Online vs. Offline Gambling
Everyone loves the thrill and excitement of gambling in a real live casino; the bright flashing lights, the atmosphere, the social life,
the entertainment and the cocktail waitresses all combine to make an unforgettable gaming experience that is much more than
just gambling.
However all of these positives come with negatives, for example; the bright lights and loud noise of a land-based casino seem beautiful and entrancing at first but they can become tiring after a while. The atmosphere of a big high-class casino can often
make visitors feel as if they are high-rollers in a movie, but in the long-run, this can never beat the comfort of playing at home.
On the flip side, staying home can get boring too, so heading out to a casino can be a welcome change, especially if there is a
good show on offer. Conversely, after an overload of casino-style entertainment, players have been known to groan, "Not another Elvis-impersonator!"
Of course online gamblers can enjoy a nice drink from home, nothing compares to sitting around a real green-felt table while cute waitresses in short skirts serve frothy cocktails, but on the other hand, casinos like to get players a little tipsy so that they will bet more, with less skill and feel better about losing.
The real advantage of online casinos is that a seemingly endless range as available around the clock from the comfort of your
own home or office ? who could complain about the chance to spend a hard-earned lunch break playing their favorite casino
games?
The massive range of casinos online means that internet players have so much more to choose from in terms of gaming than
any land-based casino could ever hope to offer, as well as great bonuses and comps.
The migration towards online casinos is having far reaching effects on economies that have some dependency on the tax revenues incurred from their land based casinos. In Canada, for example, online casinos have significantly reduced the economies gross intake, it is estimated that online casinos have sucked approximately $500 million a year from Canadian casinos and are being
seen as a real and pertinent threat.
Canadian casino officials claim that online casinos are responsible for the growth of underage gambling and organized crime.
They claim that without immediate regulation, their economy will suffer and organized crime will prosper.
Online casinos are growing more and more popular every day. There is no doubt that land based casinos need to counter act the issue very fast if the are to survive. Waiting for complicated and controversial regulations to be passed is long, cumbersome and
may come as too little too late. Online casinos are growing fast and legislation comes slowly. There is also a lot of money and
power behind the online casino industry and Canadian gaming officials claim that many government pockets are being lined.
The only real way to tackle the issue is through good old fashioned competition. It has been acknowledged that land based
casinos have to offer what online casinos can?t. Good food, drinks and entertainment.
The Canadian Casino industry currently employs around 50,000 people. Casinos are the biggest source of gambling revenue incurred from the region, followed by the lottery and the Bing which is not doing as well as it has in the past. It is unclear if food,
drink and cabaret will be enough to lure people out of their homes, away from their computers and back to live casinos, poker
rooms, bingo halls and racing tracks.
The online casinos also have a strong argument when it comes to economy and tax revenues. Many of the countries that host
online casinos are remote, small and poor, such as Antigua. The online casino industry employs millions of people all over the
world and brings employment and tax revenue to banana republics and struggling regions.
When the U.S.A, Canada and wealthy European countries complain that they are losing money because of online casinos, it may
fall on deaf ears when the counter argument is that online casino revenue is employing people that would other wise be living in poverty and feeding families with no other real means of support.
It?s not to say that online casinos are exactly the bastions of philanthropy, however, they may also not quite be the mafia underworld enemies of good and justice that disgruntled treasurers are portraying either.
Basically, it all comes down to personal choice; the truth is that most gamblers probably enjoy the best of both worlds. Online casinos remove the limitations of having to go to land based casinos to enjoy their recreation, but one can?t truly replace the
other. Chances are; at some point the industry will find a happy medium where they can all get a good share of your money. |