Blackjack games are accessible across lots of different devices and venues. Whether you play blackjack game at a land based traditional casino or playing a game of online blackjack, it is easy for players to partake and very easy for the playing of the games to become addictive.
It is not just the accessibility of the UK blackjack being played on mobile devices that has made them addictive, gambling was an addiction many many years ago and just meant that the player had to go out to a land based traditional casino to play, however, studies have shown that the easy accessibility of playing on your phone, your tablet or even your desktop can lead to a quicker addiction. The games can be played at any time and when the player has a few spare minutes, waiting for a meeting to start, school pick up, on the train to the office, the list is endless.
Playing blackjack
They are easy to play and understand, can have easy wins and are extremely popular whereas compared to typical casino games such as Roulette or Poker, which are more complex and require more of a skill and strategy. Let’s not forget too, online blackjack usually offer a higher pay out percentage, a bigger variety of games and higher jackpots whereas land based traditional casinos cannot compete with this. There are no huge overheads for an online casino unlike the traditional land based kind.
The addiction, of course, comes from the opportunity to win. Games with less than ten pay lines are not so popular now in new releases whereas games with as many as twenty pay lines and the new structure of 243 (two hundred and forty three ways to win) make the games more competitive and gives a bigger adrenaline rush. Some games now even offer 1024 (one thousand and twenty four ways to win). In summary three or more symbols appearing in these games is fairly certain to produce a winning combination.
Hand in hand with multiple pay lines, blackjack game developers now include bonus features, additional games that players can get too following a win, Wild symbols making a win easier and Scatter symbols also giving huge benefits. Free spins offer exactly that, the player the opportunity to spin some more without having to invest any money. Auto play also has an addictive feel to it. Newer games sometimes turn things around and rather than the Wild overriding every other symbol except the Scatter they can now move reels, appear at random with no strategy and take the player to a whole new level of additional bonus games.
Progressive games as an alternative to blackjack
Let’s not forget a progressive slot games too, at casinos, it’s not all about blackjack. It is illegal for the casino, whether online or land based traditional, not to advertise the potential jackpot and there is no better way of doing so than illuminating it in bright lights with lots of noise and action surrounding it. A progressive jackpot can pay out millions for sometimes a very small stake. Think of Chris Heywood who paid 0.25p and won over £13million in Mega Moolah! Is it any wonder a progressive slot game can be more addictive than a non progressive when the player can see the jackpot increasing as they sit there and play and know that at any point they may just be one step away from hitting the winning jackpot and changing their lives forever.
All games of casino blackjack are randomised, it is what makes them strategically challenging. It ensures that the game pays out at random; and that the game cannot be fixed in anyone’s favour. All that said, some players are determined that they can beat the system and RNG’s can be seen as addictive and for many players it is trying to beat the system that leads to the possible addiction.
The thrill of casino blackjack
Although the accessibility is easier with online blackjack the thrill of being paid out at a traditional land based casino is enough to make anyone addicted. The bright lights, the atmosphere, the buzz and then the win can lead to players just continuing to play and usually using any current winnings to fund their next spin. The easy come, easy go factor creeps in too, the win the player has just had can be seen as a bonus so does it really matter if that money is used to try and increase the overall winnings by betting with it again? Easy come, easy go!
Some studies have shown that the time of day the player plays the blackjack card game, whether online or at a traditional land based casino, can make a difference to how addicted they become. Can it though? We all know that the traditional land based casino pumps additional oxygen through out the air in order to stop players getting sleepy and calling it a night or even a day, some players will go through the night with adrenaline keeping them going until they give up the following morning. The lights, the atmosphere and the wins keep players going for longer too. Alcohol also plays an important part in it all. All traditional land based casinos will serve alcohol, in Las Vegas the actual bars also have blackjack tables at them just so that the player doesn’t have to stop even whilst ordering a drink. Waitresses adorn the casinos too so players don’t need to move away from their casino table as they pump in yet more money in the hope they may win. Players under the influence of alcohol are more likely to keep going and become more casual in their approach to placing bets than if sober. For the die hards though, Las Vegas airport even have gambling in their baggage hall. Where better to start your Vegas experience than whilst enduring the usual painful wait for your luggage to arrive!
Ultimately thought the addictiveness is down to the individual player. It is knowing when to stop or rather not stop that leads to an addiction.
