The first online gambling Web site opened 10 years ago, paving the way for the hundreds that exist now on the Internet. A review by the Australian government in 2001 estimated the number of online gamblers worldwide at just fewer than five million, with more than $11 billion spent in online casinos.
There are several different reasons why there are so many
online gambling sites to choose from, with the most obvious one
being that there are a wide variety of potential customers. It’s
not known exactly how many people around the world use these
sites collectively, but it’s guaranteed to be a large number.
One of the biggest sites, Bet365, claims to have over 15 million
users, and they don’t even accept customers from the United
States.
So it’s safe to assume that online gambling is a very popular
activity. This isn’t really surprising, as gambling has been
popular throughout history. People enjoyed betting and playing
gambling games long before the internet existed, it’s just that
the internet has made it even easier to do so.
There are, however, many people who believe that online
gambling should be banned. Some of these people may have
questionable motives for believing this (such as the owners of
brick and mortar casinos for example), but there are some that
have legitimate and well-reasoned concerns about whether it’s
beneficial.
We are obviously supporters of online gambling. One our
biggest motivations for producing and maintaining this website
is that we love to gamble. It’s a passion of ours. We believe
that it can be a very positive experience, and we’re grateful
for the fact that we can do it over the internet. It’s important
to be responsible, of course, but we certainly don’t feel it’s a
pastime that should have any kind of social stigma attached to
it.
With that being said, we wouldn’t encourage anyone to start
gambling online if they didn’t feel it was right for them.
That’s not what we’re about. What we can do, though, is provide
the information needed to make a personal judgement. That’s the
purpose of this page. We discuss the main pros and cons of
online gambling, so that you can make your own mind up about
whether or not it’s something you want to try.
The Pros of Online Gambling
In our opinion, the following are the biggest advantages of
gambling online.
- Entertaining & Exciting
- Convenience & Comfort
- Suitable for All Budgets
- Choice of Betting & Gaming Options
- Privacy and Security
- Bonuses and Rewards
Entertaining & Exciting
The fact that online gambling is ultimately a form of
entertainment is often forgotten. Many people gamble purely for
the chance of winning money, which is fine, but for a lot of
people it’s more about the fun they can have. Gambling can be a
lot of fun even when you’re losing money. If you’re sensible
about how much money you risk, then the losses should just be
thought of as the price to pay for entertainment. It’s not
really any different from spending money on any other form of
entertainment.
Of course, this point applies to gambling in general rather
than just online. It’s one that we feel is worth mentioning
though, as many of those people who are against online gambling
don’t seem able to accept the fact that it’s not ALL about the
money that can be won or lost. It can simply be about having
fun.
Convenience & Comfort
Using the internet is an incredibly convenient way to indulge
in gambling. You don’t have to leave the house, and gambling
sites never close. You can enjoy your betting and gaming at any
time you choose: all from the comfort of your own home. You
don’t even have to get dressed if you don’t want to!
You can gamble online using a variety of
different devices. All you need is internet access and an
account with a gambling site.
With an online gambling account, you’ll never have to worry
about not getting to the bookmakers in time to place a wager
before a big game. You’ll never have to worry about not being
able to get any action at the poker table, and you’ll never have
to worry about not getting a seat at your favorite casino game.
Suitable for All Budgets
Most gambling sites cater for all budgets. You can typically
deposit as little as $10 or as much as several thousand. There’s
usually a wide range of stakes too. You don’t have to spend much
money at all if you don’t want to, yet high rollers can bet as
much money as they like.
This a particularly significant advantage for casino players.
The range of stakes you can play for in many land-based casinos
is much smaller. This means some players have to play for stakes
a little higher than they would like, and some players have to
play stakes that are lower than what they would prefer. The same
is true for poker players. Very few poker rooms have anything
near the same range of stakes as online poker sites do. You
certainly won’t find the micro-stakes available at live tables,
and this is where a lot of poker players like to start out.
Choice of Betting & Gaming Options
There are all kinds of different gambling activities you can
enjoy online. Most sites offer several different forms of
gambling these days, although there are still some that
specialize in just a single form. The following are the most
popular types of gambling done online, and they are all widely
available.
- Sports Betting
- Casino Games
- Poker
- Bingo
- Horse Racing Betting
- Daily Fantasy Sports
You simply don’t find this same variety offered offline, with
the exception of some of the larger Vegas casinos that have
poker rooms and sportsbooks as well as their casino tables.
Generally speaking, though, you’ll need to go to different
venues for the different activities. When it comes to daily
fantasy sports, please know that these are only available
online.
Bonuses and Rewards
The vast majority of gambling sites give their customers a
range of incentives for doing their betting and gambling with
them. Pretty much all of them offer new customers welcome
bonuses, which are basically extra funds added to your account
when you sign up and make your first deposit. Most of them offer
additional bonuses and rewards too, usually via some kind of
loyalty scheme.
These bonuses and rewards are a huge advantage of gambling
online, particularly for those that bet and play regularly. They
essentially help your money go that much further, and in some
circumstances they can even be the difference between losing
money overall and winning.
Top TipAlways read the terms and conditions before
accepting a bonus. They are usually quite fair, especially at
reputable sites, but it’s still very important to fully
understand them.
Privacy and Security
Your privacy is assured when betting and gaming online. This
point will be important to people who prefer to keep their
gambling activities to themselves. There are also people who
don’t particularly enjoy others watching them in the casino,
which is obviously something they don’t have to worry about when
playing online.
Security isn’t an issue either. It’s not really a major issue
offline, but there have been cases of people being robbed of
their winnings when leaving the casino or bookmakers. This is
not a concern online. Providing you use only reputable and
trustworthy sites, your funds (and personal data) are all fully
protected.
The Cons of Online Gambling
- Convenience & Comfort
- Risk of Rogue Operators
- Cashout Times
- Lack of Personal Interaction
- Transaction Fees
- Legal & Regulatory Issues
Convenience & Comfort
This is not an error; we’re aware that we’ve already listed
convenience and comfort as one of the pros of gambling online.
The very same point can also be one of the downsides though, as
there’s an argument that the internet has made it TOO EASY for
people to gamble.
For most people this isn’t really an issue, as they are
perfectly capable of monitoring and controlling the amount of
time and money they spend on their betting and gaming
activities. Some people, however, can find themselves getting
carried away. Gambling can be addictive, and having round the
clock access to gambling sites can make a problem even worse for
some people.
Studies have actually shown that the advent of online
gambling has NOT led to an increase in addiction (despite what
many people say to the contrary), but that doesn’t mean it
hasn’t caused difficulties for some people. It’s important to
make sure that you aren’t one of those people, and that you stay
in full control of your gambling.
Gambling is only ever fun when done responsibly.
It’s important to set yourself limits for how much you are
prepared to spend, and you must stick to those limits.
Risk of Rogue Operators
The vast majority of online gambling sites are operated
ethically and fairly, by reputable companies. However, as with
pretty much any industry, there are some operators who are
nothing short of crooks. Thankfully such operators are few and
far between; they tend to get discovered very quickly, but they
do exist.
This is almost certainly one of the cons that deter people
away from the idea of depositing money online for the purposes
of gambling. They get worried that they are going to get ripped
off, treated unfairly, or simply have their funds stolen. Sadly,
there have been cases where this has happened.
There’s an easy solution to this potential problem though,
and that’s just to stick to the trustworthy sites. There are
plenty of them, including all the of the sites that we recommend
here at GamblingSites.org.
Lack of Personal Interaction
One of the advantages we mentioned earlier was the privacy of
online gambling. There’s a flipside to this, in that there’s
also a lack of personal interaction. This may not be important
for everyone, but there are certainly a lot of people that enjoy
the social aspect of visiting a casino or playing a live game of
poker.
There isn’t the same social aspect to gambling when betting or playing online.
This makes it less appealing for some people.
It’s worth pointing out that gambling online doesn’t mean you
have to stop going to land-based casinos or poker rooms. You can
still enjoy both, as the two experiences both have their own
merits.
Cashout Times
If and when you’re lucky enough (or skilled enough) to win
some money online, you won’t necessarily be able to cash in your
winnings immediately. How long it takes to get your funds will
depend on the withdrawal method you use and, to some extent,
where you live. For example, it generally takes a little longer
for cash outs to be paid if you live in America.
You won’t typically have to wait too long though, especially
if you’re using any of the top sites. They tend to be good at
getting your money to you as fast as they can.
Legal & Regulatory Issues
The laws relating to gambling online vary around the world.
In some regions they are very complicated, which makes it hard
to know exactly what’s legal and what’s not. This puts a lot of
people off. Most legislation is targeted at those that operate
gambling sites rather than the people who use them, but it can
still be a little unsettling when the laws aren’t completely
clear.
Online Gambling Is It Legal
Regulation also varies in different parts of the world, and
it’s not always as strict as it might be. Again, this can put
people off. With that being said, if you stick to the reputable
sites as we’ve already recommended, then this is unlikely to
become an issue.
It’s a good idea to be aware of the
relevant laws that apply where you live, and also any regulation
that’s in place. All of this information can be found in our
section on gambling laws.
Transaction Fees
Gambling sites don’t typically charge any transaction fees
when you make deposits, but your bank or credit card might.
Although these are generally quite small, they can add up over
time when depositing regularly. Some sites do charge for
withdrawals too.
Summary
As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, we wouldn’t
encourage anyone to gamble online unless they were sure it was
right for them. Gambling of any kind involves risk, and it’s no
different online. You should only start if you’re comfortable
with the risk and have the money to spare.
There are also downsides to gambling online that we’ve
outlined in this article, and these shouldn’t be ignored.
Overall, though, our view is that the pros outweigh the cons by
quite some margin. If you like to gamble, or think you would
like to try it, then it makes sense to do your betting and
gaming online.