With online casinos becoming more popular than ever before, it’s fair to wonder exactly how they differ from country to country. Though many online casinos follow the same business models, there are plenty of variations to make note of.
If you thought that if you’ve seen one online casino, you’ve seen them all, guess again. Online casinos have become heavily diversified over the past few years, and a big part of that is due to regional differences.
Bonuses and promotions
The first thing many people encounter when visiting an online casino site or app for the first time is the platform’s welcome bonuses, and any other related offers and promotions. Welcome bonuses are important for casinos of all countries as they play a massive role in getting new customers in the door.
Bonuses at online casinos come in various forms, and are often tied to the available games, payment methods or regional aspects unique to the country of origin. Many online casinos, like the ones you’ll find at AskGamblers.com, offer a good range of bonuses, such as no deposit bonuses, cashback bonuses and even free slot spins.
These kinds of bonuses are what you can expect to see at most online casinos, no matter what country they’re in. The differences between them involve any special bonuses that are available for a limited time. Many European countries, such as England and Ireland, will have unique casino bonuses that only pop up a couple times a year during cultural festivals or national holidays.
Many promotions are also tied to VIP or loyalty programs, which have rewards that differ from country to country. Many of them offer perks or prizes that can be redeemed in-game, whereas others have a more sweepstakes-style approach, where prizes are physical items or coupons that can be mailed to the winner’s address.
Legalization and regulation
Arguably the biggest differences between online casinos lie in their legal aspects, which can vary widely within countries, let alone between different nations.
What all good online casinos have in common is being licensed. Unlicensed casinos can be dangerous and risky for players, so choosing a licensed casino is key, no matter which country you’re from.
Though all countries that have legalized online gambling care about operators doing business cleanly, they almost always differ on how this gets done and even why they have the priorities they do. Some countries are aiming to reduce gambling problems, while others want to stimulate their growth and economy.
No matter their intentions, the laws and policies to enforce online gambling activities vary greatly from one country to the next. Some countries still need to have stricter federal laws passed, which can take years of legislation. Other countries are more lenient and only require a few smaller bills to be passed in order to legalize gambling activities.
These differences exist because laws rarely exist in a vacuum. Some laws take less time to pass because there are already other laws in place that make the new ones easier to pass. Not all countries have this precedent going for them though.
That’s why the United Kingdom has a very different legal landscape for gambling compared to Italy. The former has a much longer history of gambling laws and gambling culture. As a result, their modern laws pertaining to online gambling were able to be adopted much faster.
Laws pertaining to technology can also have a big impact on online gambling rules. Technology shapes many things in business practices, including global transactions and intercontinental fees, as well as how well the law adapts to modern times. Many laws are also based on whether online gambling is defined as entertainment or not. This aspect alone has huge implications for online casino regulation.
Different game types and exclusive software
An easier thing for players to notice if they use online casinos from different regions is that they tend to offer different games, as well as different game types or categories, each with their own unique set of audio-visual themes. Some regions may offer live streaming in online casino sessions for interactive games like poker or roulette, while other may not have that capability yet.
This makes online casino comparison important for the most enthusiastic players — people who want to find the absolute best games available may feel the need to explore sites and apps from different countries or even continents.
This is partially because software developers originate from different countries themselves. Though they are more than happy to do business with casinos from other nations, the logistics tend to encourage them to provide games within their own region. Players who want to find different variations of poker, blackjack or explore unique slots will therefore be inclined to try out casinos from different places.
Though American online casinos often have the previously mentioned game categories, many online casinos from Asia will have completely different games that are more popular. If you eventually get tired of playing the same game types, an Asian online casino will be far more likely to offer games like pachinko, mahjong and even rare variants of classic western games like baccarat or poker.
Although online casinos typically share more similarities than differences around the globe, their differences are more than enough to justify a thorough exploration of what this booming global industry has to offer.