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Specialist vs Sportsbook Casinos |
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Despite the worst fears of some of
those in the industry, the introduction of the UK Gambling Commission and the
creation of a highly regulated online gambling market in the UK has not, in
fact, significantly impacted on either player numbers or revenues.
In
particular, it was thought that the introduction of a 15% point of consumption
tax, which requires online gaming operators, wherever in the world theyre
based, to pay what is known as remote gaming duty (RGD) on every wager, would
lead to international operators leaving the UK, choosing to operate instead in
less regulated grey jurisdictions.
However, this has not
been the case, and the online casino and sports betting markets continue to
grow. In fact, the 2016 Annual Report & Financial Statements from the UK
Gambling Commission showed that
online gambling in Britain generated £3.48 billion in
2015 and is now the biggest sector in the UK gambling market.
This
upwards trend has therefore led to significant expansion not just in the number
of online gaming operators who offer services to UK punters, but also in the
type of services they provide.
Perhaps the most significant of these has
been the rise of the multi-channel gaming operator i.e., brands that offer a
variety of gaming services, such as an online casino and online sports book,
under the same banner. Some major brands do continue to specialise solely in
ether online casinos or sports betting, and there are new names coming online
in both sectors all the time, but the omni-channel approach of a combined
casino/sportsbetting brand is one that more and more operators are adopting.
This expansion is good new for punters and players, as it means they
have growing and greater gaming choice, and can increasingly choose between
specialist casino sites, and those that offer casino games combined with sports
betting. Gaming sites such as Playright.co.uk feature casinos of both
types with each category offering some clear advantages and
disadvantages.
The advantages of casinos on sportsbooks Online
sports books that also have a selection of casino games do have several
advantages for punters, not least of which is the convenience of only being
required to manage one account, username, log in, etc. Most multi-channel sites
enable you to move easily between sports and casino, and to use the same funds
for both playing casino games and punting. This not only saves time, but also
enables you to keep a better check on your bankroll and finances, as you're not
having to keep track of separate gaming accounts..
The disadvantages
of casinos on sportbooks Generally speaking, although the shift to HTML5
and web-based games has meant that the number of online slots and other casino
games that online sports books offer its players has grown, it is usually the
case that sports betting remains the primary focus. This will mean that the
selection of games will have less variety and offer less choice than a
specialist casino site. For those who are punters first, and play casino games
on the side rather than this being their main gaming activity, this isn't
necessarily an issue, but for the dedicated slots or blackjack player, some
will find the more limited ranges of games doesnt give them sufficient
variety or choice. |
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The advantages of specialist
online casinos The quality and range of online casino games in general,
and slots in particular, is expanding rapidly. There is now
far
greater choice when it comes to gameplay and themes than ever before, and
so for the dedicated casino games player, this is ultimately the biggest
advantage to playing at a specialist online casino.
In addition, online
casinos today increasingly are able to offer the games of several leading
international developers all at the one site, so this means you can play
Microgaming slots
alongside games by NetEnt, for instance, further expanding your choice and
options. At most sports book casino sites, the number of slots and other games
will be more limited, and this is compounded by the fact that they often only
offer games by a single developer.
The same is true of mobile casino
games, where specialist sites will usually have a far greater offering in their
mobile casinos than you will find when you play on a handheld device via a
sports betting app.
The disadvantages of specialist casinos If
you play at an online casino that doesnt have a sports betting platform,
there is the disadvantage of having to maintain a separate account for your
sports betting, and the inconvenience of having to switch constantly between
platforms. This makes it harder to keep a close eye on both your bets and your
bankroll, as well as making it more difficult to take advantage of in-play
betting and Cash Out features if youre not always logged in to your
account or on the site.
Playing at a specialist online casino site that
doesn't offer sports betting can also mean that you miss out on a lot of the
other special features that online sports books are able to offer punters
today. For instance, many sports betting sites now offer live streaming of
racing and other sporting events in real time to your PC, smartphone or tablet,
and so even if youre not a huge sports punter, the ability to watch live
sports is a great feature that you can take advantage of and one which comes as
part of the package with many sports book accounts.
Bottom
Line In the end, the way in which you spend the majority of your time
gaming online will determine whether a combined sports book/casino or a
specialist online casino account will offer you the most. If your gaming
priorities are having a first goalscorer bet plus a fivefold acca on the latest
round of Premier League fixtures, and you just like to dabble with slots and
online casino games, then youll probably find that the gaming offered by
most sports betting sites is sufficient, while the added convenience of just
having one account will also mean that a sports book with its own casino is the
right choice for you.
On the other hand, if you're a dedicated slots
and casino game player who likes to play the latest release games alongside old
favourites by different producers, then a specialist casino site is more likely
to be able to give you what you want. So if slots are your main priority and
you only have a punt on racing and football occasionally, then you should
probably consider playing at separate sites and having separate accounts for
each. |
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