Will Online Casinos Succeed Where Land Casinos Have Failed in Ghana?

The coronavirus crisis has led to big changes in the gambling industry, with many people taking the chance to play at online casinos instead.

While Ghana has not been hit particularly hard by COVID-19 so far compared to many other countries around the world, the pandemic has still had an impact on life in the country.

Things may never be the same again with many businesses wondering if they will be able to survive the crisis and come out the other side of this testing period without going bust.

Bricks and mortar casinos are among the facilities that may be forced to close down permanently due to COVID-19, which could create an opportunity for online sites to thrive.

But what does the future hold for the gambling industry in Ghana? Let’s take a look.

Why aren’t bricks and mortar casinos more popular in Ghana?

Ghanaian gamblers never seem to have properly embraced going to the casino. It is hard to judge exactly why this is the case, but it could just be a case of a cultural issue.

Even though the casinos feature top games from international providers such as IGT, people don’t seem to care for them. Visiting a casino in Ghana seems to lack the glamour such an experience has in a lot of other places, such as Las Vegas in the United States.

In a lot of nations, gambling is seen as a very social thing to do with a big group of friends for a fun time. For some people, a trip to the casino is a natural end to a night out with a few drinks. This does not seem to be the case in Ghana, which has a different approach to gambling.

Ghana’s introduction of online gambling

It took a while for Ghana to get to grips with online gambling, with changes in legislation brought in back in 2006 in order to regain control over the industry.

Today, the gambling sector in Ghana is regulated by the Gaming Commission of Ghana (GCGH), which hands out licenses to companies that want to run online casino sites.

According to a mission statement posted on the GCGH website, the aim of the organisation is to “create and maintain a viable, fair and respectable gaming industry for all who have interest in or are affected by gaming in the country”.

GCGH has a tight hold on online gambling in Ghana now, with its control a key part of how the sector is expected to grow in the coming months and years.

Why online casinos are the future for gambling in Ghana

Many people simply prefer to gamble online rather than visiting a bricks and mortar casino. There are a lot of reasons for this, but a lot of individuals do not live close enough to one of these sites for it to be a realistic option for them to go to on a regular basis.

Instead, the flexibility that is offered by online casino websites is extremely appealing to a lot of Ghanaians. The opportunity to log on and have a bet at any time of the day or night is something that many people prefer when compared to the fixed opening hours of a bricks and mortar site.

Online casinos also tend to have much better bonuses and promotions than their bricks and mortar equivalents. People in Ghana who want to join a new online casino can make the most of attractive sign-up promotions that come with a wide range of top-quality bonuses.

Interactivity is one of the areas where bricks and mortar casinos still have the edge. Online casinos cannot quite yet match the real-life experience of a night out in such a place. But work is under way to change this, with the launch of live casino games helping to address this issue.

By using a live casino, players in Ghana can get the best of both worlds. There is still the social side of a bricks and mortar casino, but with all the benefits of playing through the internet too.

Many online gambling sites also combine online casino games with sports betting markets. This is particularly beneficial in Ghana, which is a sports-mad country. People who join a site like this can have a bet on the big game and quickly switch to a hand or two of blackjack, or perhaps try their luck at the roulette wheel instead.

Bricks and mortar casinos in many countries were already struggling to compete with online operators. However, the impact of the coronavirus crisis seems set to ensure that the future of the gambling industry in Ghana certainly lies online.