Are Mobile Slots Entertainment or Gambling?
When we think of playing online casino games such as slots on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, is it entertainment or just gambling on the go? Mobile apps can be easily downloaded for iPhones and Android devices as well as other popular mobile operating systems, so this pastime is becoming more widespread than ever.
This shift away from home based PCs and laptops is in keeping with the huge upsurge in smart phone and tablet ownership and marks the way forward for Internet casino games in terms of rising popularity.
In this article I take a look at how people are spending more time playing online slots on their phones and tablets than ever before and attempts to determine whether the pastime is just another form of gambling to be done in more places, or if it is really just a form of entertainment that players can enjoy while killing time.
Slots to Go
It seems almost natural to see people enjoying a quick session of this or that slots game on their phones while out and about these days. But this is something that has only really just begun to become mainstream and marks the slow but sure reduction in online betting done at home on a computer.
More people are playing on laptops and netbooks thanks to the exponential rise in WIFI outlets in public places, but even so, this medium is being rapidly outstripped by the numbers of players using their phones. The reason for this is pretty obvious when you think about it.
The Rise of the Mobile Smart Phone
Mobile phones are still a relatively recent introduction to society in general. They have evolved from the early models the size of a house brick with battery life that was counted in minutes rather than days that arrived on the scene less than thirty years ago.
Cell phones got smaller, their battery life got longer and it wasn't too long before their functionality began to increase. First was the ability to send SMS text messages cheaply. This was followed by simple operating systems that allowed for the introduction of mobile office suits that gradually grew to include media creation and storage with digital cameras and sound recording capability.
The writing was on the wall back in the early part of the 21st century as mobile technology advanced in leaps and bounds. Online gaming operators had their eye on the move to mobile long before technology had really caught up, but the plans were already drawn up in anticipation of more robust technologies, operating systems and connection speeds.
In the last few years that technology arrived with the iPhone and Android devices that allowed for greater flexibility of apps and with faster connection speeds, mobile gaming sites were viable, workable and available.
Up to Date
Now that smart phones have really come of age with the capability to operate just as fast as home PCs and laptops and with amazing graphics and sound. They can run game apps that bring amazing slots games to life on the larger smart phone displays with touch screen operation and fast game play.
Anyone who loves playing slots online now has the ability to satisfy their desire for some great entertainment just about anywhere they may be, thanks to the reach and coverage of mobile phone operators. It means people can sign up with mobile casinos, deposit cash using a variety of deposit options, play a huge selection of games and then cash out their winnings all from their mobile phone.
A Gamble or Just Plain Fun?
There is no getting away from the fact that this is a game of chance that can be gambled upon by placing real money bets in the hope of winning any number of attractive cash prizes. Just like their real world cousins, software-based slots are a means to bet and win or lose depending on the luck of the player at the time.
But there is more to it than just raw gambling, since players do not necessarily even need to spend real money to access and play the games. They can be played for "fun money" which is another way of saying for free.
In that sense they are simply a form of pure entertainment with the built-in thrill factor of being able to win more of that unreal fun money and increase the pseudo-balance. This is much in the same way that playing arcade video games allows you to play for a "high score" that is worth nothing more than the ego boost of having achieved it.
Technology is a marvellous thing when it's applied in the areas that people want most. And slots is still the most popular online casino pastime of them all!
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