What has the recession done to online gambling?

By: Elizabeth Tudor
Submitted: 2009-11-19 15:56:15
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This is not about the gambling addicts. For them, the drive to place the next bet will be there no matter what the state of the economy. That's why addiction is so destructive. This is about the rational gamblers who look at their budgets and decide how much they can afford to risk the next time they sit down to play. This includes all the professionals. For them, money management is all part of the self-discipline it takes to get to the top of their game and become such a reliable winner they can afford to give up the day job. You'll be pleased to know all the top players still practice regularly, keep up-to-date with all the latest news, and check out the new books to see if there's anything else to learn. This is what it means to be professional. For the average player who's not yet a consistent winner, this is all about setting a limit on the losses. For those on a hot streak, the money builds up in the bank. But, when the table goes cold, you have to know when to quit. When the national economy is doing well and the credit is flowing, you can have a lot of slack in your budget. You may be able to afford quite high losses before you have to quit. But when the recession comes and money is tight, the budget shrinks.

The numbers from the online casinos with a listing in the stock markets around the world have shown a consistent fall in the gross take. That means fewer people can afford to gamble or, if they still gamble, they stop sooner when their losses come. Worse, there have been one or two isolated stories of software malfunctions. Although all the top online casinos are well-regulated and their software is trouble-free, there's some pressure for introducing live dealers online. Gamblers seem more comfortable with real-time gaming. The best online casinos may have to invest in the technology to permit live dealing or risk further losses of business. The loss of revenue and the possibility of increased operating costs if live dealing is introduced have meant stock values have been falling.

Interestingly, despite the general fall in revenues from online casino games, blackjack has bucked the trend. There are two probable reasons for this. More gamblers feel they can win against the House playing blackjack than roulette or the other games of chance. Secondly, the online casinos have been investing more in the look-and-feel of the software. With faster broadband connections becoming the norm, more gamblers are able to have a better experience playing the game as the animation and graphics improve. Add in the fact that to attract more people to join, the casinos have been increasing the welcome and other bonuses. In the real world, you would be enjoying comps to encourage you to stay and spend more. Online, the best the operators can do is offer you money to spend. Taking everything together, there's never been a better time to play blackjack against the online casinos — so long as you stay within your budget, of course.

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