A Buffet of Gaming Choices: Las Vegas, Local Casinos and Online – Past, Present and Future

Having just come back from several days in Las Vegas, I am still having a difficult time wiping the smile off my face.  However, there is just one tiny problem: Las Vegas is over 1,700 miles away. It’s not like it is easy to go there for many reasons, including time off from work and travel costs. Fortunately, I am able to take several trips a year out west, but those times are spread out throughout the year. What is player to do when the desire to gamble hits?

Local options for me are quite limited. My state has a finite number of licenses for casinos, and the few that we have were originally all riverboat casinos that were required to actually sail. There was an admission charge at first, believe it or not. Go on a Saturday night and you would expect to pay $20 just for the opportunity to gamble! Fortunately, that is no longer the case. But … to get to the closest casino, I have to go over 90 miles. The gambling selections at that casino are, unfortunately, quite limited. Some slot machines, a few craps pits, a little blackjack, Caribbean Poker, Let It Ride and a small poker room is about all it has to offer.

The convenient option, of course, is online gambling. Online gambling, and poker in particular, flourished during the big poker boom that began around 2003. New online rooms popped up seemingly week after week. I remember that at one time I had over 30 poker room icons on my computer. Life was good! Unfortunately, the U.S. government did not see it the same way. The passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 began to cut into online play, and that fateful day we call “Black Friday” in April 2011 halted online gaming for many people. For some time, options were on the decline. However, the times are thankfully changing. More U.S. sites are becoming legal, being led by forward thinking political leaders in New Jersey and Nevada. Lobbying efforts across the United States are going strong. A country that has prided itself on freedom needs to loosen the shackles placed upon online gambling.

I find it interesting that my gambling choices have changed over the years. I have always like dabbling in slots for fun and entertainment, and used to frequent the roulette tables and the craps pits. Once the poker boom of the mid-2000’s hit, though, I was hooked. Although I play mostly Hold ‘Em, I have a special affinity for Omaha and O-8.I still enjoy playing slots, and have developed a liking for video poker. Being able to “mash buttons” in video poker is just a special treat in itself. Online poker and other online options are great if you are like me and like to do your gaming from the convenience of your own home. A laptop computer on my bed is all I need to play poker against players from all over the world.

Where do I see gambling heading in the next ten years? Going on the assumption that the economy in the United States will continue to improve and seeing the direction that individual states are going regarding online poker and other forms of gambling, I believe that gambling options will flourish, both in brick and mortar venues and in online formats. More states, desperate to balance budgets, will see the financial opportunity that online gambling brings.

The future looks bright, which is quite a change from the dark days after Black Friday. Best o’ luck as you enjoy your gaming!