Unless you exclusively stick to table games, there’s no good reason to choose land-based casinos over online casinos. We’ll explain why.
Online casinos have been growing in popularity since the mid-90’s and attract more players today than ever before. The iGaming industry has come a long way since its first steps and although far from fully matured, it’s on the right path with improved regulations and control agencies. Fast-Paced technological development has also contributed to a boost in popularity with more entertaining games and features.
Both the iGaming industry and its land-based counterpart are ever-evolving, although generally speaking, online casinos have had to be more adaptive to changes while the land-based casinos have remained pretty much the same.
Sure, the development of cool slot cabinets with blinking LED lights, dual monitors, and whatnot, are impressive, but that’s it. In terms of theoretical return to player, they can never compete. Land-based casinos serve a different purpose than online casinos.
Land-based casino
For most players who visit a casino, their primary objective is to socialize, have a fun night out, and in some cases, show off a bit. Even for someone who’s not necessarily into gambling, a visit to Las Vegas may be on the bucket list. Just being there is a thrill and the physical experience is, of course, the main difference to an online casino. Here you get to feel the touch-sensitivity of the mechanical spin button, hear the loud sound of the slot bells, the cheers, and celebrations.
It’s a fascinating setting that makes you feel alive, and for those of us who are slots enthusiasts, there’s undoubtedly something special about seeing the slots we know from online in its “natural” habit.
Depending on your geographical location and casino culture, there may be benefits involved that you won’t get from playing online. Although most of the interesting perks are exclusive to the high rollers, even a regular player can often take advantage of free buffets, free show tickets, and free drinks.
In other countries, however, such as in Sweden where land-based casinos are government owned, customers have to pay for entry and do not get to enjoy any free perks whatsoever.
If your primary objective is to have fun and socialise, then land-based casinos may be the obvious choice. If winning is your top concern, then land-based casinos should be avoided at any cost, at least if slots is your preferred type of gambling. Why? Because running a land-based casino is expensive.
Not only do you need a physical place, but you also need to hire plenty of staff – security, supervisors, hosts, waiters, chefs, and bartenders. The slot machines are much more costly as well. World famous game providers such as IGT, Novomatic, and WMS, have perfected the science of producing slot machines. The games offer tremendous variety in themes as well as equipment shapes and sizes. Some game cabinets are incredibly complex and require expensive maintenance. The cabinets are most often leased by the casino that has to pay a percentage to the game developer.
Something, or rather, someone, has to pay for all these expenses – the player of course, which is the reason why slot machines have a lower return to player than its online counterpart. While most online slots have an RTP of between 95-97%, the land-based version may be as low as 75%, which is a huge difference. Usually, there is no tell-tale visual sign, but a popular slot like Montezuma (WMS) for example, require 3 scatter symbols to re-trigger during the bonus, compared to only 2 in the online version. This is a direct way of lowering the payout frequency and tightening the game.
Online Casino
Online casino is a very different animal compared to land-based casino. It allows you to enjoy slots from the comfort of your own home, or in the sunbed while on vacation if you prefer. There’s no need to worry about distractions, dress codes or making reservations, and you certainly won’t have to think about accommodation or transport – factors that save you both time and money. You have literally thousands of games at your disposal only a couple of clicks away.
We’ve already explained the most important reason for you to avoid playing slots on land-based casinos, and that alone should be enough to deter you from wasting any more money on the physical version of Book of Ra and the likes. But another good reason to stick to online casinos are the bonuses and promotions.
Online casinos know they can’t offer free drinks, sandwiches, and snacks, so they do it in other ways – deposit bonuses. There are often 3, 4, or even more deposit bonuses included in a welcome package and some casinos, such as LeoVegas and Videoslots, amongst others, offer plenty of reload bonuses and cashback to returning players. A casino bonus is free money provided by the casino and a decent bonus improves your chances of winning.
Summary
Players have to consider their objective for engaging in play. Are you looking to have a fun night out or are you trying to make money? If you’re in it for social interaction and a bombardment on your senses, nothing beats the physical experience of visiting a land-based casino. If, however, it is essential for you to make money, the choice is obvious. The odds offered when playing online slots are overwhelmingly better than playing the land-based cabinets, and it’s no small difference either. In fact, we would go as far as saying that land-based slots are best avoided.