Have land-based casinos fallen victim to the online world?

Whether it is slots, poker, roulette or blackjack, people all over the world have always loved gambling. This is true in Nigeria of course, and many people around the country play casino games as a way to relax. Due to this, the whole gambling sector in Nigeria is thought to generate around $500bn each year in revenue.

Although casino games have long been a favourite of people in the country and others worldwide, the sector has seen something of a transition lately. This has meant that more and more people are choosing to play at online casinos now, rather than at land-based ones as in the past. As a result, online casinos currently take the lion’s share of the whole gambling market globally and have started to outperform physical casinos.

But why is this?

Range of safe online casinos to play at

One of the major reasons that land-based casinos have been overtaken by online ones is the wide range of safe, accessible iGaming sites to play at now. Modern online casinos are not just about top-class security and transparent play though, the best are fully licensed to operate and provide great customer support.

 

In addition, most now will offer bonuses to attract players which land-based sites cannot compete with. The range of no deposit casinos in South Africa highlights this, and the same can be said for iGaming platforms around the rest of the world. When you also factor in the availability of mobile apps, which enable people to gamble online whenever they like and wherever they are, the picture becomes a lot clearer.

Convenience is king

 There is no doubt that land-based casinos have fallen behind online platforms due to this. In short, online casinos are a lot more convenient than offline ones. When playing online, for example, you do not have to get ready and go outside into the real world to your nearest casino. You can simply log on and play wherever you want from the comfort of your own home. Online casinos are also always open when you are in the mood for some fun.

This is all especially useful if you do not have a land-based casino close by or do not like to play there. Playing online also reduces any travel time that might be needed to gamble at a physical casino and reduces your expenses. As you do not have to pay for a taxi, pay to get in or pay for food/drinks online, you spend less than you would at an offline casino.

Great choice of games online

 Although you might have a few favourite games you like to play regularly, it is always nice to have a large variety to choose from. This is not always possible in land-based casinos, which might have a fairly small number of games to try. Most land-based sites will certainly not offer the same variety of games that online ones do. iGaming sites usually carry hundreds of slots and multiple types of classic games like poker or blackjack. This has seen online play become more popular over time due to the greater choice they deliver.

Increased internet coverage

 It goes without saying that playing casino games online needs a stable, fast internet connection to work. This is true whether you play on an Apple iPhone 12 or a laptop. This was not always available in places like Nigeria in the past – especially if you headed out into more rural areas. Internet connectivity has improved on a global scale recently though – certainly in Africa.

For example, Nigeria now has just over half the country who use the internet thanks to the rollout of networks like 4G. As a result, more people have access to online games and more people are now choosing to game in this way. Combined with changing attitudes in society which see people becoming more comfortable in conducting activities online, it seems land-based casinos are lagging far behind.

Land-based casinos have fallen behind online ones

 If you went back 15 or 20 years, it might have seemed impossible for online casinos to overtake land-based ones. Physical casinos were firmly at the top of the tree after all and iGaming sites seemed something of a novelty which would soon pass. Of course, this has not happened and online casinos have actually exploded in popularity during recent years. This has seen them start to fly past land-based casinos as the place people prefer to game. If 5G can continue a wider roll out soon globally, then land-based casinos could be in even more trouble.