Independence Card

Empowering Financial Freedom

Gaming

Online v Offline – The Big Differences for Casinos

With the temporary closures that have been seen recently for brick-and-mortar casinos, players have turned to play more games online with some of the biggest casinos being represented particularly in the mobile space, and as brick-and-mortar is starting to recover and setting record numbers, online play seems to have been unaffected. Players will always have a preference between the two, but as both online and offline become synonymous with players choosing to do both at the same time, what are the big differences for the casino platforms?

Online vs Offline Casinos in 2021: Which Is Better and Why?

Accessibility has helped online options thrive – Not every player is fortunate enough to have a local casino within driving distance, and with the possibility of future closures in mind too the players that currently do may not always have that option – this is where one of the biggest differences, and biggest advantages comes through for online options with services being easy to access with little to no restriction and will be the key feature for many players in the future looking for easy ways to access their favourite casino games from the comfort of their own home and without needing to worry about any possible restrictions too. 

Nothing beats the tactile and social experience however – Whilst online casinos are expanding social features in many of the newer games, one of the drawbacks for some is just the lack of tactility. Having a real set of Poker chips on the table, throwing a real set of dice at the craps table, or anything in between that comes with the tactility of attending a real location – for the players that choose to do both, this is often cited as a reason many will still attend a brick-and-mortar location rather than making the complete transition to online only, as the physical experience still has its merits too. 

Flexibility from online platforms may make the difference – The online space is seeing new games released at a regular basis and technological changes with the likes of extended reality on the verge of being more widespread too, this ability to be flexible and adapt seamlessly is something that may push online casinos ahead of offline options, particularly as any sweeping changes to offline locations can take some time to implement without a period of closure to make the changes, and where the closures could be more damaging in the short term too. 

It’s an exciting period of time for the casino industry as a whole however as player numbers and earnings continue to surge, and as legislation is changing in many locations to make online gambling more accessible, some of the biggest services will only look to grow further in coming years.

Ivy Skye Marshall: Ivy, a social justice reporter, covers human rights issues, social movements, and stories of community resilience.