Have local casinos in the UK suffered because of online gambling?

The technological innovation that is the internet has impacted many areas of modern life. It has changed the way we communicate, the way we shop, the way we entertain ourselves, and even the way we gamble. The convenience afforded by the internet has resulted in declining revenue and shuttering for companies who don’t offer their services online. High street shopping, and broadcasting companies are a couple of examples of this.

That said, one industry that continues to grow despite the convenience afforded by internet-based options is the casino industry. A knee-jerk response to the question posed by this article’s title might be: “Yes, of course UK casinos have suffered. Why would someone want to visit a real-world casino when they can do exactly the same from the comfort of their own home?”

However, if we delve a little deeper into the British casino industry the birth of online gambling has helped create a rather different picture than one might expect.

Casino Legislation Modernised by Online Gambling

Back in the days before online gambling, visiting a casino was something of a daunting prospect. The venues themselves weren’t as open about their existence as they are today. Players might have to sneak to some forgotten corner of the city to enjoy a punt on the roulette wheel, for example.

Once there, a rigorous membership application process was often necessary – along with a strict dress code. Even when they’d finally gained access to the casino itself, players would be confronted with games they might never have played before and a host of etiquette standards that were unfamiliar to them. These factors understandably limited the numbers wanting to visit a casino for the first time.

This would begin to change in 1996 with the arrival of the first online casino in the UK – InterCasino. For the first time, players were able to practise playing games with ease outside of the seemingly judgemental casino setting. Of course, there were still a lack of casinos, the dress codes, and the other membership requirements to contend with but at least players wouldn’t feel completely out of their depth when they actually arrived to play some cards.

With the decade winding down and a new millennium dawning, more virtual casino operators set up shop in the UK. As time went on, it was evident that the phenomena of the online casino was here to stay. This forced the government into action. However, in addressing regulations for the emerging industry, the lawmakers also modernised existing legislation for brick-and-mortar casinos.

The UK Gambling Act was signed in 2005 and the UK Gambling Commission was formed. As well as a host of provisions for online casinos, the legislation would help to make land-based casinos more accessible to the public. Casinos were given the right to operate more in the open. This, coupled with easier membership procedures and a slackening of dress codes, made a night at the casino more appealing to many. Like those found in Las Vegas, the casinos of the UK started to become somewhere for a full evening’s entertainment. They were now somewhere you could take a date for dinner, drinks, and of course, a punt on your favourite games.

In 2014, two large new casinos were setup by Aspers in the UK. The venue in Stratford proved particularly popular and today it attracts more than 140,000 visitors per month. Evidently, the demand for real-world gambling has not diminished since the internet came about – quite the opposite in fact!

According to research the numbers of people attending brick-and-mortar casinos is growing every year. Since the late 2000s, there has been an increase of more than 3.7 million annual visitors. These figures were compiled in 2014 too. A similar study today would surely feature an even greater number. In addition, the according to a UK Gambling Commission survey, 84% of participants who were asked if they had gambled in a live casino responding in the affirmative. When the same question was posed in 2015, the figure was an impressive 98%.

Online Casinos Let People Discover New Forms of Gambling

Even though casinos are much more accessible than they used to be, it can still be nerve-wracking to set foot in one for the first time. There is still a lot of etiquette to follow and some games seem completely alien to someone with little or no experience of them.

Online gambling allows players to familiarise themselves with various casino games before sitting down at the felt for the first time. The many no deposit bonuses available at UK online casinos make this a free opportunity to win. Although some etiquette cannot be learned online (not “splashing a pot” in a game of poker, for example), the rules and conventions of games can certainly be picked up. If you know what to expect when you sit down, you feel much more confident walking into a brick-and-mortar casino. You’ll still be a noob, but you’ll be a noob with much more knowledge than you would have been without practicing at home!

Gambling Online and Gambling at the Casino are Fun in Different Ways

Sure, the overall premise of gambling is the same no matter where the action takes place. However, since the UK Gambling Act, brick-and-mortar casinos have been able to offer an experience more akin to the super casinos in Vegas, Macau, and other major cities around the world.

Whereas you can sit around in your pants playing blackjack all night online, a trip to the casino is much more of a social event. You get dressed up, you go with friends, and you enjoy the other forms of entertainment on offer. This might involve sampling some top-shelf whiskies or dining in a swanky restaurant. These are things that an online casino simply cannot replicate. The Aspers General Manager, Bea Stevens, agrees:

“They [land-based casinos] give a unique live gaming experience that the online operators cannot match.”

This cannot be replicated online

Closing Thoughts

The impact of online gambling on the land-based casino industry thus far seems to be largely positive. The number of people attending brick-and-mortar casinos has increased over the period that online gambling has been around. It therefore seems that the online industry is supporting its real-world counterpart. This is largely due to the barriers to entry being reduced through increased exposure to different forms of gambling. Of course, we shouldn’t underestimate the fact that online gambling and gambling at the casino are vastly different. People don’t attend a casino for convenience – it’s a social occasion. Whereas the likes of Amazon have made shopping a breeze without leaving the house, the point of a trip to the casino is about more than just gambling!