Lately, there have been waves of online casinos popping up all over the internet. Thanks to the pandemic and its subsequent lockdowns, fans of land-based casinos soon realised that they could enjoy most of their gambling fun at home from a desktop computer or their smartphone.
Since then, we have seen online casinos have a strong influence — and be influenced by — many other industries. This is very clearly the case when it comes to the sports industry.
Online sports books have become more common
Online casinos had to deal with their own period of turbulence, legally speaking. Though they are legal in many parts of the world now, they had to fight their fair share of long legal battles. Being the spearheading industry that it is, online casinos helped pave the way for the sports world to engage in their own gambling needs.
Sportsbooks have always been around, but it was only during the past several years that they began gaining real traction among the general public. Some sportsbooks have become large enough to compete with major online casinos, like those mentioned on Online Slot. These top casinos each provide a massive library of games that attract more and more new players all the time.
As the industry soon realised, there has always been an untapped market for sports betting. Now that many sports betting markets have launched, online casino players are branching out and trying sports betting as well. In fact, many of them were waiting for a moment like this.
Sports fans became online casino fans, and vice versa
There is a good deal of overlap between online casino enthusiasts and major sports fans waiting to make their next wager. Not every person who bets on the Super Bowl is a frequent visitor of casinos, but since both worlds involve betting, it’s easy to see how one sector can pull in people from the other.
Part of this has to do with the fact that mobile gambling has exploded in recent years, for both sports and casino games. As fans of online casinos looked for games beyond blackjack, roulette or slots, they ended up realising that they can also bet on football, basketball and many other sports.
Conversely, sports betting fans who were initially drawn to online sportsbooks used them as a gateway to discover online casinos that specialised in their own domains. Though the overlap has always existed to a certain extent, it has definitely been exacerbated in recent years.
Changes to advertisements, marketing research and sponsorships
Sportsbook organisations have learned a lot from how online casinos managed themselves, and one of the clearest ways this is the case is through their advertising and marketing campaigns. The way sportsbooks use ads is very similar to online casinos.
Sportsbooks are now focusing on deals, welcome bonuses, competitive odds and other factors that will help make them stand out from the rest of the crowd. Many of them are also placing a big focus on payment methods, with cryptocurrency being a solution to many grievances about security or privacy.
For many fans of online casinos, the payment methods are one of the most important parts of the experience as they determine the fees and the payout speed. This is an important feature for both casino and sportsbook fans, and the influence in both spheres is clear.
The people behind sportsbooks or other sites related to online sports betting are also revitalising their marketing research to keep up with both the technology of the modern day and the trends. More sites and apps are developing positive user reviews, a robust social media presence and beginning to use celebrity and influencer sponsors to help with mainstream visibility.
Many of these marketing tactics come straight from the world of online casinos. In fact, it’s not much of a surprise to see how the commonalities here outweigh the differences.
A closer look at ethical concerns
One of the main reasons that sports betting took as long as it did to become mainstream was due to valid concerns about the legal and ethical nature of these sites. Though many people are fine with the existence of gambling, others thought that introducing it to the world of sports, especially via the internet, would be too big a risk to handle.
The world of online sports betting has taken these concerns as seriously as they can, resulting in many of the same practices that have been in the online casino world for years.
For one thing, sportsbooks must be properly licensed and regulated if they want to be allowed into the public markets and exist online, just like online casinos. This provides a huge level of certification and trust in the customers that the companies they are dealing with are professional and will follow the law.
Many sportsbooks are also incorporating the mechanics and functions of responsible gambling that online casinos have implemented for years. This includes time out periods and self-exclusion periods for people who fear they are developing a problem. They also offer resources to get help if needed, such as hotlines for gambling support services.
One of the major concerns people have about online gambling in general is the potential exposure of children to these sites. In response, many online casinos and sports books require a form of ID to be verified. This helps make sure the person trying to register is not only a real human being as opposed to a bot but that they are also of age and legally allowed to place online wagers.
Thanks to online casinos, online sportsbooks have become more advanced and safer for bettors everywhere. Online bookmakers owe a lot to the online casino industry. In fact, for many operators these days, they are one and the same.
