Online Casinos vs Land-based (Traditional) Casinos

When it comes to gambling, do you visit your nearest land-based casino or do you go online? Both forms of gambling are really popular - online casinos have only been around for a few decades, they’ve had a huge impact on the industry, though land-based casinos are still going strong around the world. Here’s a look at the pros and cons of online casinos and traditional (land-based) ones.
 

Advantages of land-based casinos

Land-based casinos will always offer something online casinos can never replicate: the experience of setting foot in a real-life casino, soaking up the atmosphere, hearing the noises, seeing the sights and enjoying being immersed in a gambling environment. A lot of land-based offer something else you can’t get from online casinos: communal games where several players come together at a gaming table, interact with one another and play together. Sure, you can play with others online, but it’s not the same as having the people you’re playing with standing right beside you and speaking with you.

There’s also the fact that a lot of land-based casinos are part of resort complexes that are ideal for weekend getaways or quick stopovers. The resorts typically feature a wide range of leisure activities and facilities, including restaurants, bars, swimming pools, fitness centres, spas and entertainment venues. Many choose to stay at casino resorts because there’s so much more than gambling on offer, whereas some stay because it’s convenient to have a casino that’s part of a hotel or at least has a hotel nearby.

What’s not so good about land-based casinos

One of the key disadvantages to gambling in land-based casinos is the fact that they can be quite busy and noisy. While having others there can add to the atmosphere and excitement, some people prefer to be able to gamble in peace and quiet. If you’re at a really busy casino, you might end up having to wait your turn for spaces to free up at tables or gaming machines.

There’s also the travelling that has to be done to get there. Unless, of course, you’re lucky to live right beside one. For a lot of those who want to gamble in land-based casinos, they haven’t got a choice but to travel there and back, and costs can add up depending on how far away the casino is. If you decide to make a short break of it and stay overnight at a casino resort. It can be quite an expensive outing if you’re spending money on travel, accommodation, food and drinks before you’ve even started gambling.

Pros of online casinos

Perhaps the best thing about online casinos is the convenience they offer. You don’t need to travel to your nearest land-based casino to gamble; instead, you can simply go on your computer, smartphone, laptop or tablet and, provided you’re connected to the internet, you can gamble right from the comfort of your own home at any time of the day or night. Or if you want to try your luck at some casino games while you’re on the go, you can easily do that thanks to mobile gaming, with most online casinos offering mobile-friendly sites and apps.

Another positive thing about online casinos is the games. If you go to a land-based casino, you’ll only have access to a limited number of games. Sure, there could well be hundreds and hundreds of games, but while you’re at that particular casino, you can only play the games that are there before you travel back home. If you want to play different games, you have to look elsewhere. With online casinos, you have quick and easy access to hundreds of online casinos and thousands upon thousands of casino games. Your one device gives you access to so much more than a single land-based casino ever will.

Online casinos are ideal for those who prefer to gamble in privacy. There are no crowds, there’s no noise, no waiting around - everything is instant and you can decide what to do when you want to do it without other people getting in the way. You can relax, enjoy the games at your own pace and concentrate.

Disadvantages of online casinos

For some, the key disadvantage of gambling at online casinos is the fact that they don’t offer the full casino experience. In other words, when gambling online, you’re just sitting there staring at a screen; you don’t get the experience of going to a casino, immersing yourself in a real-life gambling environment, being around other players and taking in the casino’s sights and sounds. Gambling in land-based casinos is definitely more of an experience, especially if you organise a trip to a casino resort. Even though online casinos may be a lot more convenient, the experience they offer is that of staring at a screen, which pales in comparison to the full land-based casino experience.

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Another disadvantage of online casinos is that they can fuel gambling addiction. Many think it’s a good thing having convenient access to so many casinos and games, but for some who have problems with gambling, having such convenient access can exacerbate their problems. It has to be said that most reputable online casinos are fully aware of this problem and offer numerous solutions to help those with gambling problems. These include deposit limits, withdrawal limits and self-exclusion, along with links to various gambling addiction charities and organisations.

For some, security is an issue when gambling online. They worry about whether their transactions are really as safe and secure as the casino assures them they will be. There’s also the possibility that a casino may be untrustworthy and that it may be run by crooks looking to steal players’ money. Thankfully, the industry as a whole takes player security very seriously. The majority of online casinos are perfectly reputable and will have evidence of this in the form of licenses from government bodies and authentication from third-party organisations.

Lastly, LuckyStar casino takes all steps to reduce disadvantages of online casino gaming. Top live casino at LuckyStar delivers “almost” a real Vegas experience, and serious tools have been integrated to prevent gambling addiction. (Including deposit limits & self-exclusion). Furthermore, our players don’t have to worry about security as casino uses 256-bit SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption when data is transferred over the Internet.