After almost two years of closures and restrictions, real world casinos are back to something very close to normal, with table games reopened and capacity limits back where they were in 2019.
However, appetite for the online versions shows no sign of diminishing. Indeed, the online casino market is as crowded and competitive as ever, with different providers offering all sorts of promos and bonuses to get your business.
Yet what looks like free money can be nothing more than fool’s gold. The bonuses typically apply to only one or maybe a handful of slots games. It’s easy to be seduced into spending all your time spinning the reels trying to cash out your diminishing pile of bonus money in the face of outrageous wagering requirements, and that’s when you start throwing good money after bad. The smarter money is on the live games. Here’s why.
Real people from all over the world
It’s important to remember why you’re visiting the casino. Unless you’re some sort of professional gambler, the main objective isn’t financial gain. It’s for fun and entertainment, to have a good time. An online casino can’t capture the feeling and experience of sitting at a gaming table in a real one – or can it? The croupiers managing the live casino tables might come from Scandinavia or Southend, and all points in between. Many platforms also offer games run in different languages too, so cyberspace really could be anywhere in the world.
A wider choice of games
Sure, there are hundreds of slot games out there, but the overall gameplay gets a little repetitive with time. Table games offer you the chance to try something completely different, whether it’s cards, dice or even adaptations of TV shows like Deal or No Deal. You can also experiment with variations on the casino classics. Games like Speed baccarat and lightning roulette add new dimensions to the gameplay – as well as the chance to win bigger.
Protecting your bankroll
Here’s another downside to playing slot games for too long – if you have a lean spell, you can burn through your bankroll in no time, as each spin of the reels takes only a few seconds. Those who have been around casinos longest know that the key to minimizing losses, and even occasionally cheating the odds and ending a night with more money than when you started is to reduce the number of overall wagers. Even with roulette, an automated online game gets through three of four spins a minute, which is another reason to favour the live table and its human host spinning a real physical wheel.
Enjoy the magic
Slot games have their place, and if a casino is offering you bonus money to play them, there’s no reason not to do so. But remember, even when you factor in the bonuses and promos, there’s only ever one winner in the end. You need a bit of magic to cheat fate, and in a casino, the magic happens at the live gaming tables.
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Don’t be seduced by casino giveaways – the smart money is on live games