I was talking to a friend the other day and the subject of casinos came up. He likes playing a few hands of poker now and then. Anyway, he mentioned that he prefers online casinos to brick-and-mortar ones because they are eco-friendly. Moreover, they are way more easily accessible, and they even offer promotions similar to the Kitty bingo promo codes to new members. That got me thinking. Is it possible that there are green casinos out there? And, if so, are they sustainable?
Brick-and-Mortar Casinos
Land-based casinos, if the regulations of the state or country in question allow it, try to operate 24/7. In case you didn’t know, in cities like Vegas, it is common for a casino not to have any windows or clocks to make sure their patrons lose their sense of time and gamble more. Why is this important for the issue we’re discussing here? Well, for two reasons.
First of all, any establishment that works 24 hours a day with all the utilities requires an enormous amount of power. Casinos can afford it, along with other expenses, because of the never-ending flow of patrons willing to play games, but that’s not the point. Their usage of resources affects not only their local community but their country and the world.
Without renewable energy, this is unsustainable.
The second reason we need to talk about it is the fact that casinos are, generally, popular tourist destinations. People fly to other countries and drive to land-based casinos in order to play games. The increased flow of people leads to more pollution, city expansion, and more consumption. Going green does not come to mind.
Online Casinos
Online casinos may seem green because they deal with none of that. The casino in question, or at least a part of it, is stored in the cloud. Furthermore, the prospective patrons don’t have to leave their house to gamble. Just a computer or a phone with Wi-Fi or mobile data and they are ready to go. There are no utilities, expansions, gas emissions, or other things you might find in a brick-and-mortar casino.
However, are online casinos really green?
Well, that part of the equation falls on the consumer, apart from the power and maintenance of servers. It boils down to how people charge their devices and how often they change them. The components have elements that need to be mined and we often discard the working models for something more modern.
The big issue is that many companies and brands have both online and land-based casinos. It is simply the expansion of their market and their customer base. You could argue that there is some effort of going green, but until land-based casinos switch to renewable energy sources there isn’t going to be a sustainable energy solution.
So, What’s the Verdict?
Okay, real talk. Online casinos are definitely green, especially when compared to their land-based counterparts. There are more and more people enjoying online casino games due to regulation and convenience.
Some people still prefer the physical feel of the dice and cards. ‘Some’ nothing, we’re talking about a whole bunch of people. There is a certain prestige in the idea, not to mention the feeling of being able to afford these games for fun. Let’s not also forget that there are entire countries where gambling is a big part of the culture.
There will always be people that want to play in real life instead of on a phone. However, there is progress being made. I may be an incurable optimist, but I truly believe that casinos are going to go green in 50-100 years tops.