To those new to online gaming, you may think the terms gambling and online gaming are interchangeable; and it is easy to see why. Fans would be practically willing to go to war to do battle for their favourite form of entertainment.
Gamers, for example, are fiercely protective of the skill and experience necessary to hold the top score or be considered the best in their game of choice. While gamblers swear blind that games of chance also require a certain level of expertise.
While some similarities are easy to see, do both game types require that skills are honed and refined to rake in the big bucks?
Gaming and Gambling: Similarities
What is gaming? Gaming, defined as a piece of entertainment played by two or more people where there is a clear winner, can be applied to a wide variety of formats. Anything from old-fashioned board games to games played at a brick and mortar casino or online network games played between people from opposite sides of the world.
Even before the internet was born, players enjoyed games on TV consoles where players could compete against others in the same room, or against the game itself. While this game, or computer of sorts, has been replaced by random number generators at online casinos and in electronic game machines like pokies in physical casinos, players still enjoy the thrill of the chase.
So, while not all gaming is gambling, all gambling is gaming – even when your competitor is a computer.
There are even more similarities. Both game types have thrills and spills as players succeed or fail in their efforts to win. Unless played professionally, online gamers rarely make money off their hobby but rather reap the rewards by having the top score and all the fame and acclaim that comes with it.
At top Australian online casinos, gamers who play casino games for real money get to enjoy options like online blackjack, roulette and pokies to score as they win cash prizes that they can take to the bank as they play and win.
Where Gambling and Gaming Come Together
Esports betting is the one clear overlap as players place bets on fantasy sports matches, which are games played by gamers online. Virtual sports teams are put together by the gamers who then compete with a fellow team to an eventual outcome.
These teams who use players with virtual stats that punters can refer to and use that as a deciding factor for their bets.
This form of gambling has seen a massive uptick over the last few months with many live matches cancelled due to the Coronavirus lockdown. This offered players a similar sense of reward as they studied the odds and selected the best betting strategy to lead to a winning bet.
A recent addition to the video game market has further strengthened this link now that gamers are offered the chance to purchase a loot box while playing. This loot box is a mystery item that could contain any number of resources, tools and valuable rewards to aid them in their mission. As the player pays real money for an unknown entity, many would classify this as no different from gambling where cash gets paid for a chance to win a valuable prize.
The Skills
Which form of gaming requires more skill? Video gamers will give you chapter and verse about why their game of choice requires hours of research and practice.
Online casino players, on the other hand, will confirm that the key to gambling successfully is all about recognising a cold machine and selecting a table of worthy opponents.
Both genres have elements of chance and skill – some more than others. While even the best real money online pokies may be the exception to the rule, winning hands of baccarat, craps, roulette, poker and blackjack online casino games takes a sharp, strategic mind who knows how to gamble responsibly.