Gambling on Gaming

The big question on every gambler’s minds these days is: Where is the online gaming industry headed? An important question indeed; we’ll deal with it later.

As I stood in our office building lobby this morning waiting for an elevator, I suddenly found myself speculating about which of the three elevators would greet me first. In any other profession I believe I would have just laughed at the notion and completely forgot about it the moment the winning elevator’s doors swung open; easier said than done for a writer hired to write anything and everything about the online casino gaming industry.

Online Gaming’s Ups and Downs

For kicks I wagered everything I wish I had on elevator No.1 to come in first. No. 2 arrived first, but not surprisingly seeing as how the lighted numbers above each elevator indicated exactly which floor each elevator was on at the time I placed my bet. (I deliberately refrained from looking at the floor indicators when placing my wager in order to add more excitement to the contest.)

When I arrived at my fourth floor office (a loser), the more I thought about what I had just done. I also realized how conditioned I have become; wagering on anything and everything that moves – something I had little interest in prior to my employment in the gaming biz. What I have learned to truly appreciate, mind you, is the appeal. Gambling is fun! Taking risks is fun! Winning mega-jackpots is FUN!!! At least I presume it is.


Beware though, elevators can be misleading. True, the probability that they will either move up or down is what, 50 percent? Not if one is being repaired without your knowledge. Any expert specializing in elevator odds will also remind you to consider the likelihood of some bratty kids pressing every single button inside an elevator, rendering your entire strategy impotent. Of course this is more likely to happen inside a hotel or mall – places more experienced elevator bettors know wiser than to gamble at.


The odds of selecting winning elevators in our particular office complex are greater than most because our elevators stop at ground level. Therefore there’s no need to analyze whether a descending elevator has an inherent advantage over an ascending one, even when you factor in gravity and mechanics. To reach the underground parking levels you’ve got to take the “parking” elevator. Because our building has only three underground levels, there’s only one elevator designated for access to the parking levels. You’d think the odds of picking that winner could not be greater, but behold, suppose that one and only elevator was being fixed, in which case it’s a push and nobody wins.

Scanning all of the elevator floor indicators may reveal which floor each is on at any given time. What they do not immediately tell you, however, is whether they are traveling up or down. And even when they do, you still don’t know how many folks are waiting and intercepting the elevators on the upper floors.


The Otis Theory
In merely hours after the surreptitious passage of the U.S. government’s Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIEGA), some $5 billion evaporated from the global online casino, poker and sports betting industry. Some savvy investors anticipating the crash placed their bets on the industry’s demise. Many of these are still bearish vis-à-vis the future of the online gaming industry. Though what they fail to comprehend is that – like elevators – the online gaming business too shall experience its ups and downs as well as require regular maintenance. But as long as folks prefer elevators over climbing stairs, elevators are not going to go away. And as long as wager-loving people enjoy the ease and satisfaction from playing slots, roulette, craps, blackjack, keno, or whatever online casino game from the comfort of their own living rooms or mobile devices, why trek all the way to a land-based casino?


Rise and Fall and Rise of Online Gambling
So to answer the question regarding what direction the online gaming industry is headed, one only has to compare today's situation with that of America's failed prohibition on alcohol in the nineteen thirties. Like elevators, the demand for online casino games will only continue to escalate. Opponents can choose to deal with it and promote regulating the industry for everyone's sake, or continue to take the stairs.