Comparison: Online Sportsbooks and Online Casinos

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The world of online gambling is vast and diverse, to say the least. Moreover, players have different personal definitions of gambling and what activities they consider gambling. Typically the main divide is between sports betting and casino games and that point of view is also reflected in different legal systems. To clarify, there are countries where sports betting is legal and where casino games are illegal.

Moreover, not even all sports betting options are available, a good example is Canada where single event bets were made legal quite recently. Here we will take a more detailed look at these differences in an attempt to answer why people tend to be divided on this issue.

Different Experience

The most obvious difference is in how we experience each of these hobbies. Casino games tend to be more engaging and have a more hands-on approach. Sports betting isn’t that fun unless you are actively watching the game.

Luckily there are also live bet options which did do wonders for this hobby, as they reward those who are actively watching a specific match. Casinos in the US try to cater to both of these user groups, especially in New Jersey, as this state is becoming more and more popular for its online betting and online gambling. If you look at NJ online casino reviews you will see that they offer sports betting and casino games, and their bonuses can be utilized for either of these options. However, this still does not affect the opinion of many sports bettors that betting isn’t gambling.

Odds and Win Conditions

The majority of the game library in a casino consists of slot games. These are purely chance-based, and there is nothing you can do to affect their odds. All players can do is pick a game with a bigger RTP, or with more paylines.

Betting functions are based on odds, and each outcome has a specific probability attached to it. These odds are generated by an algorithm but sports fans tend to rely on their own knowledge when placing bets. However, if you were to look at Colorado sports betting apps you will notice another trend among the bettors and that is virtual sports. These are basically simulations that allow them to place bets on virtual matches that are completely decided by the algorithm. As such, they also tend to blur the lines between betting and gambling, as much like with slots it’s completely up to a computer to decide the outcome.

Skill-Based Games

Both poker and blackjack are among the casino games, and these two aren’t entirely games of chance. For casual players maybe, but for mathematicians and professional gamblers they are games of skill. Moreover, poker is treated as a sporting event and has multiple competitions on a global scale. In a way, these two games are less gamble-like compared to sports betting. If people who are performing well also end up as finalists the following year, it clearly indicates that there is more than pure chance involved.

Variety

Another important difference between the two hobbies is definitely the variety of gambling providers and the games you can play. Although it’s true there are different sports events, along with eSports it’s really tough to compete in the category against slots. There are dozens of thousands of different slot games. They vary based on the number of reels, paylines, wild and scatter symbols. Although they look similar on the surface, there are tons of different experiences and developers are always trying to align these game mechanics with the theme of the slot.

Rewards

Even though you can technically win a crazy amount on sports betting, most of the players tend to keep it safe. Meaning they play a limited number of matches that look like a safe bet in order to maximize their winning potential. For casino games, if you hit a jackpot you get a life-changing amount of money as the award, but the chances of that happening are slim.

This is why some bettors don’t like to be put in the same category, as they look at what they are doing and regard it as a calculated risk, whereas casino games don’t allow them to affect their odds. The best way to do so in a casino game is to play roulette and bet on either red or black, as that’s as high as the odds get in a casino game.

Conclusion

These are some of the most notable differences between these two hobbies that many regard as one and the same. Some might argue that casino games are more addictive as they are available 24/7, but nowadays sports betting is also available non-stop due to virtual sports. Moreover, both of these hobbies are easy to pick up, as even a beginner can figure out how to place bets and how odds work, it’s just that experienced players put a more elaborate thought process behind their decisions.