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Engage in sports betting or gambling responsibly, acknowledging that success isn't guaranteed, and there's a risk of losing some or all invested funds
Unfortunately, for many players, Sin City is a faraway destination. Thankfully, online slots help bridge the gap between great gaming and having to board a flight.
With many online slots sites now offering hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of games to play, you may wonder if Vegas is still worth traveling to. So, let’s delve right into the main differences between the slot games in Vegas and those you can find on your preferred screen.
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Gambling Experience
One of the most significant differences between online slots and those offered in Vegas is the gambling experience. While online casinos provide an accessible and straightforward solution, they lack the atmosphere of a casino, mainly because most players play while sitting at home.
Gambling in Sin City, however, is something entirely removed from sitting on your couch or at your desk. It offers the sights, sounds, and smells of the best casino floors. From the flashing lights to the sounds announcing a massive win, Vegas casinos transport you to an exciting place where winning big is possible no matter who you are.
And while online casino games have tried to mimic this experience by offering stunning graphics and catchy tunes, they cannot live up to the real deal.
Variety of Games
As you can imagine, being limited by the walls of a brick-and-mortar casino also means a casino is limited to how many slot machines it can offer. While Vegas casinos ensure they can accommodate an insane number, they still fall far short of online slots.
It is estimated that Vegas currently holds almost 200,000 slot machines. This staggering number may seem more than any online casino could hope to have. However, while there are enough slots to go around, many of these machines offer the same game—meaning there are significantly fewer options.
However, online slots offer massive game libraries comprising a much larger variety of games. This means that, while you may only find a few hundred slots on a website, they are a few hundred unique games. These games are offered by some of the best game developers in the business, such as PariPlay and NetEnt.
RTP (Return to Player) Rate
The RTP (or return to player) rate of a slot machine is how much turnover of a machine is paid back to the player versus the house edge, which is the amount the casino keeps. As a standard, physical slot machines usually have a lower RTP than online slots.
This lower RTP is because physical slots are located in casinos with overhead costs that online casinos don’t have. These expenses include property development, electricity, lights and water, staff, equipment, security, etc.
Because these expenses need to be covered using the income from the slots (among other types of gambling), Vegas slots usually have varying RTP rates depending on the machine you play. Penny slots average 88.3% RTP. Dollar slots, however, offer around 92.3% RTP. In comparison, multi-denomination slots boast 93.61% RTP.
By comparison, online slots usually offer an RTP rate between 94% and 98%. This makes online slots more profitable to play than the best RTP slots offered in Sin City.
Accessibility
As mentioned above, the idea of gambling in Sin City is something many players around the world dream of. However, the reality of traveling there is something few are willing or able to do. At least, not unless it may include a weekend out with the boys.
Because of this logistical challenge, Vegas slots are not easily accessible to most players. Inversely, online slots are the exact opposite. They are available to any player at any time, regardless of location. Well, as long as it is legal to play from where they are.
Moreover, as people adapt to more innovative technology and move away from bulky PCs and laptops to smaller devices, more online slot sites are adapting into mobile responsive casinos. Many are even launching dedicated mobile apps.
These offerings make it easy to play no matter where you may find yourself.
Gambling Responsibility
Another significant difference between Vegas and online gambling is ensuring you can play responsibly. That said, all Vegas casinos and online casino sites take responsible gambling seriously and will help you should you request it.
The difference then is the ability to get away with irresponsible gambling. In Sin City, this is much harder to do for an extended period. After all, there are only so many hours that you can physically manage to sit in front of a physical slot machine before getting tired (or running out of money if you’re betting more than you’re winning).
Should this happen, you’ll need to stretch your legs, get some sleep, or leave to go and secure more funds at the ATM or elsewhere. This helps you break away from gambling for a bit and may make you realize that you maybe shouldn’t return to your slot.
Online, however, stepping away is much more difficult. Depending on the device you’re playing on, you can easily take the casino with you regardless of where you have to go. Theoretically, you don’t have to stop playing until you fall asleep.
Worse, online casinos allow you to deposit funds without physically moving to get more money. This means that you could bet more than you can easily afford. Thankfully, many online sites limit what you can deposit within 24 hours.
Promotions and Bonuses
The final significant difference between Vegas and online slots is the promotions and bonuses offered by the host casino.
In Vegas, many casinos offer great reward and loyalty programs that provide regular players with free spins, free play, or complimentary drinks. Casinos disperse these rewards to players via exclusive draws and promotions. However, they require players to register as regular players and don’t often reward players just passing through.
Alternatively, online casinos offer great rewards, bonuses, and promotions to any new player. These include free spins, free play, and many other promotions, such as deposit bonuses. These bonuses generally reoccur and are dealt out periodically and continuously as long as you’re a member.
Conclusion
While Sin City does hold massive appeal to many gamblers worldwide, online casinos can make you think twice before booking a plane ticket. This hesitation is because online casinos now offer great features that easily compare to the best casinos in Vegas.
However, there is still no replacement for the feel of being in Vegas, where you can immerse yourself in the anticipatory atmosphere offered by the most lavish casinos in the world.
