Casinos have been a source of gaming entertainment for people in many areas of the world for hundreds of years. Ever since the Palazzo Vendramin Calergi Casino opened in 1638 in Venice, Italy, the lure of gaming entertainment has been enticing both high-stakes players and budget gamers worldwide.
From the early casinos that were built along the French Riviera to today’s Las Vegas and online casino platforms, people worldwide continue to be attracted to playing games of chance.
Over the years, Vegas online casino advisors have noted that the popularity of various games varies significantly by geographic location. This is due to a variety of factors including different regions’ history, traditions and culture.
Some countries have a long relationship with certain games – for instance, card games have been popular in Finland for centuries which means that when Finns play casino games online, they tend to choose poker and blackjack.
Playing “the pokies” has been linked to Australians’ reputation for easy-going and carefree characters which explains why playing slots is a highlight of most Australians’ casino visits.
Could you guess which casino games are popular in which countries?
Worldwide
Slots seem to be the most popular type of casino game worldwide. The “one-armed bandits” enjoy universal popularity due to their simplicity, wide variety of themes and storylines and varied features and elements. Anyone can play the slot machines, regardless of whether you like to wager large amounts of money on your gaming adventures or stick to budget bets.
Almost everywhere, gamers appreciate the ability to choose a slot machine that suits their personal preferences and inclinations. At today’s land-based and online casinos you can find slots with storylines ranging from plots that center around mystery, magic and suspense to themes of romance, history, whimsy, mythology, holidays, animals and more.
Gamers also welcome the choice of gaming features so regardless of whether you prefer to play a simple spins-and-wins game of three-reel, three-payline slots or want a more technologically-advanced machine with multiple paylines, 243 Ways to Win, Wild symbols, scatter combination payouts, Sticky Wilds, free spins, respins, Buy Bonus options, jackpots, expanding reels, stacked reels, bonus rounds and more.
Strategy Games
For many casino customers, “The Casino” brings up images of table games. The results in some table games, like roulette, are almost totally dependent on luck – where the ball falls in a spinning wheel. Roulette, however, also includes an element of strategy as the player considers what type of bet to place – a less-risky outside bet or a more chancy inside bet.
Blackjack and poker, however, involve a higher level of skill as they player tries to build the best hand possible. The luck comes with the card deal since the player needs to work with the cards that he/she has been dealt. However, there’s a great deal of strategy in the game as players use different techniques and knowledge of the games’ basic strategy in order to build the hand that will yield the best possible results.
Casinos around the world feature blackjack and poker as well as variations of these games like Texas Hold ‘Em poker, Omaha poker, 7 Card Draw Poker, 21 blackjack and more. The largest percentage of poker and blackjack players is found in America. This may be, in part, due to the fact that these games evolved in America or because so many movies, books and TV shows portrayed America’s Western settlers playing these card games.
No one knows for sure but it’s clear that most poker and blackjack casino players are American.
Baccarat
For many players in various parts of the world, baccarat holds no interest. But try opening a casino in Asia without a baccarat room and you’ll quickly go broke. Asians view baccarat as a game that is in line with their culture because, not only does it tie into their belief in wealth distribution but it is a completely luck-based game that tests the player’s good fortune, a concept that is strong in Eastern traditions.
There are other reasons that Asians like baccarat. It’s a fast-based game and doesn’t involve any waste of time. You simply decide how much money to wager and how long you will play and your luck does the rest. As for the risk-taking, one would think that Asian gamblers would be more conservative with their gambling wagers by picking games that offer a higher Return to Player.
But Asians have the reputation of being superstitious, especially about gambling. There are even reports of Asian players wearing all-red and walking backward into the casino to invite good luck. So baccarat, where the mystical number 8 plays a big role, is the perfect game for those relying on other-worldly intervention in their gaming activities.
On the other hand, players who are more savvy count on the fact that the house edge can be quite low so you might win less often, but when you do win, you achieve higher payouts.
Social Interaction
Casinos that cater to Indian players try to focus on increasing the social aspect of the gaming event since, regardless of the game being played, Indian gamers search out opportunities to engage in social interaction. That means that in India, where casino gambling is done online, players don’t look at the type of game as much as they look at the possibilities for playing the game.
In India, tournament games, where players compete against each other for the tournament prize, or jackpot games, where everyone vies for the jackpot reward, are the most popular gaming events. Many online casinos that cater to Indian gamers have added Live Dealer options to their lists of playing options and other online casinos are exploring those Live Dealer platforms.
Wherever you are in the world, there are casinos that cater to your interests, your preferences and your gaming expectations.
