For the average player, an online casino is a destination for escapism, fun and with any luck, a lucrative way to while away some time. However, a closer look at online casinos brings a host of interesting facts which give us an insight into players, social attitudes, chance and worldwide practices.
Whether you’re a regular gambler or more of a flutter once in a while kind of player, it can be interesting to understand who different players enjoy different experiences and the attitudes to gambling throughout the world. Here’s a Top 10 of some of the most fascinating facts that we’ve found about online gambling throughout the world.
Online gambling isn’t as new as you might think.
Of course, online gambling is more popular now than ever – not least because we were sitting at home for so long during the Covid pandemic that many people signed up to an online casino to give it a go and pass some time. That said, online gambling is no new thing – the first software for internet wagering was created by Microgaming in 1994! Just two years later, the first online casino was in business.
Online slot machines are far more popular than tangible one-armed bandits.
With easy accessibility and round-the-clock playing, online slot machines are now far more popular and played than hand managed games. It is thought that over 90% of slot machine playing is carried out online, with bricks and mortar casinos seeing very little use of machines in comparison.
Some countries only let you gamble online!
Strangely once famed for their gambling culture and lavish casinos, Monaco reversed its gambling decisions and it is now only possible to gamble online. There are no longer any casinos in the country and if any individual is caught gambling in person, they could be arrested and suffer a hefty fine.
Big jackpots are possible!
The chances of hitting a jackpot in an online casino are really small, but it does happen! The largest jackpot that has ever been paid was $24million to a Finnish man. What’s even more remarkable is that his payout came after a 25 cent bet on a Mega Jackpot slot machine. The slot held a progressive jackpot and the lucky man in his 40’s got seriously lucky that day!
An Italian casino didn’t payout because of a technical glitch.
Painfully for the player, an Italian online casino once refused to payout a £650,000 win on an £18 bet. The player took the casino to court and lost, when it was determined that a technical glitch had caused the game to suggest that the player had won the exciting sum, when he actually hadn’t! The court ruled in favour of the casino and the payout was declined.
Online gambling is still a heavily male populated pursuit!
Although more and more women are beginning to enjoy gambling in all forms, with increasing numbers becoming professional gamblers, online casino memberships are predominantly held by male players. Research suggests that approximately 11% of people who regularly use the internet are members of an online gambling site. Further annual reports suggest that those memberships are made up of 80% male players.
Additionally, most online gamblers are above the age of 30 and this is a healthy statistic as the majority of people who suffer from gamblikng problems and addictions are thought to be those who begin gambling at younger ages.
Roulette isn’t the same game in all countries.
One of the most popular online games is Roulette, also referred to as the Devil’s Game. The reason it’s given this charming nickname is because if you add all of the numbers on the wheel, it results in 666. Despite its dark name, Roulette is actually one of the more favourable games for payouts and the odds of winning this table game are quite high. For example, if a player bets on black, they have a nearly 50/50 chance of winning. It’s only nearly because in the English game, the wheel has the number ‘0’, but the American version also has ‘00’.
Online casinos don’t need human staff
One of the joys of online gambling for many players is that there’s no opening or closing times – gambling sites are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The benefit of this to the sites is that players are able to deposit at all times and they don’t have hefty staff overheads. The vast majority of online gambling games are automated and this means they don’t need human intervention to run. Y0ou’ll notice that with many gambling sitges, customer service hours are strict, but this doesn’t impact playability.
Some American states banned online gambling!
There are a number of parts of America where gambling is heavily restricted – both online and in person. For example, New Jersey has only just allowed online gambling, but there are several games that are banned, there’s restrictions on when people can gamble and this significantly limits the potential to win.
The world loves to gamble online…
Recent research concluded that around 26% of the world’s population gamble online, that’s a mammoth 1.6 billion people. That’s the regular gambling figure, for those who play less frequently, the number jumps to a whopping 4.2 billion players who gamble at least once a year! The convenience of online gambling, the ability to do it any hour on any day and the thrill of chasing the win are obviously alluring, no matter where in the world you live!
