The relatively new phenomenon of the on-line casino, about ten years or so old, implies that blackjack, bingo, slot machines or even the casino game of your decision can now be played on an Internet-connected computer. Thanks are owed to both the expansion of the online gambling industry as well as the penetration of the internet into American society.
One thing about the online casinos that have made them so popular will be the choice of games. The range of casino games online is simply astounding, as will be the variety. Naturally, the choice of a casino is essential, and once again the speed and ubiquity of the web allows people to move quickly and effortlessly (and cheaply) through various casinos until they find their favorite. The virtual world has opened a whole new (and lucrative) niche within the market for gambling.
Virtual atmosphere?
Simply, one thing online casinos can’t replace will be the atmosphere of an “on-land” casino – dressing up, being served free drinks, the lights and the glamour are generally included in the Vegas-style casino experience. On the other hand, it’s this very experience which has allowed the internet casinos to lure customers away from the Strip or even the Indian reservation to their sites.
Behind the glitz and glamour at the brick-and-mortar casinos, many individuals see potential intimidation, criminality and fakery. It’s particularly the new or inexperienced gamblers who are very likely to feel this way, especially at fast-moving table games where they can be expected to be on the ball like everybody else. If they’re not, although, they can be spotted a mile off as easy prey.
Financial options
One of the great things about gambling at an online casino will be able to play for free. The online casinos are relatively inexpensive to use in terms of staff salaries, so they’re able to offer players free games where they can play without spending any money. This gives the players the chance to practice the game, develop a strategy and potentially enhance their odds. The better practice you’ve got, the better equipped you are to prevent preventable mistakes that may cost you real bucks later.
Some individuals, on the contrary, are not happy with the online casino boom. People in anti-gambling groups complain that the online slots gamble casinos are directly targeting vulnerable and maybe compulsive players. Gamblers no longer have to venture out of their homes to place bets, since it’s so easy to just turn on a computer and do all of it from the home. There is also less chance to observe or restrict access to online casinos – no matter what limits people may have exceeded or how intoxicated (or underage) they may be.
Different criminals
Keep in mind, it isn’t as if the Vegas and Atlantic City casino operations are on one side of the market and the online casinos on another. Some of the large gaming conglomerates own both kinds. Together with savings on reduced expenses for rent and staff, online casino owners also realize substantial savings in security-no videotaping, surveillance cameras, rooms full of monitors or other costly measures. As the software is protected behind server “firewalls” and is impervious to external “cyber attacks,” the costs of are reduced to “virtually” nothing.
If threats to online casino security increase in the future, the casino operators will be ready. They run the best security operations anywhere, probably on a par with most governments on the planet, with unrivaled knowledge in audio and video engineering, surveillance cameras, secure communications, hard disk recording and mobile electronics. They have former intelligence agency operatives, top scientists, retired military personnel and university professors on the payroll-and enough money to buy, or build, what ever they need.
The future will tell
Much of the fun and “event-like” nature of the casino is removed when gambling online. It is not unthinkable that individuals then begin to gamble more for the possibility of gaining something for nothing than for the fun and experience of gambling with friends within an on-land casino. The opposing argument is just one of free choice: when the authorities decide what we can and can’t do with our money when it comes to gambling?
At this point, legal gambling of all types, online and off, is in no danger of fading away. State lotteries, Indian casinos, horse racing, dog tracks and card parlors dot the American landscape with nearly the frequency of fast-food outlets. You will find some movements, in contrast, to reverse the trend. Will gambling continue to thrive or run into a resurgent abolitionist movement? What ever the eventual response to this question – as well as others concerning law, human nature and the future uses of incredibly powerful technology – there is absolutely no getting around the success of the on-line casinos, so the battle, if it comes to that, is prone to continue for quite quite a while.