Well this came as a surprise to me. Although I have visited a couple of Glaswegian casinos in recent years however for a new survey to announce that Glasgow is the gambling capital of Europe was rather unexpected. The reason I’d never considered it, is because I still think of gambling in a fairly traditional way – visiting a casino for a night out or playing standard casino games online. The reality is that at least in the UK the real money is in those nasty little ‘fixed odds’ machines that sit in Bookmakers on the high street.
Why the Biggest European Gambling Capital is Glasgow
I’ve never liked these simply because everything about them is designed to simply suck money out of the person playing them. The high stakes, the extremely fast pace and the hypnotic flashing lights. However this study which covered 2400 gamblers across Europe revealed that they are hugely popular in Scotland and Glasgow in particular. In fact one in five Scottish males play online roulette using these fixed odd terminals. Perhaps at this point we should clarify the title, Glasgow is one of the top gambling cities by revenue at least in Europe. Obviously it doesn’t include casino destinations in Asia and of course the USA.
That’s a huge and worrying statistic as these machines are arguably the worst and most addictive forms of gambling you can engage in. in Glasgow alone more that £200 million is bet on these and slot machines. Get this – the gamblers in Scotland lost an average of £1683 each year, through these machines alone. It’s a huge amount and doesn’t even cover other forms of gambling which are also likely to be very popular in Scotland too.
These machines are incredibly addictive and they are designed on the back of decades of research on fruit and slot machines. The lights encourage and stimulate, whilst the high speed of play and the costs of spins means you can literally lose a fortune in a very short time. Many people lose everything playing these boxes easily accessible on our high streets – they are not the smartest way to play roulette. Gambling charities are always trying to highlight the risks of these games, people regularly lose everything playing them.
Playing roulette can be a relaxing an enjoyable pastime, but it should be played in moderation. I always prefer visiting a casino simply because of the social aspect to the activity too. Obviously you do miss out on some of the internet advantages but it’s worth reading this post – Are Online Bonuses Worth it, if you think you’re getting a better deal. Also remember if you’re playing online it’s much safer to avoid the slots and automated roulette games because they play too quickly meaning you can churn through cash much more easily.
There’s now quite a few real online casino games which involve a video stream, real croupier and wheel rather an electronic one. My personal preference is Betfair simply because it’s not purely an internet casino – you play a live game using a real croupier. They are one of the world’s biggest betting companies so you know you’re safe and playing a fair game.
