and mobile gambling provision.
In the UK, meanwhile, data from the Gambling Commission released during the early phase of the pandemic showed that those who were already gambling were upping their use of gambling services. Figures showed that just over two thirds of such people boosted either the amount of cash or time they spent gambling – suggesting that the established gambling community were firmly happy with the shift to online.
Privacy is key
Some online gambling sites are offering cryptocurrency deposit options which don’t have an ownership record.
It’s easy to see why online casinos remain so popular. For some, the privacy offered by being able to gamble at home is a real game-changer. And now that some online gambling sites are offering cryptocurrency deposit options which don’t have an ownership record thanks to their decentralized nature, it’s easier than ever to gamble in private.
It’s interesting to ask whether privacy concerns also exist with online gambling. However, the privacy concerns with online casinos are just different. While it’s possible that your Internet service provider or a government can track your online usage, it’s harder for your friends and family to get to know. And with services like browser history clearers or VPNs available, it’s possible to add extra security.
Ease of use
Online gambling sites are also easy to use, too. Once the requisite age and other checks have been performed, a gambler can get started with play straight away. With a physical casino, this isn’t the case – and depending on where you live, it can take even longer to get started if there’s a big distance involved.
And online casinos that you can find on sites such as Onlinecasinolistings.com can also offer the gamer another advantage – choice. Online casino games come jam-packed with all sorts of fun features and designs, and it’s possible to customize your online casino experience in a way that you can’t quite at an in-person gambling venue. In-person casinos might have a certain degree of excitement that a website can’t replicate – but they can’t offer the same sheer breadth of choice of table game, aesthetic or multimedia as a good online casino can.
Legal consequences?
Finally, it’s interesting to look at whether or not the increased shift towards online casinos – and the apparent staying power that they have – could have consequences when it comes to the law. In some parts of the world, countries still don’t have laws in favor of online gambling – and in some places, the practice is banned outright. Behind the scenes, many legislators and governors are working with stakeholders in their areas to unblock these sorts of logjams. But progress is slow.
Online casinos are clearly now institutions.
Given that online casinos don’t appear to be going anywhere fast, some are starting to wonder whether the apparent permanence of the institutions within the gambling community might be enough to push governments into making pro-gambling decisions. This could well be the case when the fiscal side of things is considered: the more online gamblers there are, the more potential tax revenue there is for governments. However, it is likely that only time will tell whether governments will come around.
Ultimately, online casinos are clearly now institutions. A long pandemic year of having fun online rather than in-person has entrenched these sites as part of the gambling community’s fabric – and that doesn’t look like it’s going to go away. What the long term effects of this will be (especially when it comes to the legal and regulatory frameworks), however, is what remains to be seen.
Great article about slots. Makes you want to try it and certainly makes you think twice.