What Are My Odds?

When comparing the odds between land-based and online casinos, the Internet venues clearly add up to a better bet for bettors. "Why?" you wonder.

Well, for starters, casinos operating online enjoy significantly lower operating expenses. They require far fewer employees than brick and mortar casinos and the cost of advertising is dramatically less. Rent, taxes and insurance are also much, much lower in cyberspace. Many gambling sites are also based off-shore where corporate taxes are typically a mere few percent. All this translates into better payouts for players. Well... at least it should. Given that there are some 2,300 gaming Web sites out there, we have to assume that there are some hopelessly greedy (and short-sighted) online casino operators foolishly reluctant to pass on these advantages to their unsuspecting players.

Still, among the overwhelming majority of Internet casinos, the odds you can expect to enjoy online will be a couple of percentage points greater than those available at any land-based casino. And when it comes to gambling - online or off - a mere few percent are a big, BIG deal! In fact, in all probability, and quite literally, a single point or fraction thereof is all it takes to turn a would-be loser into a could-be winner. The bottom line is: You've got a much better chance of winning at casino games played on the World Wide Web than you do in say Vegas, Atlantic City, or the like. You're also less likely to get hit by a bus gambling online.

From time to time, players will in fact win big. But over time, the payout percentage will range between 95 and 99 percent. These figures represent the amount players win on average at an online casino. Thus, theoretically, if a player were to play long enough, for every $100 he or she wagered, they would win back between 95 and 99 dollars.

Some online gamers will argue that the odds available at online casinos are actually lower than advertised, though it's difficult to gauge the payouts over the course of playing just a few games. An infrequent player cannot properly judge a particular game's true odds because this can only be revealed after thousands of games have been played. Nevertheless, due to the incredible amount of competition in the online gaming industry, compounded by the numerous player forums and blogs, if a casino operator were discovered to be rigging their software, they'd find themselves with far fewer players quickly, or out of business entirely, as many have.

The leading and more reputable online casinos, and increasingly more gaming companies, undergo regular audits voluntarily by recognized independent accounting firms in order to guarantee their adherence to their stated odds. These odds are generally posted on a casino's homepage.

Seeing as how the odds always favor the online casinos - albeit slightly - it's a mathematical certainty that the casino will ultimately win. Therefore it is always wiser to set out to have fun rather than play with the sole purpose of bagging a major win. With this approach you'll ALWAYS come out a winner! Remember, casino games, regardless of whether they're land-based or online, are a fabulous means of entertainment. So before you whip out your credit card, set a limit on exactly how much money you're prepared to spend. Of course, you needn't limit how much you're prepared to win. Happy and healthy gaming!