US casinos are experiencing a massive surge in popularity. As noted by Al Jazeera, huge inflation has not prevented consumers spending more and more in casinos, with a record $5.3 billion being profited by US institutions from March through May. With contracting wages, it’s not necessarily a splurge due to consumers having more spare cash lying around. Instead, there’s something else beneath the surface that’s pushing popularity, and it starts with something simple – accessibility.
Expanding facilities
One reason behind the increase in gambling revenue is the greater number of options available to gamers – both in public and on the internet. Indeed, as the AP News highlights, the opening of new casinos on reservations, and on digital sites, alongside existing firms, is providing a lot more quality and variety for gamblers. A key factor in this is the lack of ‘free bets’ – many of which are wrapped up in complicated withdrawal terms – and the move back towards the real money casino. This has enabled casino-goers to enjoy them for what they were initially meant to be – a form of entertainment, a light way to exchange some money for social fun and, potentially, big winnings, as opposed to the predatory gambling offered by some unregulated online casinos.
Technological advancement
Alongside the real money casino is the cryptocurrency casino. As CNBC highlights, crypto casinos were initially used to potentially circumvent regulation; however, with their legitimization in the mainstream gambling scene, and with larger operators now taking crypto wagers, this has provided a real cutting-edge into the newest technological trends. Paired with the increasing number of channels on Twitch engaging in crypto betting alongside gaming, there’s a clear market at play. Promoting safe gambling in this manner, with cryptocurrencies, which add their own variable edge to potential gains, is perfectly oriented with modern technological trends.
A safer gambling environment
In another profile of today’s gambling industry, CNBC highlighted efforts being led by casino industry bodies, in tandem with the regulators, to shut down unregulated casino operations. Alongside the monetary damage these companies cause, with federal and state taxes going uncollected, they also escape any sort of regulatory control and that can be dangerous for consumers. Protections built to help with problem gambling and prevent gamblers from overspending are not present in non-regulated casinos, online and in-person, and they also don’t offer any protection on deposits and withdrawals. Often able to promote gambling with advertising that is misleading, offering gains dishonestly, they can cause serious harm and irretrievable financial loss to gamblers. By tackling this, the industry helps to preserve the long-term health of their gambling operations and also protect consumers from predatory practices.
The gambling industry in the US is in better health than ever. Casinos are leading this charge; better regulation, better variety of games, and a technologically-minded advancement when creating new services is proving that to be true. With stronger action taken against rogue operations, there’s reason to be optimistic.