Playing Between the Lines: The Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Gambling
It is probably a common assumption among many that Online Gambling is a marked improvement over real-world gambling. Certainly online gambling holds a considerable edge, but as in all things, it has both its advantages and disadvantages which every internet gambler should do well to take note of.
The most obvious advantage that online gambling has over real-world gambling is the convenience it provides, enabling people to gamble right in the comfort of their own homes. Also, many gamblers prefer the much more convenient and player-friendly rules practiced in online casinos to the much stricter regulations observed in the actual casinos.
Online gambling has a lot to offer to win over their would-be customers into trying them out. Online casinos would offer sign-up bonuses for first time players, such as an extra 10 to 50 per cent of one's preliminary deposit to their online gambling account, or special prizes for specific amounts of money that are put up as wager.
Online gamblers are also free from the hassles of making contact with the typical bad company that one might encounter at an actual casino, such as gambling cheats, con artists, drunkards, and any other seedy characters. And without any tangible personnel to deal with, online players aren't under any obligation to tip dealers or any other casino employee.
As for the disadvantages of online gambling, one inconvenience is that online casinos take way too much time giving payouts in comparison to land-based casinos. It would even take as long as up to 4 weeks before players can collect their winnings. One would have to exercise a considerable amount of patience to put up with this difficulty.
A good portion of an online casino's services is of course automated, but sometimes a player would have to seek assistance from the actual personnel behind the casino site. But getting a hold of customer service online is not always as expedient as simply walking up to an actual casino's staff or management. Often one would have to drop an email to contact them, and there could even be a delay in their reply.
With the many different venues to gamble online, one might be tempted into trying as much of them as they can, and thus might have trouble balancing their credit statement as a result. Also, there's the risk of problems cropping up during transactions, as normally transaction documents would only mention the name of the merchant bank but not include that of the casino.
When deciding on whether or not to take up online gambling, it is important for one to be aware of both its advantages and disadvantages. And if one already is into gambling over the internet, being knowledgeable of all the pros and cons would serve well in avoiding all its hassles and taking advantage of all its perks.