Casinos. They’re all the same right? Well, not quite. There are many similarities between land-based and online casinos. Both are super fun establishments, where punters and speculators alike can let their hair down. Both have very similar games, including slots, table games – such as the popular roulette and blackjack – and poker. But there are many differences between the pair. Here are a few of the main ones.
Accessibility
Bricks and mortar casinos are of course accessible, that’s why they’re still operating approximately 5,000 years after the first-ever bet was thought to be struck. But nothing is quite as accessible as something that is at your very fingertips.
These days, online casinos can be accessed anywhere on the planet, providing you have an internet connection. And they can be accessed at the push of a button, from your smartphone, tablet or laptop. They can even be accessed via smartwatches as well. How can anything compete with that?
Atmosphere
One of the main attractions of a land-based casino is the atmosphere. There’s nothing quite like it. It’s something special, playing games which originated hundreds of years ago, with so many like-minded people gathered around. The thrill of seeing the roulette ball bounce around the wheel. To look a competitor in the eyes while you decide whether to fold or bet. That human connection is something that cannot be replicated online. Although, they do try. The popular live casino – which has live dealers and chat boxes, allowing players and dealers to communicate with each other – does go some way toward giving players that special touch.
Budgeting
It can be quite difficult to budget inside a casino. Most casinos have ATMs inside them, meaning that players must ensure that they remain disciplined and not get too carried away.
There are fewer of these questions with online casinos. When playing online, there are a wealth of responsible gaming tools at your disposal to ensure that players are in control at all times. Options such as deposit limits, which allow you to set daily, weekly and monthly limits to ensure you only spend what you can afford. There are also time limits, which can help people not to lose a track of time while playing.
Most land-based casinos will look out for their players and if they can see a punter getting carried away they usually try and help. But with online casinos, players can always remain in control.
Game selection
Land-based casinos do have plenty of options for players. They have a number of different slot machines and table games available to play. But there really is no comparison to their online counterpart.
Some online casinos have tens of thousands of slot games, as well as hundreds of different table games – each one with differing min/max bet amounts – meaning that there truly is something for everyone.
It would be unreasonable to expect a landbased casino to be able to compete on this front. Very few casinos on the planet would have the space available to host such a vast array of machines and tables.
Trust and legitimacy
It can be difficult to have a high degree of faith in betting establishments. Throughout the centuries, honesty and integrity haven’t been words that are synonymous with casinos. Phrases such as “the house always wins” are commonplace in our vocabulary. That lack of faith drops even further when the establishment is faceless and online.
But the fact is, playing – especially online – has never been more transparent. There are dozens of regulators – such as the UKGC and MGA – ensuring that the games offered are fair to players. Information such as the RTP (return to player percentage) is made available in every single game. Also, most casinos offer customer support – some even offer it 24/7 – ensuring that players are comfortable at all times. The truth is, online casinos are just as trustworthy as land-based casinos, if not more so.