There’s a well-worn cliché that Australians will happily bet on two flies crawling up a wall. But aside from world fly racing from Geelong, there are also pokies, card games, lotteries, and even placing a dollar or two on the footie or the cricket.
In years gone by, placing a bet meant feeding coins into a physical machine at a truck stop or cafe. Or perhaps to stand in line at the bookies with your betting slip. Today, many argue that playing at an online casino platform makes more sense than a real one. That really depends on your perspective.
Legality
The legality of online casinos is always a complex topic. You might have heard of the Interactive Gambling Act (IGA) 2001. This effectively states that online casinos must not offer web-based gambling services to Australians. However, this only applies to those providing online casino services, not to use them. In other words, there are no laws to prohibit Australians from gambling real money at online casinos.
Bonuses and promotions
When you gamble using an online platform, there’s a huge choice of providers. A competitive market is a good news from the player’s perspective, and the different casino platforms will be falling over one another to offer the best deals. The Gamble Online casino bonus guide provides a handy summary of the different types of bonuses that are out there.
Bonuses and freebies are just not going to be available on this scale when you use a physical casino. Land-based casinos have significantly higher overheads in terms of salaries, utility bills, and so on.
Choice of games
Visit a land-based casino, and you might have 30 or 40 slot games to choose from and perhaps a dozen table games. It all depends on the physical space available for the cabinets and the gaming tables. An online casino can literally offer hundreds of different games, simply adding new ones to the game servers as and when they are released. If you enjoy trying a wide variety of games and checking out the new releases without delay, then you can’t beat a casino in cyberspace.
Safety and security
You might think that this is an area in which traditional casinos score higher. However, that is not necessarily the case. Choose your online provider with care, and you can be confident that your financial and personal data is safe and that the games are completely fair. Although online casinos are not specifically regulated in Australia, offshore providers are licensed in other jurisdictions. Check their licenses are in place, and in particular, keep in mind that if they are licensed by bodies like the Malta Gaming Authority or the UK Gambling Commission, they meet the highest standards.
Different payment methods
Physical casinos are still predominantly cash-based. When you go to cash out at the cashier’s desk, you’ll be handed your winnings in cash – not always ideal if you’ve had a winning night and are heading out to the car park at 2 AM! Play online, and you’ll have a wider and safer choice, including digital wallets and even crypto payments at a growing number of casinos.
