Jackpot247 comments on potential impact of online gaming on casinos
13 Dec 2013
Casino companies have begun to realize the massive impact the rise of online gambling could eventually have on the business of land-based casinos, with some of the largest businesses in the U.S. actually cautioning investors about the potential for online casinos to actually overtake traditional, physically attended establishments. Caesars Entertainment, which owns four of Atlantic City’s 12 casinos, is one of the businesses realizing how changes in the industry could affect the way they make their money.
They said: "Caesars will, and other online providers do, offer online gaming options that compete with our live poker offerings in Nevada and New Jersey. Expansion of online gaming in Nevada, the commencement and expansion of online gaming in New Jersey and the introduction of online gaming in other jurisdictions may further compete with our operations.”
Steve Norton, a Casino consultant and former vice president of Resorts Casino Hotel, said: "Online gaming should improve the bottom line profits of Atlantic City casinos, but may also reduce the need to visit a live casino,” believing that the rise of online gambling could help, rather than hurt, the overall condition of the gambling industry.
Jackpot247, which offers various online games such as live video poker and other arcade games in the U.K., has responded to these warnings from companies and specialists in the U.S. A spokesperson for the company said:
“There’s no denying the massive impact that online gambling has had on the industry as a whole and, with the U.S. only just dipping their toes into this world, companies are still trying to figure out where to put their energies now and going into the future. There’s no evidence to suggest that these fears will actually diminish the success of land-based casinos, and right now the world of online gambling is growing and changing every day.”