GamblingFan78
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- Joined
- May 29, 2013
- Location
- Chetumal
I really enjoy online gambling, but internet casinos can't offer that special atmosphere that you find in brick-and-mortar casinos. I'm curious if you guys share my opinion.
online gambling versus brick-and-mortar casinos
- Thread starter GamblingFan78
- Start date
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2005
- Location
- Pennsylvania
I play blackjack and poker, and enjoy being around other people when gambling, so I prefer B&M casinos over the online casinos...
I also like getting my winnings immediately, something that online casinos can't give you.
I also like getting my winnings immediately, something that online casinos can't give you.
J
Jory
Guest
Casinos that offer a chat client have a little better atmosphere I feel, but often it's filled with players complaining.
A 3D casino with voice chat would be an interesting concept.
A 3D casino with voice chat would be an interesting concept.
bigjohn
Dormant account
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2012
- Location
- Northeast Coastal USA
Where I live the closest full service casinos are about a 2 hour drive (Atlantic City, NJ). I'm not going to take that ride with $50 in my pocket so on-line casinos provide are a great alternative when you feel like just low-rolling a couple of bucks.
If I'm going to make a day of it though you can't beat the full B&M experience, a couple of drinks and a nice dinner, maybe earn a comp room night or two or take in the Comedy Club.
Each way of playing has it's own merits.
If I'm going to make a day of it though you can't beat the full B&M experience, a couple of drinks and a nice dinner, maybe earn a comp room night or two or take in the Comedy Club.
Each way of playing has it's own merits.
Well after six months of continuous losing online (so bad that a few months ago I finally decided to stop playing all together with the exception of Play N Go and Playtech) here's my opinion...
I do much better at the B&M and so prefer to play there (B&M meaning pub). Yes in Australia the pokies (slots) are generally set at an RTP of 89% which is pretty low but I seem to do quite well. People are always commenting on my good luck. But my luck is absolutely terrible online! That's considering the fact that online slots are set between 95-97% which just has me stumped as a higher RTP should indicate better returns... But apparently not.
I quite like the interaction element of playing at the local. I've had some really interesting conversations with TBH complete strangers. However I've found that sometimes when a person feels really comfortable around you they have a tendency to offer you money. But I've been brought up not to except money from people I don't know very well. That's awkward because either you accept and then feel bad when you lose their money or you don't accept and they end up feeling insulted. Double trouble, there's no right answer, I've been put into that situation quite a few times. I'm very flashy with the amount of money in my wallet as a result (not that it makes much difference).
Okay I've gone off on a tangent... So yes I prefer playing at the B&M although online casinos are good for bonuses
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2013
- Location
- Kent - England
So you've not actually stopped playing then! ;-)
- Joined
- May 22, 2012
And you don't get halfwits offering you inane chat and 'l*cky d*st' at B&M casinos.
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2009
- Location
- the land of snow and maple syrup
And you don't get halfwits offering you inane chat and 'l*cky d*st' at B&M casinos.
But you do get those biddies who rub the screen, bounce up and down in their chairs and talk to the monitor.
GamblingFan78
Dormant account
- Joined
- May 29, 2013
- Location
- Chetumal
I think online gambling is something you can do on regular (daily) basis, which makes a trip to a casino more exclusive. Online or offline gambling don't have to cancel the other one out. A visit to a brick-and-mortar casino is more like an exciting trip, including a dinner and some drinks.
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2013
- Location
- dfw
While I prefer going to a local casino I do not always have time since its about a 2 hour drive and thats each way so I usually do not go these days unless I have a comp room for the night so here I sit at home where I can be playing in 5 minutes
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2013
- Location
- Dún Dealgan
I used to go to Dutch land based casino's (Holland Casino) and it is really a fun night out.
You can have a drink,something to eat and enjoy the atmosphere.
I normally would go to play poker and slots but I rarely hit a super big win on a land based slot in any casino.
One time I won €2500.00 on a €2.00 bet on Signs of Zodiac,a very popular slot years ago in Holland Casino.
It is an awesome game but 9 out of 10 times I would go bust on them.
Won actually most at the pokertables and blackjack on the odd day.
I actually started to hit more big wins when playing online.
So ok,less atmosphere but I still do enjoy online playing from the comfort of my home.
No expensive parkingtickets,no entrance fees,no €10.00 wodka and 7-up and €15.00 for a small plate of cocktail snacks,no petrol costs to drive up to a casino.
Instead a nice bottle of wine from Tesco and a few packs of Walker crisps (Sour cream and Chives) and a ciggy from time to time.
Very enjoyable too,but I agree land based casino's have mostly a nice relaxed atmosphere too.
You can have a drink,something to eat and enjoy the atmosphere.
I normally would go to play poker and slots but I rarely hit a super big win on a land based slot in any casino.
One time I won €2500.00 on a €2.00 bet on Signs of Zodiac,a very popular slot years ago in Holland Casino.
It is an awesome game but 9 out of 10 times I would go bust on them.
Won actually most at the pokertables and blackjack on the odd day.
I actually started to hit more big wins when playing online.
So ok,less atmosphere but I still do enjoy online playing from the comfort of my home.
No expensive parkingtickets,no entrance fees,no €10.00 wodka and 7-up and €15.00 for a small plate of cocktail snacks,no petrol costs to drive up to a casino.
Instead a nice bottle of wine from Tesco and a few packs of Walker crisps (Sour cream and Chives) and a ciggy from time to time.
Very enjoyable too,but I agree land based casino's have mostly a nice relaxed atmosphere too.
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2013
- Location
- dfw
wow they charge that much for a drink? sounds bad
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2013
- Location
- Dún Dealgan
Well in a casino everything is expensive i.m.o ..
Maybe it is a bit less but I just wanted to make a point...
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2013
- Location
- dfw
Well in a casino everything is expensive i.m.o ..
Maybe it is a bit less but I just wanted to make a point...
In the US most casinos will comp drinks while playing although not in Oklahoma....but in Vegas and in Louisiana yes
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2007
- Location
- Earth
B and M casinos are few and far between here in the UK so unless you live in a big town, there probably wont be 1 there.
A comparison I can sort of make is Barcrest have quite a few 5 reel slots online (rainbow riches, elvis and 1 or 2 others).
There are arcades in almost every town that have terminals with these exact games on them (same name, graphics, features, same to the very last detail).
Online i'm guessing the slot must be around 97/98% payout. Stake can be adjusted, from 25p to maybe as much as a few £100 a spin. Controlled of course by an RNG. So in theory even if a player has just won £1000's, another player playing at the same time could also win £1000's.
Offline the same Barcrest slot at 1 of those arcades... only around 92% payout (if that). Stake is only between 25p and a max of £2 a spin. Jackpot is set at £500. The slot doesnt use an RNG but is compensated which is worse IMO for machines of this type.
Unlike a compensated 3 reel fruit machine where you can force the jackpot by busting out on each board until it gives JP, the 5 reel barcrest slot at the arcade forces you to take crap wins to balance the payout %. Also on a 3 reel pub fruity you can tell if someone has emptied it as soon as you hit the first board (it offers you shit all before busting you out). You can't tell at all on these 5 reel barcrest games though unless you have seen someone take the £500 jp out of it.
Online you get deposit bonuses, free chips. Playing 1 of those same game machines at the arcade though will only give you up to £5 match plays and a 20p bag of crisps every 30 mins.
So yeah its clear to see with these Barcrest slot's anyway, its better to play online. More game time, better payout % and some good bonuses on deposits.
A comparison I can sort of make is Barcrest have quite a few 5 reel slots online (rainbow riches, elvis and 1 or 2 others).
There are arcades in almost every town that have terminals with these exact games on them (same name, graphics, features, same to the very last detail).
Online i'm guessing the slot must be around 97/98% payout. Stake can be adjusted, from 25p to maybe as much as a few £100 a spin. Controlled of course by an RNG. So in theory even if a player has just won £1000's, another player playing at the same time could also win £1000's.
Offline the same Barcrest slot at 1 of those arcades... only around 92% payout (if that). Stake is only between 25p and a max of £2 a spin. Jackpot is set at £500. The slot doesnt use an RNG but is compensated which is worse IMO for machines of this type.
Unlike a compensated 3 reel fruit machine where you can force the jackpot by busting out on each board until it gives JP, the 5 reel barcrest slot at the arcade forces you to take crap wins to balance the payout %. Also on a 3 reel pub fruity you can tell if someone has emptied it as soon as you hit the first board (it offers you shit all before busting you out). You can't tell at all on these 5 reel barcrest games though unless you have seen someone take the £500 jp out of it.
Online you get deposit bonuses, free chips. Playing 1 of those same game machines at the arcade though will only give you up to £5 match plays and a 20p bag of crisps every 30 mins.
So yeah its clear to see with these Barcrest slot's anyway, its better to play online. More game time, better payout % and some good bonuses on deposits.
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2010
- Location
- UK
Ive never actually played in a real casino, only a few hands of blackjack once on a cruise ship casino night, there is just no casinos around here really, although we do have seaside arcades its not quite the same, even with the £1 a spin £500 jackpots they have now in seaside arcades 
in my day its was 20p/£6 tokens
in my day its was 20p/£6 tokens 
pmutts
Dormant account
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2011
- Location
- North Texas
I all depends on the casino
For "real land-based" (B & M) casinos, in the USA you will find the best overall playing conditions of anywhere in the world. Whether it's Vegas, Biloxi, Atlantic City, Shreveport, or anywhere else that has casinos the important thing is to know what to look for.
For example, at Harrah's New Orleans, a gigantic casino and a HORRIBLE place to play you will commonly see on a single row of Video Poker machine, for example Double Double Bonus Poker, a couple pay 9/6, maybe a couple more that pay 8/5, and you will see the complete sucker machines at 6/5 right in between those. Blackjack game conditions continue to get tougher and tougher to beat at ALL casinos, however, good game conditions are still available almost everywhere if you have the patience and persistence to find them, however you will not find a good blackjack game at Harrah's New Orleans. For that, drive an hour and a half to Biloxi where you will likely find some of the best Blackjack playing conditions in the world if you know what to look for.
As for slots, since I'm an American and I am generally limited to RTG--IMO you will find actual RTPs that EXCEED those of most RTG sites. Again, you need to know where to look and what to look for.
I live one hour away from what now claims to be the LARGEST CASINO IN THE WORLD. Winstar Casino just over the border (the Red River) to Oklahoma. I would be surprised if there is a single machine of the many thousands in the entire place that returns more than 90%. I suspect this is the case at most all of the OK Indian casinos.
Forget Blackjack in Okla as you must place an ante bet of 50 cents or $1.00 for every single hand. This puts you at a disadvantage of well over 10% unless you are betting $200 to $500 per hand and most games are dealt from continuous shoes.
More than any of that however, as Winbig pointed out--at the B & M, you can cash out and GET OUT! For me this makes ALL the difference. The vast majority of the casinos in the states take good care of their players and are VERY generous with free rooms, meals, and many extra perks--even for relatively modest play. If your action a bit higher, you will NEVER pay for a room or a meal.
I have not posted on CM in a few months. My Online gaming over the past 4 years has without question caused me a great deal of harm. I get no enjoyment from it and almost never win. I have curtailed my play but have not yet eliminated it.
Since I have been so caught up in online gaming over the past 4 plus years, I have not been to Las Vegas once and to other destinations that are closer only a few times. I really wish I had not started back with online play 4 years ago.
If you are not enjoying it, if you are losing more than you should, if you find yourself rarely withdrawing, I strongly suggest you stick with Brick & Mortar casinos or simply stop playing all together.
For "real land-based" (B & M) casinos, in the USA you will find the best overall playing conditions of anywhere in the world. Whether it's Vegas, Biloxi, Atlantic City, Shreveport, or anywhere else that has casinos the important thing is to know what to look for.
For example, at Harrah's New Orleans, a gigantic casino and a HORRIBLE place to play you will commonly see on a single row of Video Poker machine, for example Double Double Bonus Poker, a couple pay 9/6, maybe a couple more that pay 8/5, and you will see the complete sucker machines at 6/5 right in between those. Blackjack game conditions continue to get tougher and tougher to beat at ALL casinos, however, good game conditions are still available almost everywhere if you have the patience and persistence to find them, however you will not find a good blackjack game at Harrah's New Orleans. For that, drive an hour and a half to Biloxi where you will likely find some of the best Blackjack playing conditions in the world if you know what to look for.
As for slots, since I'm an American and I am generally limited to RTG--IMO you will find actual RTPs that EXCEED those of most RTG sites. Again, you need to know where to look and what to look for.
I live one hour away from what now claims to be the LARGEST CASINO IN THE WORLD. Winstar Casino just over the border (the Red River) to Oklahoma. I would be surprised if there is a single machine of the many thousands in the entire place that returns more than 90%. I suspect this is the case at most all of the OK Indian casinos.
Forget Blackjack in Okla as you must place an ante bet of 50 cents or $1.00 for every single hand. This puts you at a disadvantage of well over 10% unless you are betting $200 to $500 per hand and most games are dealt from continuous shoes.
More than any of that however, as Winbig pointed out--at the B & M, you can cash out and GET OUT! For me this makes ALL the difference. The vast majority of the casinos in the states take good care of their players and are VERY generous with free rooms, meals, and many extra perks--even for relatively modest play. If your action a bit higher, you will NEVER pay for a room or a meal.
I have not posted on CM in a few months. My Online gaming over the past 4 years has without question caused me a great deal of harm. I get no enjoyment from it and almost never win. I have curtailed my play but have not yet eliminated it.
Since I have been so caught up in online gaming over the past 4 plus years, I have not been to Las Vegas once and to other destinations that are closer only a few times. I really wish I had not started back with online play 4 years ago.
If you are not enjoying it, if you are losing more than you should, if you find yourself rarely withdrawing, I strongly suggest you stick with Brick & Mortar casinos or simply stop playing all together.
I've never been to a real casino. Once I played few hands of Black Jack in a pub, but that's it. That's why I go for the next best thing, live online games.
Also, here we have slots scattered in every store and gas station. For some reason they seem to hate me or they just like my money. Online slots have been a lot more generous for me.
Also, here we have slots scattered in every store and gas station. For some reason they seem to hate me or they just like my money. Online slots have been a lot more generous for me.
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2013
- Location
- Finland
I've been to Casino Helsinki in Helsinki, Finland a few times and I've enjoyed it. Anything you buy is obviously very expensive but at least the bar was nice. For those who've never been to an actual casino the games can (depends on the place of course) resemble online slots more than the average slots bars, kiosks markets etc. For example in Casino Helsinki there are several IGT games that I've seen online.
The most impressing one I've played was a huge Batman slot that had 4 seats fitted with speakers each having a high resolution screen with 3d effects. There was this huge flatscreen monitor in the middle above the small player screens that played clips from the movie and bonus features. All in all nothing I've played online compares to the experience of playing such a slot. They even had the Spartacus WMS slot as an offline version there and it's more fun than online for sure.
The most impressing one I've played was a huge Batman slot that had 4 seats fitted with speakers each having a high resolution screen with 3d effects. There was this huge flatscreen monitor in the middle above the small player screens that played clips from the movie and bonus features. All in all nothing I've played online compares to the experience of playing such a slot. They even had the Spartacus WMS slot as an offline version there and it's more fun than online for sure.
- Joined
- Jun 19, 2009
- Location
- In my head
There are really crappy little Casinos in my area. You can't drink and there is no food. Awful selection of slots. I like online because I can play in my PJS. I have to say though I was in Vegas a few years ago and had a blast. At the Mirage I made $20 last for a full day lowrolling on slots, got very drunk because in Vegas as long as your playing the drink is free. I had a blast. If they had a Vegas style casino near where I live with the free drink I think it would make the trip worth while otherwise I will just play online.
What I find most disturbing in the B&M casinos is the depressed/zoned out look on some of the faces of the players. Then there are the old biddies that play two or three machines at the same time and when you go anywhere near them to ask them if the machine next to them is open they give you murderous looks and snap no. There is also the risk of being robbed if you win big if somebody follows you out of the casino. Maybe I am just paranoid
What I find most disturbing in the B&M casinos is the depressed/zoned out look on some of the faces of the players. Then there are the old biddies that play two or three machines at the same time and when you go anywhere near them to ask them if the machine next to them is open they give you murderous looks and snap no. There is also the risk of being robbed if you win big if somebody follows you out of the casino. Maybe I am just paranoid
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