The Impact of Online Gambling in the UK Casino Industry

Today, there are millions of players across the globe who take extreme delight in playing the various online casino games with a lot of zeal and excitement. The gambling laws are also been made lenient and flexible thus enabling the players to freely access both online and land-based casinos without any hindrances. However, the online casinos are no doubt superseding the brick and mortar casinos as they aim at offering the players with excellent game variety, versatility and accessibility.

Earlier, the British players had to enter smoky underground spielers or blacked-out, back-street casinos to try and explore their favourite casino games but today, things have changed drastically. The UK casino industry is now open and offers the players with a plethora of casino games offering splendid bonus features which help them in maximising their bankroll considerably.

Right from easy registration till flexible betting terminals, the casinos have never been this accessible and user-friendly that too accompanied by fascinating gameplay features. Nevertheless, the question hovering every avid casino player is what effect do the online casinos have over the land-based casinos.

Well, the statistics from the Gambling Commission reveals that:

• There are a number of players especially women who are engaging in casino gaming in both land-based and online casinos equally.
• The traffic is on a rise with respect to online casino games and live dealer games.
• The developing economy is more focused on gambling habits than participation in games.

The Growth of UK Casino Industry

Almost all the casino games today are accessible online and can be played on multiple gaming mediums including PC, smartphone, iPhone and iPad, instantly, on the go, anywhere, anytime. In addition to these, there are also 3D slot games which can be accessed by the players on both desktop and smartphone as well. The UK casinos offer the players with a sophisticated and hassle-free gaming medium by offering a plethora of games to choose from. And not to forget, with relaxation in the gambling laws, the UK casinos are no longer rigid and fixed which provides the players with a unique iGaming experience.

UK’s Participation in Online Gaming

Well, according to the Gambling Commission, the participation in online gaming by the UK players have been fairly consistent since 2008, with around 16 million accounts held over 2008-2009 and 18 million in 2014. In fact, the numbers of both live and online casino players are on the rise.

The turnover of the online casinos operating in the UK has risen, with online slots pulling in £86 million alone from 2009-2010 and a whopping £366 million in 2014, as per the Gambling Commission figures.

Points to Ponder

There are a few interesting takeaways with respect to online gaming in the UK. They are:

• With the rapid rise in the turnover for slots, the various TV adverts are offering free spins on signing up with the slot games. The online slot games are most preferred by the players owing to its engaging gameplay settings and features.
• The two main driving factors which contribute to the popularity of online gaming are low stakes and the massive size of the potential progressive jackpots associated with them. More players online denote bigger contributions to ‘pooled’ progressives, which can regularly hit millions of pounds.
• Also, there is a better range of slots games available online, as limited floor space isn’t an issue at an online casino. Plus, the RTPs (the ‘Return to Player’ percentages) are higher online. Whereas the land-based slots in the UK run around 85% RTP, online slots can rise to 97%.

Will UK Casinos Match Up the Las Vegas Experience?

Aspers’ Bea Stevens says, “UK casinos have taken advantage of the Brits’ wider acceptance of gambling in general, while the relaxation of membership laws means anyone can walk in off the street to play roulette and blackjack. And casinos aren’t just gambling venues any more: they’re far more focused on dining, entertaining and grabbing an evening drink than they were 20 years ago.”

Keeping the above in focus, the UK casino industry is no doubt catching up with the Vegas trend by providing not just casino games but other mediums of entertainment too. Will these many developments happening, the UK casinos will certainly be the next Vegas. What say?