Since the turn of the millennium the online gambling industry both here and abroad has been on the rise. Slowly at first, but in recent years its growth has picked up real speed, so much so that the current momentum behind the industry seems unstoppable.
What is it though, that’s fuelling the meteoric rise of the online gambling industry? Why are millions of Americans choosing to log on with an online casino and spin the virtual slot reels rather than visiting a land-based venue? Read on to find out.
- Options
Caesars Palace, one of the biggest and most famous casinos in Las Vegas boasts a staggering 130,000 square feet of gaming space. Inside however, there are only 18 poker tables for players to sit down and play Texas Hold ‘Em.
Compare that with 888 Poker, one of the most reputable names in the online gambling market, who have literally hundreds of tables available for players at any time of the day. In addition to that, 888 and other online poker providers have way more options available for players of all skill levels.
That difference in options and availability is true across the board and isn’t just limited to poker. Online you will find more slot games, more blackjack tables and more roulette wheels than you could on the Las Vegas strip.
- Affordability
It is an economic fact that the more companies there are on the market offering similar services, the lower price consumers will pay. In Las Vegas this means that huge casinos battle with one another to offer the best odds and the most lucrative prizes to entice customers through their doors.
In Santa Monica though there aren’t as many casinos as there are in Las Vegas, so Californians don’t benefit from this competition as much as Nevadans. Online however there is a brutal battle waging between thousands of online casinos all vying for the same customers.
As a result, playing online is usually much more financially prudent than playing at a bricks and mortar casino. Signing up with an online casino could earn you anywhere from $50 to $100 in free bets or deposits.
If you walked down to your local casino and asked for the same treatment you would be laughed out of the building.
(Money talks and the online sector is leagues ahead of land-based casinos in terms of affordability.)
- Convenience
Another addendum to the affordability issue is the convenience of playing online as opposed to in a land-based casino. According to the Washington Post, the average American lives 25 miles away from a casino, which in rural parts of the country could perhaps be increased by fourfold.
Which is an awful lot of driving to play roulette when you consider that it’s so easy to do that from your mobile device. Even for those that live within a stone’s throw of a casino, playing online is just way more convenient.
There’s no need to dress up, organise a babysitter or make plans for the new Italian establishment Crudo e Nudo, recently reviewed by smmirror. All a keen gambler needs to do is sit on their sofa, open up their phone and gamble away.
- Legalisation
The three reasons discussed thus far have centred on the many perks that the online sector has over its land-based counterpart. But there is a less glamorous reason that is fuelling its growth here in the United States and that is legalisation.
The world’s first ever online casino was launched from the United States in 1996, but a decade on in 2006 the ‘Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act’ made it illegal to operate an online casino anywhere in the country.
Whilst the rest of the world experienced a boom in the popularity of online gambling, Americans were prohibited from spinning online roulette wheels. Fortunately for gambling fans though, the federal ban on online gambling was lifted.
In 2013, New Jersey became the first American state to take its own decision to legalise the online sector. Eight years on many more states have followed suit (no pun intended) and joined with New Jersey.
All of this of course has led to a huge rise in the popularity of online gambling. Expect this trend to remain in the coming years as more and more states join in with New Jersey. In 2018, NY Times reported the state legalised sports betting, with the World Cup taking centre stage and gaining much interest.
(Changing legislation has had a significant impact on the popularity of online gambling here in the USA.)
- Societal Changes
The final reason behind the recent success of the online gambling sector is a rather big one and is, more of a concept than a concrete reason.
That doesn’t make it any less important though, as without societal change a number of things that we take for granted now would never have happened. As a society over the past decade we have moved more toward ease and comfortability.
Everything has seemingly been designed to make our lives as easy as possible, whether that be apps that send taxis to our location in seconds, or streaming services that allow us to watch thousands of movies and TV shows on demand.
All of that has been done through tech, which has become a much larger fixture in our lives than at any other time in history. So it is no wonder then that an online casino that can be accessed from your smart phone, tablet or TV is proving so popular with a society used to these type of things.
Put simply, going to a gawkish land-based casino is simply old fashioned. Playing online offers more choice, more affordability, more convenience and is legal and modern.
