The future of London’s traditional casinos amidst digital revolution

The times are rapidly changing for casinos and punters across the globe, and Londoners are in the eye of this storm.

With so many domestic and international online iGaming platforms on the rise, many gambling and betting enthusiasts are wondering what will happen with traditional, high-street casinos. 

This article addresses this question and tries to draw a comprehensive conclusion, based on presented facts. 

Casinos as Convenience Stores

Highstreet and online casinos are already household phenomena in the UK.

The former started their penetration into high streets around the UK in 1960, when the Betting and Gaming Act was adopted. Fun fact: The Clermont Club, opened in 1962 in London’s Mayfair area, is considered the first legal, modern casino in the UK. 

With different law- and game-related changes going on since then, brick-and-mortar casinos have been the backbone of the UK gambling and betting industry.

Practically, they’ve had a status similar to convenience stores, only more regulated. 

However, the fast emergence of visually enticing websites and responsive gambling apps has laid the basis for innovative online casinos.

Now players can choose between tangible gambling and betting parlours and digital real money slots in the UK, each with their special offers and certain benefits. 

Obviously, if you’re out for a weekend stroll, taking a seat at a local casino and having a chat with your playing mates makes all the sense in the world.

It’s an act of gam(bl)ing and hanging out. 

But if you’ve just come from work and want to relax, just to rewire your mental system, making a spin or two in one of the online casinos is a more practical option.

The Effect of Legal Regulations

Legal regulations typically fall behind the trends and innovations even in slower-growing industries than gambling.

So, the UK Parliament definitely can’t keep pace with the ongoing changes but brings the related legislation in line with its capabilities.

To illustrate how the legislative branch can be slow with its decisions, we’ll just highlight that the valid law on gambling and betting in Northern Ireland was adopted in 1985.

Of course, it has been amended many times ever since, but Stormont is making an effort to adopt a brand new law on these matters, mostly because of the growth of online gambling and betting. 

However, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), as the supreme regulatory body, is entitled to bring certain obligatory initiatives that save time until the Parliament regulates the necessary legal areas.

If we know that the total gross yield of the Great Britain gambling industry was £15.1 billion in the April 2022-March 2023 period, it’s clear that this sector demands continuous decision-making.

And being aware that about £4 billion was generated on online gambling platforms only adds to this statement.

London, as the business and economic centre of the UK, takes the largest piece of this pie, meaning that the local authorities also have to follow suit and keep adopting the necessary legal frameworks.

Both national and local governments/assemblies must ensure strict security requirements, primarily focused on personal and payment data protection.

Closely related, responsible gambling practices are among the top priorities of such legal bodies. 

However, they can’t only impose the rules they think are good and wait for gambling providers to apply them.

It takes a more proactive approach and an open discussion with all the relevant stakeholders.

That’s the only road that leads to effective, long-lasting solutions, based on practical needs. 

What Role Does Technology Play?

Huge; that would be the shortest and truest answer to the question above.

But it’s a misconception that tech solutions influence only Internet gambling and betting. 

Sure, there’s one major difference: you can launch an offline casino without too many tech tools while it’s impossible to start an online gambling platform without technology.

The UK authorities are well aware of this fact, which is why the National Cybersecurity Centre offers free guidance, advice, and tools to various gambling providers, in both offline and online spheres.  

The role of technology here is to make all the playing options equally available to punters in both these contexts.

Of course, gambling websites must comply with a large number of tech-based security requirements because everything is happening online.

Probably the most sensitive aspect of this field is the protection of player’s payment data.

From betting and gambling sites that accept only credit cards to crypto gambling platforms, all these outlets must implement robust encryption and security measures.

To be more precise, personally identifiable information (PII), payment details, and account login information are potentially the most vulnerable and hence most exposed particulars of every online gam(bl)er. 

Nevertheless, if you’re a Londoner who decides to spend a night at an offline casino, you’ll notice a few major tech advancements, mostly related to payments.

You can launch and open your casino account online in most brick-and-mortar casinos and credit it with assets from your bank accounts or digital wallets. In that sense, there’s no difference between online and offline casinos.

Still, the additional features that highstreet casinos bring, from sipping a drink with other people to exchanging pundits’ insights in person, still attract many citizens of London and other UK cities to good old traditional gambling parlours. 

Based on all the above: London’s traditional casinos have a secure future, as they’ll keep hosting their guests in the time ahead, but they should all expand their activities to online offers, as well.