There are countless reasons why so many gamblers prefer to play online casino games, bet sports online, enter online poker tournaments, and so on.
But aside from the obvious – like convenience, value, safety, and the ability to play at just 18 years of age – one of the best things about gambling online is that you don’t have to worry about “real world” logistics to participate.
This is particularly true at legal 18+ casino sites operating outside of US borders, as they aren’t subject to the whims that always seem to be standing between you and a fun time with some cash on the line.
Online, you don’t have to worry about the endless legislative nonsense, you don’t need to worry about meddlesome advocates and petitioning, and you don’t need to worry about the here-today-gone-tomorrow “gray area” markets.
You don’t have to bother yourself over Internet café raids or whether or not your favorite VLT or EGM kiosk will be where it was come next week or next month.
And you don’t need to think about all the negative downmarket effects of the above.
Here are some headlines – and some political shenanigans – that you’ll never have to wade through when you gamble with a US-friendly overseas casino, sportsbook, online poker room, or racebook:
From NBC News 3, Las Vegas:
“Nevada casinos post $761.8 million gaming win to start 2021”
Wow, what a big win!
After being crushed by COVID in 2020 to the tune of a 97% loss year-over-year, Nevada is back, baby!
I mean, it says “win” right there in the headline. Thank goodness everything is normal again.
LOL, no.
To get the real news, you have to work your way well down that article before you’re told that brick-and-mortar resort casinos in Sin City are still hundreds of Hail Marys and Our Fathers out from happier days.
So how bad is it?
Casino.org is more honest:
“Las Vegas Stumbles to Begin 2021, January Casino Win Down Nearly 44 Percent”
Ah, so “casino win” just means how much money the venues took in. That makes more sense.
And with a 44 percent year-over-year collapse, Vegas is hardly back in the driver’s seat.
For the yous and mes out there, that’s bad news.
In terms of pomp and circumstance, Vegas is still a barren desert, and it seems like it’s bound to make like the Mojave for the foreseeable future.
Since we’re the tourist types (when we’re not gambling online instead, which is fast becoming always), the fact that America’s biggest gambling destination is a shell of its former self compels us to stay away, not sign on for that cheaper-than-ever Nevada vacation.
What a bummer.
Or it would be, if we handn’t grown accustomed to the online betting model.
Then, there’s this kind of thing, a constant tug-of-war between giant conglomerates monopolizing the marketplace and smaller conglomerates who want a piece of the action, too.
The people forever caught in the middle, of course, are We the.
Per Casino.org:
“Pennsylvania Casinos Tell State to Limit VGTs, Ban Illegal Skill Gaming”
Pennsylvania is the fastest-growing gambling market in the US, but it’s not a destination market. The casinos in the state are for the residents living nearby.
But there are millions and millions of such residents, so there’s billions and billions of dollars on the line.
Of course, maybe you’re not a fan of the casinos, and maybe the paltry selection of domestic online casino games the operators in the state have put out so far isn’t all that enticing.
That means you might have developed a habit for playing video gaming terminals (VGTs) and skill games at your local convenience store or truck stop.
And if you have, that also means you might be up a creek any day now.
That’s because, as the article states, the big money operators don’t want you having a selection of titles outside their scope of influence.
Again, we can empathize, but only barely – and only in theory.
Since we play online casino games exclusively with international casinos and bet sports online exclusively overseas, we’re also looking at you in the rear view mirror.
We hope you catch up, but as long as you rely on domestic options – regardless of what they are – you’re always going to be beholden to the ebb and flow of the congressional circus that surrounds US-based local gaming.
Still, if you actually want freedom, you can have it.
If you want to gamble real money online at just 18 and up, you can do that.
If you want to play hundreds of online slots, online table games, and live dealer games from your iPhone or Android as you travel the country with impunity – geofencing be damned! – you can do that, too.
If you want better odds on the home team than you’ll find betting at home, you can still feel at home placing those bets.
If you want to save time and money – and save yourself from the headache that lawmakers and CEOs insist upon being literally all the time – you can.
Kick these folks to the curb. They’re out of line.
You?
You should be online.