Online gambling is an industry that is known for its capability to adopt new technologies at a much faster pace than any other industry segment. Knowing that, the rise in crypto supporting casino platforms, implementation of smart contracts in games and the creation of gambling dApps doesn’t come as a surprise. However, with all these new technologies and the fancy jargon used to promote such platforms has got players begging for more details on how each of these differs from the other.
For the most part, the main difference between gambling dApps and smart contracts enabled classic casino platforms is the way technology is used and how the platform is run. However, both of these platforms make use of distributed ledger technology but to a different magnitude. In the case of gambling dApps, the entire platform is decentralized with high levels of automation, which may or may not require any kind of manual intervention. But classic blockchain casinos take a more traditional approach where except for certain crucial operations that are governed by smart contracts, most of the other activities are handled by humans.
Which is Better, Gambling dApps or Smart Contracts enabled Classic Casino Games?
As the familiar idiom goes, “To each his own”, choosing a gambling dApp or a classic casino game is up to the individual’s preferences. In the current scenario, most of the gambling dApps have limited features, and in most cases do not have much to offer in terms of the user experience or additional winning opportunities. In other words, the dApps are generally a set of blockchain randomizers that generates results at regular intervals. At the same time, the time and resources required for the development, testing and launch is much higher when it comes to gambling dApps, and a failure at any single point can have a devastating impact on the outcomes of the game as well as the reputation of the developers.
When it comes to classic casino games, these games have been around for a long time and has a strong following. The levels of customizations offered on online casino games are virtually endless with each game having multiple avatars and gaming experiences designed to cater to player groups with varying preferences. In addition, unlike the dApps, the platform operators have a much higher autonomy to decide on the kind of offerings and any other benefits they want to provide they patrons. By combining classic casino games with blockchain technology through smart contracts, a greater level of transparency close to the ones offered by gambling dApps can be achieved.
Further, the complexity of programming involved in the creation and operation of smart contract based classic casino games is much lesser than that of a standalone dApp as the codes for smart contracts are much simpler, and it can be readily integrated with existing game titles to leverage the advantage of blockchain technology.
Promotions and Bonuses
All conventional online gambling platforms are known for their attractive bonus and promotional offers. These offerings include free spins, deposit bonus, cashback and more. While there are always apprehensions while using a traditional casino platform due to lack of transparency, blockchain based gambling sites offer a reprieve by assuring transparency and traceability of all gaming transactions. Many such platforms also host provably fair games, where the outcome of any game can be verified to ensure their authenticity. Thankfully, many of these platforms also offer similar bonuses and benefits like the good old online casinos of yesteryears, which can sometimes make a huge difference when it comes to winning or hitting a jackpot.
For example, the popular blockchain gambling platform Fairspin offers some of the best classic gambling games to its patrons, complete with attractive bonuses and promotional offers. While at first glance it looks like a conventional gambling platform, it offers maximum transparency with its own tokens and Ethereum smart contract, keeping track of all gaming transactions which can be easily queried at any time on Etherscan.
A recent incident on Fairspin.io showed how bonuses offered on gambling platforms can turn into a gamechanger for the players. One of the players on the platforms “Book of Gold” (Playson) game won $17549 by betting just $50. In fact, that player had earlier deposited 1.74 ETH and lost it all. If not for the 100% bonus received for making the deposit, that person wouldn’t have had a chance to win anything.
In the latest press release, Fairspin offered an insight into that anonymous player’s betting pattern. The player started by depositing an equivalent of $410 (1.74 ETH) for the very first time on the platform and started placing bets unsuccessfully in a short time. By the time the entire deposit was lost, the account was credited with first time 100% depositor bonus and an additional 5% cashback on the lost amount (as the bets were placed during the cashback period). With the newly added funds, the player is said to have bet on Book of Gold online slots game to win $1070 and 10 free spins which eventually garnered a total winning of $17720 (1.79 BTC), which was later withdrawn by the player.
Conclusion
Both blockchain-powered casinos, as well as gambling dApps, represent the latest developments in gambling space, and they are quite capable in ensuring transparency and anonymity. However, the dApp based gambling solutions still have a long way to go before they can match the flexibility and the advantages that are currently offered by classic casino games.
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