Why do some people still prefer land-based gambling as opposed to online gambling?
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The emergence and penetration of the internet has been so intense and dense at the same time, that it is like we are dealing with the online world since forever. But the truth is that it is only less than a two-decade period that we have been so immersed in the web and the virtual environment. And if this sounds like a lot of time for some younger people, for middle-aged individuals it is only a small part of their entire lives.
While the internet has changed pretty much everything in our daily routines and our daily lives, there are still some people who resist transforming their activities or adjusting them to the new situation. Gambling, including sports betting, is one such thing that some people -till today -prefer to do physically and on-site.
And despite the insanely growing number of vedonlyöntisivustot and online bookmakers making gambling and betting more accessible than ever to the vast majority of people, there is still a non-negligible -or even better, noticeable - share of gamblers and bettors who avoid the internet and retain their old habits of visiting a brick-and-mortar bookie or casino establishment for their betting choices.
Let’s see some of the reasons that make these people stick to on-site gambling.
The conservatism of the older generation
The famous saying that “if people are not liberal when they are young, they have no heart and if people are not conservative when they are old, they have no brain” may well apply in this case.
As people grow, they find it more and more difficult to adapt to changes and developments and to embrace anything that radically transforms what they already know.
For older gamblers, the internet is a drastic and radical change that has threatened their ‘ritual’-like activity of gambling on-site. If they are used to betting on sports by visiting a physical, brick-and-mortar bookie, then they will encounter an inner resistance in taking the online-road, despite the attractive incentives, bonuses and promotions offered by online bookmakers to get their attention.
Opposite to younger people, who are willing to try anything new and they are ready to adopt innovations, older generations tend to retain their old habits and disregard anything that disrupts these habits.
Plus it is also the risk perception that is persistent in the minds of older gamblers, when the online environment is involved. Most older people have trouble trusting the internet for transactions when it comes to money.
The human interaction
Many of those who insist on being indifferent to technological developments, feel that such developments are growing at the expense of human interaction.
For many gamblers the face-to-face communication and the social interaction taking place in a real, physical environment, are highly important factors to consider when gambling. For them, gambling is more a recreational and fun activity and as such it needs to remain within the boundaries of the social world.
In sports betting for example, many people like the small talks they have with other punters in the bookmakers’ premises, value the exchange of views and opinions over a specific football match, let's say, and enjoy the social interaction they have with the service providers.
For some, even the disagreement with other bettors and sports’ fans can be constructive and entertaining and since they feel that these things are actually lost in the virtual world, they tend to avoid online gambling.
Perceived lack of control
Some gamblers feel that by betting through a website they are not dealing with people, but with a faceless, impersonal and purely calculative machine. That is, they do not feel that they have someone to blame if something goes wrong.
These people need someone in charge to turn to if they need something or when something goes wrong. Not having someone right in front of them, feels like they are actually losing control.
There are people who generally feel ‘awkward’ when they deal with technology and when they don’t get to have a clear, one-to-one relationship with the service provider. The fact that online gambling can be so distanced, makes gamblers feel uncomfortable and incapable of controlling their betting game.
All these three factors are actually the main reasons why some people continue to resist online gambling and bypass the internet as a sales and distribution channel. Some people will certainly forgo the conveniences and advantages of online gambling and will stress all the limitations or shortcomings (at least in their minds) of the internet in justifying their resistance to go with the flow!
