How online casinos are becoming more environmentally sustainable
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The ongoing climate and sustainability crisis affecting our planet has been headline news for many years. Industries across all sectors of the global economy are being challenged to do more to increase sustainability and reduce their impact on the environment.
While much of the attention has obviously been on the major fossil fuels companies, other, less obvious, sectors have been joining the fight to preserve our environment. One of the most surprising of these industries is the online casino sector.
The development of online casinos has been one of the major changes in the gambling industry over the last 20 years and most people are familiar with this form of leisure activity. What you may not be aware of is the fact that the modern online casino industry is one of the most environmentally friendly areas of the economy.
Online casino energy consumption
While the standard online casino may not appear to be a major source of environmental harm, like any other sector of the economy, they have an impact on the world.
One of the most obvious areas of concern is the use of servers and other technology that rely on significant levels of energy to function.
Many online casino operators are opting to switch to renewable energy sources to power their servers and gaming technology - most notably, solar and wind energy - reducing the impact of these operations on the environment.
Operating in a highly competitive industry, online casinos are acutely aware of the widespread social concern about sustainability, which has motivated many of them to lead by example and seek certification as ‘green gaming’ providers, enabling them to display Green Gaming logos.
Hardware and software efficiency
As well as using renewable energy sources to power their operations, online casinos are also increasingly aiming to reduce environmental harms by adopting more efficient software and hardware systems and through an increasing focus on how these systems interact.
Ever more efficient programmes and hardware ensure that even energy-intensive forms of online casino play, such as live casino gaming, have a minimal impact on the environment and are sustainable.
The online casino sector has an obvious advantage over the traditional land-based casino industry, which consumes a significant level of resources, both in operation and construction.
But the online sector is not resting on its laurels and, by maximising the efficiency of its systems, is making a contribution to both sustainability and the protection of the environment.
Cloud-based technology
Another important contribution to sustainability that online casinos are able to make is to switch their operations to the cloud.
By using cloud-based technology, casinos are able to significantly cut down on storage and data processing demands, which in turn, reduces the level of energy required to operate the technology associated with the modern online casino.
Digital documentation
Paper usage has long been a significant contributor to the climate crisis and a major challenge to sustainability.
Like many businesses, online casinos have shifted much of their operations to digital-based forms. This includes much of their in-house documentation, along with the documents that they ask customers to provide for verification purposes.
Regulatory bodies are increasingly demanding more secure verification processes from online casinos and this usually means that customers must provide documentation to prove their identity.
By accepting e-forms rather than physical documents, online casinos can make a contribution towards reducing paper usage and the energy associated with paper production and printer operation.
Payment options
Another interesting way that casinos are contributing to sustainability is by offering rewards for customers who choose to make payments using eco-friendly payment options, such as e-wallets.
In some cases, bonuses, free spins and other promotions are available for those who opt to use payment methods that are more sustainable or payment providers who promote sustainability.
At the same time, there is a challenge for online casinos in the form of cryptocurrency. This form of payment is increasingly popular but the cryptocurrency industry has been heavily criticised for the amount of energy it consumes. Online casinos will have to work hard to get the right balance between customer convenience and sustainability in the coming years.
Conclusion
Working towards a more sustainable society concerns all of us, as well as businesses across all sectors.
As a relatively modern economic sector, online casinos are acutely aware of the importance of sustainability and it is encouraging to see so many of them take positive steps to help preserve our planet and safeguard our futures through innovation and self-regulation.
