When you are embarking on an online casino adventure, it is quite easy to spot on similarities between land-based casinos and online ones. In fact, we would say they are mostly identical but online casinos offer added benefits.
Casinos have undergone many changes over the years, not least because of the advent of online gaming. However, we have now reached a point where both can coexist quite happily, complementing one another. Today we are looking at how casino gaming has evolved over the years, as well as the advantages of each medium.
Land-based casinos
Historians cannot pinpoint exactly when and where organized gambling events took place. We do know that the Greeks, Romans and ancient Chinese gambled, as did the people of Elizabethan England.
The first known gambling house – though perhaps not a casino by modern standards – was established in Venice in 1638, to provide a controlled gambling location during the carnival season. It was shut two years later after the city government felt it was impoverishing the locals.
In America, gamblers could head to saloons in major cities like St Louis, Chicago and New Orleans before the trend spread to smaller locales. Saloons were the place to go for a drink, a chat with friends and perhaps some gambling too. In the early 20th century, the US banned gambling, only for it to make a return in Nevada in 1931 and in New Jersey in 1978. Both of these places now have a massive established casino industry.
Online casinos
The birth of the internet opened up a whole new world for all kinds of industries and sectors, not least gambling. In 1994, Antigua and Barbuda passed the Free Trade and Processing Act, which would be used to license online casinos. Software companies soon recognized a niche in the market and began to develop online casino games.
Other countries followed Antigua and Barbuda’s example and began to take steps to regulate the industry on home turf. Some, like the UK, Malta, Gibraltar and Curacao, began licensing online casinos, a nod to their international appeal and exponential growth.
You can gamble on table games such as blackjack and roulette and spin the reels to online slots, all from the comfort of your own home. If you enjoy interacting with other players, online casinos still give you the opportunity to indulge in social activity.
Let’s look at the benefits of playing at casinos online:
No commuting
There is nothing quite as tedious as driving long stretches of time to get to the casino and back. Even if there’s a casino within a few miles from where you live, you would still need to get dressed and travel to your destination.
Besides the inconvenience of it all, you need to take into consideration the costs of driving there and the time.
An array of the best online casino bonuses
If you have spent some time online browsing online casinos, then you know that there are quite a few bonus offers available for your perusal.
Although all casinos offer a welcome bonus of some sort and to entice you to play their games, most of them offer a variety of percentages on your deposits. Some casinos even give you no deposit bonuses to get you to sign up.
The number one rule to taking advantage of online casino bonus offers is to read the terms and conditions and to be aware of any wagering requirements. We know that long texts such as terms and conditions can be boring, but it can save you a lot of hassle and bob in the future.
A wider selection of casino games
You might have to wait your turn to play your favourite slot at a land-based casino, but this isn’t the case when you are playing online. You can just search for your favourite game and spin the reels right away.
Additionally, you also gain access to thousands of casino games including table games, slot games, bingo, poker, scratchcards and so much more.
That being said, one also needs to take into consideration the speed of play. Although slot machines and poker games can be played at roughly the same speed, online, everything is a lot faster including table games.
You don’t have to play fast if you don’t want to. There are also benefits to playing more slowly. Since casino games come with a house edge attached to them, the faster you play, the quicker the casino will get its hands on your money.
The choice is in your hands but you have the option to pick as fast or as slow as you want to online.
Payback percentages
You need to understand that each game comes with its own set of rules, payback percentage and house edge. These percentages can vary depending on the strategy you apply. In the case of blackjack, there are ways you can lower the house edge. In general, though, rules and percentages have been created with the aim of making the casino money.
So how does this work in the real world? There is no way of knowing the payback percentages when you are playing at a land-based casino. On the contrary, online casinos publish this information, giving you the option to know important information before you start playing.
For example, online slots have a payback percentage ranging from 98% all the way past 85%. This gives you an idea of how much your favourite slot game has the potential to pay you. It would be very difficult to find a slot game at a land-based casino that has published payback percentages available.
There is another added advantage to playing online. Many online casinos offer lower minimum bets than the land-based counterparts, which means you can make your bankroll last longer.
No interaction if you don’t want to
Ever went to a land-based casino and had to deal with a rude dealer? When you are playing at live or online casinos, you don’t have to deal with dealers in the same manner. If you want to play normal table games, you can let the software do its magic, without having to deal with the dealer.
If, on the other hand, you want to play live dealer games, you don’t have to interact with the dealer if you don’t fancy to either.
Play on the move
Online casinos have come a long way since their inception. Most casinos are now available on mobile, which means that you can enjoy the same benefits as desktop computer users. You can play games, make deposits and withdrawals and take advantage of mobile casinos promotions, anywhere and anytime you want.
Since land-based casinos have specific opening times, online and mobile casinos give you the option to play anything you desire.
Safety matters
Thieves are aware that when players are leaving a casino, more often than not, they are carrying cash with them. They also tend to linger around on the casino floor watching out for big winners who are leaving with cash.
Although many land-based casinos are safe and secure, once you are headed to the carpark you can become a target.
On the other hand, when you are playing at an online casino, no one has to know that you are gambling. Additionally, reputable online casinos use encryption technology to ensure that neither your personal nor your financial information is compromised.
Snap up a top online casino bonus offer
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