There is a great deal of discussion concerning playing casino games online as opposed to in a land-based “brick” casino. The fact is that, comparing the two is like apples and oranges: each appeals to different aspects of a player’s game.

There are some people who like the lights and noise of a crowded casino. They enjoy matching their wits against a table full of strangers, with all the pressure that entails. Others prefer to play in a place that is quiet and relaxed, where they can really concentrate on their game and their bets and their strategy. Then, of course, there is the obvious fact that online casino games can be played from virtually anywhere, whereas to play in a brick casino one has to be able to get there and afford the incidentals. So there are definitely advantages to playing casino games online.

But, more pertinent to the question of land-based vs. online casino games is whether the games themselves play differently. If you play roulette, for example, there is certainly a difference in the experience of clicking the Spin button in an online roulette game and the experience of watching the croupier spin a real roulette ball around a real roulette wheel. But beneath that sensory difference, the game is really the same. When you play roulette online, you are playing with a Random Number Generator that is programmed so that, over the long run, each roulette number will hit 1 out of 38 (in American Roulette) or 1 out of 37 (in European or French Roulette) times, exactly the same as on a real roulette wheel. So the differences between online roulette and land-based roulette is really a matter of preference and taste more than any significant differences in the game play itself.

If the slot machines are your game, the similarities are even more striking. There are no mechanical "one-armed bandits" in the land-based casinos anymore. The computerized slot machines you would play in a brick casino are exactly the same as the computerized slot machines you would play in an online casino. The only difference is that when you play slots online you are playing from the comfort of your own home, and you can get up and take a bathroom break without losing your place at your favourite slot machine.

However, just as you don’t want to play Poker with marked cards, and therefore would not walk into a fly-by-night dungeon hole casino, you cannot assume that every single game made online is “fair.” There are dishonest operators of online casino games, just as there are dishonest operators of casinos on land. It is critical to play only in well-regulated, monitored, licensed casinos — whether online or off.

One of the advantages that many players find online is the plethora of casino games which one can play. Online casino games are limited only by the imagination of the programmers and developers, and new slot machines or video poker variations can be made much faster online, compared to the time it takes to design, build, market, and install new games in brick casinos. For this reason, and for the additional reason that there are no limitations of floor space in an online casino, you will find a much greater variety of blackjack games, roulette games, slot machines, and video poker machines in an online casino as compared to a brick casino.

In addition, if you play casino games online, you know that your game is always available. In the online casino, you never have to wait on line while someone else plays your favourite slot machine, and you never have to wait for a seat to open up at the blackjack table.

Still, the matter always boils down to availability and choice. Each type of casino offers its players a different type of experience. Whatever your game and style, whether beginner or professional gambler, there is something out there for you. So grab your chips — plastic or virtual — and have some fun playing great gambling games and join the millions who like to take their chances at the big win.

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