There’s a lot to consider when you start comparing modern online gaming with traditional physical casinos. Although they’re just divergent versions of the same thing, online gaming has evolved a lot. It would probably be unrecognisable to people in the early 1990s, before gambling transitioned online – visit Online Canadian Casino.
How did the two separate?
To understand this, we need to go back to 1969, way before the internet was even born. The Canadian government made an amendment to the Criminal Code, legalising gambling operations and allowing the lottery. This allowed the gambling industry to flourish, and casinos started springing up all over the country.
Even though these casinos were extremely popular, things changed again in the 1990s when the internet was invented. Then, in 2004, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) launched Canada’s first legal online casino, PlayNow.com, which makes legal online gambling available to residents of British Columbia and Manitoba.
How online casinos evolved
Over the subsequent years, as technology has advanced, fans of casino games like slots, poker, or roulette could enjoy better graphics online, more lucrative prizes, and increased innovation. What’re more, you could play from the comfort of your own home. This may not seem a significant factor, but in Canada where temperatures can drop to -30 degrees in winter, it’s nice to know you can stay in the warm and spin the reels!
Main differences physical casinos and online casinos
Whilst it’s almost impossible to argue that online casinos are not more sophisticated in design than their physical counterparts, there’s a general thought that they’re also more generous.
This is because the house edge is generally lower and the RTP (return to player) percentage is much higher when playing at online casinos.
If we look at online slots games, it’s common to find an RTP percentage between 96% and 98%, which means that for every British pound or Canadian dollar you put in, you’ll get between 96p or 98 Canadian cents back. (Note that is the average over millions of spins and is not an exact guarantee).
Compare those figures with traditional slot machines in Las Vegas, and they can only offer you about 75%. Why? In short, online casinos have fewer overheads, no rent, fewer members of staff to pay, and with the money in the iGaming industry, they can afford to incentivise gamblers to play more.
The colossal iGaming industry
It’s worth knowing a bit about how the industry has grown and what figures we’re talking about. According to a recent report by Newzoo, the global gaming market will generate nearly £115 billion in revenue in 2020. That would be 9.3% year-on-year growth. What’s more, Newzoo projects the industry to surpass £150 billion in revenue by 2023.
With that kind of money getting recycled through the industry, online casinos can strike lucrative deals with software producers and the content that gets released is staggeringly good. Physical casinos simply cannot compete.
Conclusion
If you want to get into online gambling, whether it’s poker, slots, roulette, or craps, online casinos have significant benefits. Think about the higher prizes, the quality of the content, and the better bonuses.
However, in Canada as in any country across the world, some people will always miss the thrill that you feel in a crowded physical casino – until virtual reality solves that for us too.
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