Virtual Casinos vs. Online Casinos

We get a lot of emails and live chat sessions where the following question pops up time and time again:

What is the difference between a virtual casino and an online casino?

The above is a perfectly reasonable question, so if you have ever thought it to yourself, you are certainly not alone. The distinction is an important one to realize and understand. Most of the time it’s a simple case of semantics, but on occasion is can mean the difference between looking foolish, or possibly even losing real money if you do not realize the circumstances surrounding the game you are playing, or looking to play.

Stick around we’ll quickly go over the answer in this blog.

What is a Virtual Casino?

Technically, a virtual casino is any type of casino that is not a brick-and-mortar—or perhaps more specifically, chip-and-mortar—casino. So technically this covers quite a wide range of theoretical possibilities. Virtual casinos are just casino-“esque” economies or establishments that exist in the abstract, or in some sort of virtual way. A virtual casino could come in many different shapes and sizes, but the most obvious one would be the stock market. Something less obvious would the casino that exists inside of a (video) game, like that Gold Saucer from Final Fantasy VII. Or some sort of “gambling type” exercise such that was seen in games like World of Warcraft or Diablo.

And while any of the above could be considered or construed to be “online,” they are not online casinos. Let’s look at the characteristics of an online casino now.

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What is an Online Casino?

An online casino refers to a casino that is positioned specifically for play anyone legally allowed to play online. An important feature between a virtual casino and an online casino is the ability to deposit real money, play for real money, and then also withdraw real money. If you cannot do any of those things, then you have a (digital) economy and surrounding rules on how to deposit and access money, but you do not technically have an online casino.

What Can I Do with this Information?

Do you consider yourself a true gambler? Someone who lives and breathes the casino life? Someone who looks into the eyes of Lady Luck? Good. This is one of those topics that prove that you’re not just another player, but someone who lives and breathes the game. Still, the question remains: what can you do with this information?

You can do a couple of things with this information:

  • Impress your friends with your intellectual depth
  • Traverse the web with the ability to spot a fake casino from a real casino
  • Share this article with your friends

However, you put the information to good use, thanks for reading and happy gambling!