Is Goas Casino Industry Under Threat by Online Casinos?
Goa is the hotspot of casinos in India. In fact, Goa is one of the ONLY places in India where casinos are allowed to operate, due to liberal local gambling laws. Due to this fact (and the fact that Goa has amazing beaches and a comfortable year-round climate), Goa has become a favored destination for tourism, both among domestic Indian travelers, as well as international tourists. As such, the gambling industry is a huge attraction that benefits the entire tourism industry, as well as the state of Goa as a whole. Everyone  from the local Goan population to the state government  benefits from the casino industry. In total, the state government earns almost Rs. 1.35 billion in the form of taxes from these gambling establishments: money that is used to fund everything from roads to schools. However, the future of casinos in Goa may be uncertain: a new threat is emerging which could seriously harm the current gambling capital of India. We are, of course, talking about the amazing and innovative online casinos that are currently sweeping the web. Since the early 2000s, a new digital phenomenon has seen the light of day: the online casino. An online casino is, exactly as the name suggests, an online site where players can indulge in a selection of different casino games in an attempt to win money while having a good time. Online casinos seriously took off in Europe about 10-15 years ago as people there have a large amount of disposable income. And now, as India is developing and becoming increasingly rich, online casinos have set their sights on India. And, unsurprisingly, players in India are fascinated with this new invention which allows anyone to become a proper casino gambler and spin the roulette wheels for nothing but a few hundred rupees. The answer: probably not. Sure enough, online casinos like Pure Win Casino give their players access to a wide variety of casino games  in most cases they have more games than any physical casino could ever encompass. However, visiting a physical casino in Goa is about so much more than casino games: its the entire casino atmosphere that people come to experience. From the smells to the sounds, to the food, the drinks, and the entertainment  Goa is so much more than a simple platform where you can play different casino games  visiting Goa is the epitome of entertainment and incredible experiences; Something an online casino will be hard-pressed to compete with. Hmm yeah, again, probably not. The target audience in a real casino and an online casino is not really that similar. People who frequent real casinos are usually upper-middle-class, or even from the upper echelons of society. However, people that use online casinos are generally your more average middle-income person whos just looking for some affordable and available entertainment from the comfort of his own home  similar to how he would watch a movie on TV. So from our perspective, we dont believe Goa is really under threat by the online casino industry. If anything, online casinos may actually be acting as one giant gateway to the world of gambling which makes even more players interested in traveling to Goa and experiencing the real thing, after having sampled an online casino experience on their phone. In any event, the future of Goa as the gambling capital of India will probably remain unchanged for many years to come!