Gambling as a pastime activity has been around for centuries, as even more primitive civilizations had their own version of gambling. Thanks to the playing cards the rules and gambling content became more standardized. Mechanical inventions like slots and roulette were added later on, but the first gambling establishments mainly offered card games entertainment. Furthermore, western culture and innovations like the internet led to the rise of online casino sites that continue to grow to this day. These cultural forces continue to influence gambling, and how we perceive it as a society. It might not be that apparent at the first glance, but countries that align with western philosophy gamble more.
Currently, whenever someone thinks about casinos the first thing that comes to mind is Las Vegas. Nevada clearly played a crucial role in popularizing this form of entertainment and in redefining it. Most of the online real money casinos are actually trying to capture that experience, and design their games around gambling establishments from Las Vegas. So, let’s examine in detail how western culture changed the casino industry and gambling overall.
Advertising of Casino Entertainment
One thing that western culture perfected is marketing or advertising. A perfect example is Apple which really focused on building a community around its product. In other words, it’s more than just a financial transaction and getting the item you wanted, it’s about this sense of belonging and an entirely new lifestyle. We see this in other commercials all the time. Coca-Cola is more than a sugary drink, the commercials are about happiness, family, adventure, and party that never stops.
The casino industry was also affected. These establishments are so much more than simple gambling joints. They are massive resorts with 5-star accommodation. In other words, it’s about a luxurious lifestyle, the embodiment of success, and sending a message that you can afford heavy losses. Casinos focus on providing exceptional ambience, they host different bands for live music, hire skilled chefs and offer exquisite delicacies. Their goal is for the guests to have a good time, and that desire is reflected in their exterior and interior design.
This is important for the casinos, as gambling is very profitable, and it generates profit through losses of customers. As a result, most of the guests will lose, which doesn’t feel good. Having a place that makes them feel amazing and that allows them to have a time of their life is definitely softening that blow.
Potential Solution
Western culture is typically associated with capitalism and wealth, and the amount of influence and power one has is proportional to the amount of money one has. Although the rate of poverty in the world has been significantly reduced thanks to a capitalist economy, the massive wage gap still exists. In other words, the world is filled with those who are struggling to make ends meet, and can’t afford unforeseen massive expenses. So, the only way to turn this situation around is either to win lots of money on gambling or to sue someone and win.
This really has an effect on people and they do everything they can to improve their odds while gambling. Some prefer sports betting, others prefer games like poker and blackjack, but most gamblers love to play the lottery and slots. It’s important to note that just because a game has a potential high reward that doesn’t make it the most profitable choice. So, everyone thinks carefully about this, especially since real money is at stake.
More Casino Players
Thanks to international trade, and online marketing there are lots of new career options. Since western culture put an emphasis on these things, the world slowly adopted the middle-men approach to trade and money transactions and this has helped people with securing better financial status. The reason why casinos managed to stay relevant is that they became more affordable to more people. This was only made possible through an increase in disposable income. In places like Canada, Australia, Singapore, and Ireland the gambling activity is really high. These are also the places with amazing living standards which indicates their citizens have high salaries.
Additionally, the development of the internet and smartphones have also led to an increase in online activity. These were all thanks to western innovations, and they led to a higher connection between people all over the world. They have also expanded the market and demand for digital content, and online casinos managed to capitalize on that situation.
Higher Security Standards
Casinos were initially linked to criminal activity and mobsters, and some still use casinos to help them launder money. However, western policy and the fight against organized crime made casinos safer, both online and offline. There was a lot of dispute and controversy regarding the whole information-sharing requirements and due diligence that is necessary for clearing payments, but those measures worked. Casinos now have to comply with all sorts of regulations, and they need multiple licenses in order to offer games and sports betting entertainment.
This means that these institutions are held accountable by the government, and in the event of a dispute, people can count on regulators to step in. The same goes for payments technology. In their need to streamline trading and financial transactions, they created more efficient payment systems. Lots of non-bank institutions offer banking as a service or software that allows users to send and receive the money within hours. This has obviously improved user experience in online casinos.
Vocal Opposition
Western values also aim to give freedom to people and allow them to express their dissatisfaction or protest against things they don’t like. Gambling has always been a controversial topic, and in the past, many people have suffered from gambling addiction. Thanks to concerned groups of people who are strongly against this activity, casinos have made changes to make gambling safer.
Today almost every operator will issue warnings and notifications on the importance of responsible gambling. They also have means of contacting individuals and following up with them if they are constantly active on gambling websites. People can also request to be excluded from casinos, in which case operators have to deny them access to their content. The advertisement of gambling was strongly reduced, and marketing to problem gamblers can end up in a lawsuit.
In other words, those who were against gambling made it better for everyone who enjoys it. The activity is safer, many users are no longer ashamed of admitting they have a problem, and the operators are more accountable.
Conclusion
One of the main capitalist philosophies is that competition breeds excellence. Thanks to the advent of online casinos, the market became highly competitive. As a result, everyone tries their best to provide superior content. We have some truly innovative slot games, we have incredibly generous user bonuses and incentives, and we can access all of it through our mobile phones. The same philosophy is still active and casinos continue to improve and innovate.
We have more games that resemble old-school arcades which younger audiences really enjoy. We also have poker tournaments and a whole set of new sports betting options. Finally, we are all eagerly waiting to see what kind of changes VR tech will bring into this world, or how online gambling sites will leverage NFTs. So, the future is filled with innovations and new entertaining content.
