There are many reasons that people use online casino gaming over visiting a brick-and-mortar location, and a lot of these reasons come down to personal preference. Online casinos are infinitely more accessible for gamblers, and can be accessed easily and without the geographical restrictions that usually come with trying to visit a traditional one. Not only that, but online casinos give players so many more choices when it comes to what and where to play.
Who Uses Online Casinos?
Many adults from different walks of life use online casinos, but it certainly seems that more age demographics are more likely to make use of these sites than others. Let’s explore the three age demographics of young adults, adults and older adults and see who is gambling the most.
Young Adults (aged 18-24)
Young adults tend to gamble for different reasons than their older counterparts. For one, these adults (aged between 18 and 24) tend to be a bit more tech-savvy than the older generations and therefore may be more aware of some of the particulars that set certain online casinos apart. For example, they may know about the various bonuses available to new players on non-GamStop sites (source: casinos-not-on-gamstop.com), or they might be more aware of unique casinos like those that thrive with the integration of cryptocurrency.
Additionally, young adults have often just come into money and are still adjusting to having their own income, which can make them more likely to spend more funds on the things they enjoy, such as gambling. Similarly, adults in this age bracket are likely to have few, if any, people depending on them and so are free to spend their money on themselves in this way.
Similarly, the younger generations also tend to have more of an online presence, meaning they are more likely to see gambling websites endorsed by celebrities, or run into marketing strategies, many of which can help introduce them to the world of gambling.
All this being said, it is not young adults who spend the most time in online casinos. Despite all that draws this age demographic to the gambling world, there are equally many things that may hold them back. For one, the younger generation is much less likely to have the kind of disposable income necessary to make gambling a long-term hobby. Additionally, many believe it is not ‘for them’ but rather a pastime more favoured by people their parents’ age.
Older Adults (Aged 55+)
On the other end of the spectrum, we have older adults (aged 55 and over). These individuals are likely to gamble at online casinos for different reasons than what drives the young. Firstly, older casino users might have reached retirement age and so have more free time to spend on recreational activities like gambling. Older people can also often feel lonely, and so may benefit from the sense of community that comes in these online spaces, and enjoy engaging with others in casino chat rooms about their shared interests.
However, older adults don’t take the crown when it comes to which age group spends the most time and money on online casinos. This could be, in part, due to the difficulty many of the older generation have with keeping up with the constant evolution of modern technology.
Adults (Aged 25-54)
However, despite the liberty of the young and the free time of the old, the award for the age group that gambles the most in the UK actually falls on adults aged 25 to 54. In fact, it was found that in February of last year, the age demographic of 45-54 had an impressive 42 percent share of individuals who had gambled in the previous four weeks. Although people in this demographic do tend to have more responsibilities than the young and less free time than the old, they still tend to be the most active on online casino websites than the rest.
The reasons for this are many. For one, people in this age bracket tend to have more financial stability than both the young and the old. They are not working their first jobs, nor are they living off of their pension, but instead often have a steady income from a career that they have worked hard to secure. As such, they have more in the way of disposable income that can be spent on recreational activities like gambling. Secondly, adults aged between 25 and 54 have often been gambling in one form or another since they were young adults, and so have had time to realise what games they enjoy, what websites they prefer, and how much time and funds they are willing to dedicate to this hobby. As such, they are more likely to keep returning to online casino gaming regularly.
Like the young, this generation also tends to have more of an awareness of the technological world than older adults, and therefore can make the most of things like crypto casinos or no account casinos, and can explore these realms with ease. They also show a preference for online casino apps, and the ability to carry a casino anywhere with them, so they can battle the time constraints they might have in their lives by engaging with this hobby during breaks or smaller periods of free time.
Additionally, because gambling companies know that gambling is most popular with this age group, they tend to also be the target of marketing and advertising strategies, which in turn helps the casinos bring in an influx of more gamblers fitting the bill.
