Through all of this there has
been a lack of focus on the experience of the person who actually plays
money at a casino. How about the gamblers who are central to any issues
concerning casinos? We pose the sensible opening question - which are
better, online or land-based slot machines?

Land-based slots are the world's most popular casino game. They pay more
winnings to gamblers than all of the other casino games together. But how
well does this cherished form of land-based gambling adapt to online play?
The vast majority of slots enthusiasts believe it has made the transition
splendidly. The online versions of slots have become the most-played form of
online casino games, owing in part to the ease of finding slots on the
Internet (they're also easy enough to find and play at land-based casinos)
and in part to the fact that the game play is so simple.

Slot machines at land-based casinos have been controlled by computers for
many years, so it's relatively easy to adapt the game to play online. Some
players are puzzled when you tell them a land-based slot machine is no more
than a computer in a fancy case, but this is exactly what it is. These slots
are driven by a microprocessor with a built-in random number generator. They
work just like the online versions because the operating software is
hard-coded in the microprocessor. This means there is not much of a
difference between the way the game works and how the odds compute for
online or land-based slot machines. But there are some differences.

The most obvious difference, the one that will forever separate the two
forms, is that you can't physically put your hands on an online slot.
Similarly, land-based machines have much bigger and more spectacular light
and sound displays, although the graphics on the online slots are
sophisticated enough these days to emulate reality pretty well.

There are numerous less evident advantages of playing online slots. For a
start, you choose the time, place and the most comfortable seat in the
house. You can play with your own refrigerator, DVD music system and other
personal comforts close to hand. This is one of the great appeals of online
casinos - you can visit them and experience all of their excitement without
stepping outside your own home! And you can interrupt play whenever you like
without worrying that some other gambler is going to annex your place at the
machine.

Possibly the most telling difference between playing slots at an online
compared with a land-based casino is the nature of the comps you receive. At
a land-based establishment, the keen slots player may receive a coupon or
some similar small comp as a reward for slaving away at a machine for
several hours. It's quite different online because the competition among
casinos is so intense.

With the Internet it doesn't matter where in the world you live, every
online casino would love to lure your custom. As a result you can get a comp
simply for deciding to play at a given casino regardless of how much you've
gambled there. The sign-up bonus is a common online attraction. It gives you
a substantial value in real credits at the casino and you can exploit this
bonus to swell your bankroll, spend more time playing the slots and
experience more opportunities to be a winner.

Many slots players find it genuinely gratifying to receive a comp in
advance rather than after having to earn it by achieving a certain level of
play. If you add the comps to the other advantages of online slots, it
should be easy to see which version best meets the needs of the players.