Land-Based Gambling Sites vs Casinos Online: Which to Select

Casinos (whatever they are) offer players this unprecedented level of pleasure. While some may lose significant amounts, if you know how to control yourself and your budget, you may feed the beast inside you that is hungry for adrenaline.

In the pre-internet era, the only way to play casinos was to go to those brick-and-mortar gambling houses, exchange money for chips or tokens, and start playing. If you have ever visited those old school casinos, you will never forget the atmosphere inside. Players are moving from one table to another. Sometimes they sit in front of those one-armed bandit machines to try their luck.

A standard land-based casino has a very exclusive environment with people trying their luck at slot machines, poker, blackjack, and other games. Those who used to play in those gambling houses know this blended smell of whiskey, cigarettes, cigars, perfumes, etc. However, there is something that makes this atmosphere unique. An adrenaline rush that seems to be hanging in the air accompanies all those smells. The more time you spend there, the more you breathe it in and out, and the more it becomes a part of you.

Nowadays, things have changed a lot. To play your favorite casino games, you don’t need to dive into this atmosphere anymore. You can simply sit in front of your PC in a cozy chair and play online. The internet has changed the rules of the game as it has taken a large share of gamblers to the online adventure.

We can’t say if those changes are for the good or bad. However, what we can do is to compare both types of entertainment so that you can see which one is more suitable for you.

Comparing Land-Based and Online Casinos

Both brick-and-mortar and online casinos have some features in common that you can compare to understand which one is better for you. There is also one unique feature that you will never find in land-based casinos that we are going to cover as well. We are talking about deposit bonuses and other types of promotions that make your gambling journey even more colorful.

Various Bonuses and Promotions

One thing that will never be available to you if you are inside a land-based gambling house is bonuses. On the contrary, online gamblers can benefit from various promotions throughout their gambling careers. Indian players can take advantage of welcome packages, no deposit bonuses, free spins, reload promotions, new game bonuses, etc. Some online casinos make it a perpetual pleasure for their clients as you can come across promotions at every step. To make it easier for you to sort out in this variety of promotions, we have prepared a brief list of the most popular bonuses that you can enjoy at most online casino sites in India:

1. No deposit bonuses. Those are the most wanted types of promotions, as you can receive money for nothing. At least until you want to withdraw your winnings. No deposit bonuses are given to all new clients who have signed up but have not topped up their accounts. We should mention that not all online casinos in India offer this type of promotion, but if you find one, you can consider yourself lucky. On the one hand, no deposit bonuses allow you to test a casino and its games. On the other hand, they have very uncomfortable bonus conditions like INR700-1000 maximum withdrawal or draconian wagering requirements that most gamblers are unlikely to meet. Anyway, this bonus is given for free, and you don’t risk your funds when accepting it.
2. Welcome bonuses. This type of promotion is considered the most generous one as you can benefit from 100% cash and a large number of free spins. Welcome bonuses are given once upon registration and you can’t claim them after you have used them.
3. Reload bonuses. Those promotions are offered regularly to all gamblers. They are not as lucrative as welcome bonuses, but you still have a chance to increase your bonus balance amount and play even more games. Reload bonuses may contain cash, free spins, or even incorporate both of them.
4. Daily, weekly, and monthly bonuses. Some casino bonuses may be offered on a weekly or even monthly basis. They look similar to reload promotions, and sometimes they are even considered to be.
5. New game free spins. Some software providers team up with online casinos to offer special bonuses that will help them promote their new games. Those casino bonuses allow you to test new online slots and even to win some money.

Payment methods

If you go to any land-based casino, you need to have cash with you or a credit/debit card. At the entrance, you will find a cashier where you can buy chips and tokens with your real money. If you win something, you can exchange your chips for real money, and this is how it works when you are dealing with offline casinos.

As for Indian online casino websites, deposits and withdrawals can be made with a larger range of payment methods. Along with credit or debit cards that you can use in both types of gambling sites, most online casinos in India accept various digital banking options like Neteller, Skrill, GPay, and others. The list of payment methods can be completed with Bitcoin, wire transfer, UPI, PayTM, etc.

As you can see, playing at online casinos gives you more freedom of action. While you can’t bring physical cash to an online casino, you still have many other options, including cryptocurrencies, bank transfers, etc.

Accessibility

Offline casinos can be found across the world, but some countries ban them. For instance, in India, some states do not allow gambling, while in others, only a few games can be played. This situation makes gambling less accessible for all those who don’t use the internet.

Online gambling, on the other hand, is widely spread. You don’t need to visit Las Vegas to play your favourite games. Online players have all those games available at hand. For instance, if you are a fan of slot games, you don’t need to Google where you can play them offline. Most online casinos in India give you this opportunity 24/7.

Along with physical accessibility comes financial accessibility. We mean that in those land-based casinos, you have to spend thousands of Indian rupees to play. If you start with an online casino, you don’t need to spend a lot of money if you don’t want to. The minimum deposit may be below INR 1,000 in most cases. Moreover, you can use bonuses to double your gambling amount.

Game Selection

One of the biggest problems that most offline casinos face is a lack of space. Even those huge Las Vegas casinos are far behind an average online casino when it comes to the number of games. Even if you compare the number of online slots to the number of offline one-armed bandit machines, online casinos are significantly ahead.

The range of games in online casinos may include:

1. Video slots These are the most popular games among punters from all around the world, as they require no skills from you. You don’t need to learn how to play. You don’t even need any strategy to spin the reels as there is none. The only thing you do when you play online slots is control your budget and spin the reels (you can also automate spinning by using a special feature in most video slot games). The only preparation we would recommend doing is learning more about all the special features that online slots may have. They may include multipliers, scatters, wilds, bonus rounds, and in-game free spins.
2. Card games. This is one of the most popular categories among Indian punters. Such titles as blackjack, poker, baccarat, or andar bahar attract much attention. While those games require some skills and preparation, those who know how to play them consider them the best way to entertain themselves.
3. This is another type of game that you can find in most online casinos. Online roulette has many variations that may include American, European, or French versions, as well as multi-wheel or even multi-ball games. Online roulette requires neither experience nor skills. You need to place bets and wait until the wheel stops spinning to see if the ball landed in a particular section of the wheel.
4. Dice games. If you like dice, you will find many interesting games in online casinos. Along with craps, which is a very popular game among punters worldwide, there are also plenty of other games of this type, like jhandi munda, sic bo, etc.

Those are the most popular categories that you can play when you are in an online casino. Apart from them, you can also find sports betting varieties, as Indian gamblers are big fans of this kind of entertainment. If you want to place small bids trying to catch a big fish, you can play various types of jackpot games. These are similar to standard slot machines, but they have a special feature that allows you to win large amounts in a single spin.

Environment and Atmosphere

Land-based casinos have an exclusive atmosphere that stimulates players to place bets. All those lights, sounds of chips, music that comes from one-armed bandit machines, and crowds of people playing various games contribute to the creation of a unique community of gamblers that are united by a single goal: to have the pleasure of playing casino games.

You can’t substitute this feeling by playing online random number generator casino games. Fortunately, technological progress does not stand still. Nowadays, you can play live casino games that can partially translate the atmosphere of a land-based casino.

All in all, playing at brick-and-mortar and online casinos are two different things. You can’t just compare them, and you don’t even need to. You can, for instance, visit an offline casino from time to time, but if you want more and don’t want to leave the comfort of your house, you can play on online gambling sites even more frequently and have this unique casino experience with thousands of games that you can find on those web platforms.

The Key Advantages of Online Casinos

The main benefits of playing at online casinos are the following:

1. Online gambling sites work 24/7. You can access them from any part of India. Gamblers can play online casinos that are located in various jurisdictions, including Curacao.
2. You can choose from thousands of games. Online casinos can boast a wide range of titles from various categories. You can play slot machines from various software providers, card games, roulette, live dealer games, some specialties, as well as do sports betting.
3. Online casinos offer attractive bonuses. You don’t need to play with your own money as you can claim a reward from an online casino to have even more gambling opportunities. The only thing you should care about is the terms and conditions. Wagering requirements may vary from one online casino to another, and you need to make sure you understand them properly.
4. Various payment options. When playing at online casinos, you are not limited to cash or credit/debit cards. You can use various payment options to deposit and withdraw funds. Some online gambling sites accept Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

How to Choose High Quality Online Casinos in India?

Finding top-notch online casinos may take some time and effort. To make this task easier for you, we have elaborated on some key criteria that you can use when inspecting a particular online gambling site:

1. License and regulations. All the top online casinos are regulated by various independent international authorities like the governments of Curacao, Malta, and Gibraltar. We recommend checking if a particular website owns one of these licenses before you even create an account there.
2. Range of games. Playing at online casinos will never be boring if they offer a lot of titles from various categories. Make sure that a particular online gambling site cooperates with as many software providers as possible.
3. Lucrative bonuses and affordable wagering requirements. Online casino bonuses give you even more pleasure in gambling as you can place more bets with a lower amount of money. All the top online gambling platforms provide their clients with a plethora of lucrative bonuses, allowing them to double their deposit amount. However, before accepting those promotions, you should also check the wagering requirements. They should be affordable and transparent, without any fine print that may make them unlucrative.
4. Range of payment methods. We have already mentioned that online casinos allow you to use various banking options, including digital wallets, bank wire and even cryptocurrencies, to deposit and withdraw funds. Top gambling platforms accept as many payment options as possible, allowing you to choose between them. When picking a particular method, make sure that it offers fast and reliable transactions at the lowest cost.
5. Support service. Playing at the top online casinos means that you can rely on their top-notch support service at any time in your gambling career. Therefore, when selecting a particular gambling site, make sure they offer various ways to contact the administration. Moreover, check the answers they give and the speed of their reactions. If the support team responds once in a blue moon, you should better avoid playing at such a casino as your comfort as a gambler is not among their priorities.
6. Mobile compatibility. Gamblers are not stuck to their PCs and laptops anymore. Nowadays, you can play on the go if you have a modern smartphone or tablet. You don’t even need to download an application as the websites themselves are well adapted to various screen sizes. To start playing at an online casino, you simply need to visit its website from your Android, Windows Mobile, iOS, or Blackberry device.

Final Words

Online casinos have many benefits as compared to their land-based competitors. You don’t need to leave the comfort of your house anymore to enjoy your favorite casino games. When dealing with any online casino, you can use a variety of banking options to deposit and withdraw funds, as well as enjoy generous bonuses.

Author: Varuun Singhan