Industry News
Will Online Casinos Replace Land Based Casinos?
In an age of digitalization where the world is becoming increasingly dominated by the Internet, it makes sense that the gambling industry would follow suit – but are we certain that online casinos will replace land-based in the near future?
There’s no doubt that the popularity of online gambling has risen by a considerable amount over the last decade. Europe is the world’s leading force surpassing the US by a considerable margin in the online gambling market, but perhaps it would be naive to assume that the age of land-based casinos is over.
So, first things first. If you were to ask any online casino gamer the reason why they choose to gamble online rather than in a nearby casino, we believe 99% of them will claim convenience as their number one motivator. After all, we now live in a world where just about any task can be done on a smartphone in the palm of your hand – from shopping for groceries and managing finances, to getting sports updates and watching the latest series on Netflix – so why should gambling be any different?
With online gambling, players can enjoy themselves without ever having to leave the comfort of their sofa. It is a world without limits where they’re free to play poker in their birthday suit whilst eating a bacon sandwich – and nobody can say anything to stop them. Ah, what bliss! What freedom! And in addition to this, legit online casinos are fiercely competitive and offer a wide variety of welcome bonuses which lure new players in with the tasty bait of no deposit bonuses and the chance to win something for nothing at the click of a button.
Moreover, the fact that online casinos can be accessed at any time and from any location with working internet access means that players have the ability to satisfy their desire to gamble whenever and wherever they wish. They could gamble for 365 days of the year if they wanted to (and if they were rich enough), and nobody is ever going to stop them.
Land-Based Casinos
Now, if you’ve read all of the above, you’re probably wondering why anyone would ever bother visiting a land-based casino ever again? However, if you consider socializing, drinking fancy cocktails and painting the town red with your best buddies to be a big part of the gambling experience, then online casinos just aren’t going to cut the mustard.
Take Las Vegas casinos, for instance, a place that is built to dazzle the senses and take you as far away from the real world as possible so that you can forget life’s troubles and have fun. Though gambling is a huge part of the Las Vegas casino experience, it isn’t everything, and The Entertainment Capital of the World is a prime example of what land-based casinos have to offer that online casinos do not.
If you still don’t believe us, imagine dressing up in your favorite outfit, booking yourself into a luxurious hotel with three of your best friends, then spending the entire night sat on your phone playing online blackjack. It just isn’t the same, is it? Of course, it costs a heck of a lot more to go and gamble in a fancy casino, but you are paying for the entire experience that will give you happy memories that last a lifetime rather than just covering the cost of your bets.
What does the future hold for casino gambling?
For sure, online casinos have become much more popular and the number of people using them will no doubt continue to rise, but we shouldn’t assume that just because something new has come on the scene traditional methods will be replaced. For gambling fans, both online casinos and land-based casinos have their own advantages and disadvantages, and decisions will be made based on the needs of each individual player.
For online casinos, people who enjoy the thrill of making money from the comfort of their home, or people who just want to fill in the time during the day when there is nothing else to do, are much more likely to spend money in online casinos. Convenience and simplicity are key motivators for this type of player and online casinos give them exactly what they need.
For land-based casinos, they will always attract the type of person who sees gambling as the ultimate night out or lavish event. Simulation can be fun, but it’s never as good as the real thing, and this is why land-based casinos will continue to prosper well into the future.
By: John Woods
John is a professional copywriter with seven years of experience creating gripping content for a wide variety of audiences. His work has been published on UC Today, No Jitter, and InGenius. He’s a versatile writer who specializes in the fields of technology, cloud communications, as well as gaming and online casinos. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, watching football, playing guitar, and trying to learn Spanish.
Industry News
SKS365 keeps investing in people: GROW People Management Program took the next level
11 experienced people managers from the SKS365 group’s 4 locations gathered last week in Belgrade for the new GROW People Management Program. From 15 th to 19 th of April, through trainings, discussions, and social connections, people had the opportunity to further grow individually and as a team, while enjoying Belgrade’s city center and rivers.
Created in 2023 with the purpose of building foundation people management skills across the organization, GROW initiative evolved this year by including a new, advanced program for experienced people managers to further consolidate their skills and prepare for future opportunities.
Building and fostering connections, sharing experiences, and enjoying team building experiences – all these activities have been part of the GROWpmp agenda for the 11 people managers coming from Commercial, Product and Development, Finance, and Sportsbook departments of the group’s 4 locations – Malta, Italy, Austria, Serbia.
GROWpmp included a variety of topics that people managers in SKS365 recognized as the key areas for management development. Topics such as influence through communication, team effectiveness, DEI, through to presentation skills and business topics like understanding finance and management reporting, were delivered with the support of external professionals and internal experts, while designed and organized by the SKS365 People & Culture team.
Industry News
Kindred’s Share of Revenue from High-risk Players Shows Slight Increase
Kindred Group plc’s (Kindred) share of revenue from high-risk players showed a slight increase to 3.2% (Q4 2023 3.1%) in the first quarter of 2024. Compared to the first quarter of 2023, the high-risk revenue share decreased marginally. The percentage of detected customers who exhibited improved behaviour after interventions came in at 87.1% (compared to 87.4% in Q4 2023 and 83.0% in Q1 2023). This sustained trajectory in the improvement effect after interventions, observed over an extended period, serves as a testament to the strong dedication and collective efforts throughout the company. It reflects Kindred’s ongoing commitment to fostering positive change within the industry.
“We continue to see our share of revenue from high-risk players fluctuate quarter to quarter, and we are working closely with all teams across the company to support customers towards a more sustainable gambling experience. However, it is encouraging to see that our Journey towards Zero data has steadily decreased since 2020. A similar trend can be seen across the healthier gambling behaviour effect after interventions. This tells us two things: our work is paying off, but we need to continue to push ourselves to propel a sustainable progression,” Alexander Westrell, Director of Communications at Kindred Group, said.
“It was very encouraging to witness the open and transparent discussions at the Sustainable Gambling Conference in London on 20 March, where those with lived experience shared their important stories. Also, it is evident that technology is moving forward, and will provide greater opportunities to detect and intervene in the future. We hope to see more regulators engage with the industry and with experts to secure a more sustainable industry for everyone,” Alexander Westrell added.
Industry News
PENN Entertainment Names Aaron LaBerge as Chief Technology Officer
PENN Entertainment announced that Aaron LaBerge has been named Chief Technology Officer (CTO) effective July 1, 2024, subject to customary regulatory approvals. Mr. LaBerge will report directly to PENN CEO & President Jay Snowden.
In his new role, Mr. LaBerge will be responsible for driving the technology strategy and execution for PENN, while leading the multinational team of technologists and serving as the key business leader for the company’s Interactive division.
Mr. LaBerge spent more than 20 years at The Walt Disney Company, in two stints separated by five and a half years as a technology entrepreneur. He was most recently President & Chief Technology Officer for Disney Entertainment and ESPN where he was responsible for driving all technology and product development in support of The Walt Disney Company’s two media divisions. In that role, he helped set the vision and strategic leadership for how Disney uses technology to enable storytelling and innovation, drive its business, and create unparalleled consumer experiences with entertainment and sports content.
“We are thrilled to have someone of Aaron’s caliber join our PENN executive team. Having overseen a global organization of thousands of engineers, product developers, designers, technologists, and data scientists that created some of the largest scale and most successful media properties in the world, there is no better candidate to lead our Technology and Interactive division into its future. I know Aaron is looking forward to working with Todd George, our head of operations, and our entire Executive Team to continue growing our position as a leader in online gaming, sports betting, and digital sports media,” Mr. Snowden said.
“I’m excited to join another talented team at PENN Interactive and lead our technology strategy. PENN Entertainment is at the forefront of the fast-changing gaming and sports media industry. I plan to use my experience from Disney and ESPN to help make ESPN BET an essential piece of the sports fan experience. Together, we’ll push the limits and redefine how fans interact with sports and gaming,” Mr. LaBerge said.
Prior to his most recent role at the Walt Disney Company, Mr. LaBerge was Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at ESPN from 2015 to 2018. At ESPN he played an instrumental role in the growth of ESPN’s consumer-facing digital media products and services – leading many of ESPN’s most ambitious and challenging projects and helping establish ESPN’s position as the leader in digital sports and innovative sports technology development. He was a key architect in the design, development, and engineering of ESPN’s state-of-the-art facilities in Bristol, CT; Los Angeles, CA; Charlotte, NC; and Austin, TX, as well as data centers and infrastructure that connect those facilities around the world, as well as the technology design and development to support the launch of the multi-platform SEC Network.
Between 2007 and 2012, LaBerge was co-founder and CEO of Fanzter, Inc. – a venture-funded consumer software and digital product development company. At Fanzter, he directed all day-to-day operations and led the development and launch of a variety of consumer-focused internet and mobile products, ground-breaking social and commerce technologies and more.
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