INTERNET CASINO PLAY VS. REAL CASINO PLAY
The pros and cons of gambling online rather than in person
By Frank Scoblete
Many slot players are now playing more often on the Internet than ever before. The (hopefully ending) pandemic caused most casinos to close and those players who love to take their shots at slots against Lady Luck had nowhere to go but to their own computers.
The Internet has hundreds of casinos offering hundreds of slot games—some of the same types of games that you find in the real casinos. Was it as much fun to play online as on land? What are the differences in such play?
I went directly to slot players that I know play the Internet games to get their views.
MUMSY
“I love playing the slots and I used to go to the casinos every two weeks to get my fill. I live close to Atlantic City so going to the casinos is no big deal. Spend a night and have some fun.
“It took me a couple of months before I said to myself, ‘Why not give the Internet games a try?’ Which I did. I poured myself a glass of wine and went for it.
“I went through the games to see which ones appealed to me and I also decided that I would give whole new ones a chance too. Most of the slots were not ones you would find in the casinos but what the heck! Give them a go.
“I immediately found out that I actually played longer hours in the casino than I did on the Internet. The reverse was also true in many ways, because I played every day! Overall, I was betting way more money in the course of a month in my house than I did in the casinos.
“Was that fun? Absolutely, but at the same time I had to rein myself in or I would be losing too much. That’s hard-earned money! Then I gave myself two hours a week to play and that was satisfactory. I am actually proud of myself for my discipline.
“Is the Internet as much fun? Well, you can get any game you want, but at the same time there is no real casino experience. My home smells like my home; it doesn’t smell like a casino. The sounds of the casinos, the other people playing, the shouts of joy and the cries of ‘I almost had a big one’ are not heard in your own den by anyone other than yourself saying it. But I do cheer when I hit a good payout.
“I miss going to the restaurants with my friends and family. I miss the shows. I miss the walks on the Boardwalk. I don’t get any of that in my own home.
“No, the actual real casino experience is overall a better one but the games on the Internet are just as good and many are better. I guess this is just a matter of opinion, isn’t it? I am a player but I am also someone who enjoys the casino ambience.”
BENEDICT
“I have fallen in love with playing online. I really have. I started a month after everything closed down. Even though the casinos that I play in have been open now for a while, still earlier I would have to wear a mask. I am not comfortable in a mask. I got the vaccine the second I could!
“I decided if I couldn’t play the way I wanted to then I would play at home. I give myself a couple of brews and I sit and relax. I pick the games I want to play and I can play at the speed I enjoy, which is very, very fast.
“But I am not stupid. I play a lower denomination machine so that I do not play too much money in one shot, but I do play every night and my losses are about the same as I always experience. Of course, playing every night has given me a lot of thrills. You do hit more because you are playing more!
“I will now go to the regular casinos because you just can’t replace the atmosphere in them. Home is after all home. It’s the difference between watching a movie in 70mm or watching on your television at home. The experiences are totally different.
“Also, in the casino I drink excellent mixed drinks and not beer. I don’t know if this is just me but my comps seem better, too. Maybe the casinos really want to bring us back. I don’t know if other players are experiencing the same thing.
“However, I do have a confession to make. I still play the Internet games. Yes, yes, I do. I love slots. I used to play the table games but I get more thrills playing the machines. What can I do? I earn my money and I want to spend it the way I want to spend it and I want to spend it on the slot machines.”
There you have it—two voices who have played in and out of the casinos!
Frank Scoblete’s website is www.frankscoblete.com. His books are available from Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Kindle, e-books, libraries and at bookstores.
