Land-based players: “Nothing beats the feeling of sitting across a poker table, reading opponents’ telltales and calling people’s bluff.”
Online players: “The sort of comfort and bonus offers you get from online casinos can never be matched at any land-based casino.”
Land-based players: “True casino players go to live casinos to play. Only kids play online.”
Online players: “Old-school players, you mean. Everybody knows the world has gone digital. It’s time you catch up mate.”
This is the sort of back-and-forth you can expect when live and online casino players come together.
Given a chance, both parties will present a hundred reasons why they think their version of the game is the best. And, I’m willing to bet all the reasons will be logical and convincing.
For you, a wannabe casino player, it can be hard making a choice after listening to these folks rant. In your head, you’re stuck with questions. “Should I listen to the guy advocating for slot online or should I head to Nevada and have a taste of live casino?”
Before making a decision, I’ll advise you to read this post first. It should help you understand things better.
Online vs. land-based casinos: Where should you play: According to the numbers
According to statistics, the clear winner is online casinos, given that:
- 58% of American, German, and Swedish gamblers say they prefer to gamble online
- 56% of gamblers in Singapore also lean more towards online casinos
- 76% of Indian gamblers choose online casinos over traditional casinos.
Online vs. land-based casinos: Where should you play at?
As a newbie casino player, you can make a decision on where you want to play based on the following factors:
1. Availability of your game of choice
There are hundreds of casino games out there. So, before coming here, I believe you’ve made up your mind about the games you want to start with. Is it baccarat, poker, blackjack, craps, Sic Bo, roulette, slots?
So, to choose between a land-based and an online casino, you need to ask yourself where it’s most comfortable to find your game of choice. I remember I started my casino journey in 2016 with Sic Bo. Then, most of the casinos around me weren’t offering Sic Bo. As a result, I had to settle for online casinos.
You don’t have to change your game choice because you feel you must play at the casino closest to your house. If the land-based casinos around you don’t have what you want, go online and play.
2. Startup wager
To get started at any casino game, you need money. However, how much you need depends on where you’re gambling.
As far as pocket-friendly wagers go, online casinos are your best bet. You can find games for as low as $1 or less to play online. We can’t really say the same about land-based casinos because many of them attract the creme de la creme of the society.
3. Bonus offers
If you’re looking for an opportunity to enjoy plenty of bonuses, your best bet is to go online. You won’t find many land-based casinos offering you free bets, spins, x10 of your wager, or any of those things.
4. Funding and withdrawal
It is easier to carry money into a land-based casino, and it is much easier to exit with your winnings. Sadly, we can’t say the same about all online casinos.
Money movement can be quite challenging at online casinos, especially when it comes to withdrawal. I’ve been in a situation where it took me months to transfer my winnings to my local bank account from an online casino operating overseas.
Before jumping into any online casino, find out about their money movement policies. You want to sign up with an online casino that is flexible and swift with money transfers.
5. Terms and conditions
Online casinos are the kinds of T&Cs. Yes, we said they offer the nicest bonus offers and the best collection of games. But you must know that many of these deals come with complicated T&Cs.
For example, an online casino may offer you x10 your first deposit. But before you can withdraw any earnings you win with that bonus, you must satisfy some conditions.
The T&Cs are why many players run from online casino bonuses.
6. Tournaments
Casinos have evolved beyond the traditional systems of wagering against the house. Nowadays, games like slots and roulettes are played in tournament fashion, wherein multiple layers compete against one another for a bigger prize.
If you’d like to take part in a casino tournament, you may find that your best bet is to go online. At land-based casinos, it is hard to stage a tournament because players come in at different times.
