Are Online Games Set to Replace Traditional Casino Gaming?
Online games have been growing in popularity in New Zealand. Gaming companies are seeing the value of promoting online casino games instead of pokies. Land-based pokie machines are losing their popularity according to recent studies. Around 200 gambling analysts are converging in Auckland this year to discuss New Zealand’s success in reducing pokies enthusiasts.
However, as pokies lose their appeal, experts say that another addiction threat is brewing. Gambling companies are now using non-monetary online casino games to pave the way for millennials to play real-money games. These real-money online casino games will enable players to bet using their smartphones and internet devices.
NZ as a country has introduced gambling laws that have legalized online lottery games and sports betting. While the country hasn’t legalized online casino gaming, it is surprising that people are free to bet online.
Online Games are like Gateway Drugs
These casino games are the new gateway drug for younger demographics to wager real money. Dr. Sean Sullivan of Auckland’s Abacus Counselling mentions a Canadian study that finds 54% of the most popular Facebook games includes suggestive gambling content.
“We research the way in which kids take up the messages that are in gambling, such as William Hill’s sponsorship of the Australian Open tennis,” said Associate Professor Samantha Thomas, an Auckland-born public health expert at Deakin University in Melbourne.
“We now have evidence that kids aged 8 to 16 not only have very high levels of recall, and can name four or five or six sports betting companies, but that, given a range of products such as junk food, alcohol, and gambling, some prefer a gambling product over a junk food.”
Online Games Have Replaced Traditional Gambling
Traditional casino games are experiencing a decline in 20 years. Gambling companies are now using online casino games to entice a younger generation of bettors. An Internal Affairs Department survey shows that lotto and pokies were introduced in the ’80s. The astounding fact is that 28% of New Zealand teens aged 15 above were playing pokies and 78% were buying lotto tickets in the ’90s.
Recently, pokies’ popularity has dropped. A Health Ministry survey showed much larger numbers of about 12,000 people, against 1200. The popularity of lotto and casinos has plummeted from 1995 to 2000.
Today, international surveys and studies have shown that global online gambling by 50% from 2010 to 2015. It rose from 7.6% to 10% of total gambling losses. It predicts that it will have an online share of 12.9% by 2020. This only shows that online casino gaming will grow popular every year. As the world becomes more connected through mobile devices, expect online casino games to overwhelm physical casino games.
COVID 19 – Another reason to bet online
If the online gaming and betting industry was consolidating its expansion before the arrival of COVID-19, social isolation has finished pushing online casinos as the prevailing leisure trend. Without risks, without moving from home, and with a range of possibilities, both free and real money pokies players always find a new casino to play the casino games of their choice.
The casinos have taken advantage of this increase in demand to launch new and seductive promotions such as good casino bonuses and free spins without a deposit, which are the best way to start entering the world of Internet gambling houses and successfully attract thousands of new players every day.
Mobile casinos on the rise
Also, the rise of mobile casino platforms has given the opportunity for all people to experience what a real money casino feels like in the virtual table. All the online casinos have optimized their games in HTML format, compatible with all kinds of mobile smartphones be it iOS or Android. You needn’t worry about any download.
All you need is to simply type the casino URL on your web or mobile browser be it chrome or safari or any other of your choice and get going instantly.
Moreover, free pokies are fast becoming a trend. These free casinos, free pokies, or games of various themes come in the form of apps that you can download fast in seconds on your mobile and play as long as you want without spending any penny. Free pokies are available at online casinos as well in New Zealand.
The social casinos give another wave to online games and players love that fun. Social media sites like Facebook offers hundreds of social casinos where you can play with your friends, chatting and challenging them to the leader board. A few examples of social casinos are Double Down Casino, Slotmania casino, Cashman Casino, Big Fish Casino, and many others.
Online casino site operators have ensured that their sites are user-friendly and mobile-responsive. This ensures that users are getting PC experience on mobile display as well.
In addition to this, it has brought about the kind of simplicity that people who were originally locked out wanted to experience before participating. What this means is that there are barriers to exist in the traditional casino are no more now. Players and gamers can now participate without the need to learn some traditional casino etiquette. They can even take part in these games without worrying that they will be looked down upon by expert casino enthusiasts who sit the whole day in a land-based casino.
Reasons players are lured to online gaming
There are many genuine reasons why players are lured to online gaming
- The first is online games are cheap to play. Online gaming is a gambling bet that is much cheaper when compared to offline gambling games. Simply add the cost of dressing up for land based casino venture, making a trip by your conveyance, buying the high cost chips to enter the casino tables, and adding to your bill your wish to fine dine and wine. Online casinos are cheaper when compared to land casino visits and playing chips.
- Online casinos are more practical and safe and no one can deny that playing online gambling bets is much safer compared to playing offline gambling bets. How not, when you bet in an online gambling portal, you will be able to play gambling anytime and anywhere without fear of exposure.
- You need to know, almost 50% of online gambling users are not senior or experienced bet mania. They are mostly gambling players who at first only wanted to try and try. Online casinos offer free games to practice in demo mode with free credits and then venture into real money play.
- Another reason that underlies why online gambling is more loved by bettor is in terms of the type of game. In the online casino portal, you can choose any game that you like be it pokies, table games, live casino games, poker card genre to sports betting, everything you can choose freely. You can even customize your choices with your expertise and wait for your moment of victory.
Some other Reasons
- As you already know, in online casino sites there are already many bettors that prove winnings are possible. This certainly proves that the chances of victory provided by online casinos are far greater if you compare it to the land casinos. The New Zealand tax laws touch the operators than for the players. If someone will only be playing in the country, and not hosting the games, they won’t be taxed for their wins.
- Online casinos offer awesome lucrative bonus offers which attract punters to play pokies online. Be it no deposit bonus, welcome bonus, free spins or any reload or currency based bonus like Bitcoin bonus, you have ample choice to add some money to your bankroll. Many casinos are in the trend to offer bonus codes to players. Bonus codes let you place free bets on big games such as roulette spins and many others. Most sites now offer generous bonuses for their players to enjoy multiple games at any given time. For instance, Jackpot city casino NZ gives up to $1,600 on your first week of playing. With this much, you can literally test all games before deciding to settle on the one you like.
So far, statistics have it that the online casino industry has grown by 70% in a span of two years. These sites bring occasional fun spins of pokies for members to play and win real money or prizes.
What do you think of this recent study? Do you think there are now more people playing online casino games compared to physical casino games?
