Land-Based Vs Online Gambling In Yorkshire
The UK has a thriving gambling industry. There are approximately 150 casinos, many of which offer live poker. Most towns and cities have at least one bookmaker, for sports betting and especially betting on horse racing.
As well as being able to find slot machines and video slots in casinos, variants can be found in pubs, bars, restaurants, sports venues, and even some cafes across the country. The online gambling industry is also well regulated with players being able to opt for casinos licensed in the UK or overseas alternatives.
While a lot of betting activity is centred around major cities, with the largest collection being found in London, you can also find a generous selection of venues up North in Yorkshire. Below, we look at the online and physical gambling opportunities in God’s own country.
Casinos
Like the rest of the UK, Yorkshire has access to a wealth of online casinos. There are approximately 175 licensed UK casinos as well as thousands of offshore casino facilities offering services to UK players. Offshore casinos offer a broad range of options that include additional game types, Bitcoin transactions, and fast payouts, leading to many players choosing these alternative facilities (source: https://www.instantcasino.com/en).
Physical casinos in the UK are typically found in major cities. In Yorkshire, there are casinos located in cities including Leeds, Sheffield, and even Scarborough. The UK government has recently made moves to further open up the online casino industry to allow for the inclusion of more gambling machines as well as other gambling options. Victoria Gate Casino in Leeds is the largest casino in the North of England and Scotland and is known as the Super Casino of the North. It has more than 20 table games, nearly 200 electronic roulette machines, and hundreds of slot machines.
Poker
Online poker is also a common pastime in the UK. It is estimated there are just over a quarter of a million active online poker players in the UK. The most popular variant of poker is Texas Hold ‘Em, which overtook Seven-Card Stud, which itself took over from Three-Card Brag.
Poker is not as popular in the UK as it is in some other countries like the US, and high-stakes games are only permitted in casino halls, which means card rooms and poker rooms are rarely found anywhere. Similarly, while some groups do get together to play in homes across Yorkshire, other card games like Bridge and Whist remain popular. Opera House Casino in Scarborough holds regular Texas Hold ‘Em poker tournaments.
Slot Machines
Slot machines have come a long way since their invention in the late 19th Century. Traditional machines had single win lines and no additional features. Modern machines can have dozens of win lines, variable stakes, and a host of additional features, as well as progressive jackpots. Progressive jackpots can reach millions of pounds, although it is rare for them to reach quite this level. Slots are one of the most popular features at online casinos, where players can find machines in every genre and of every type. Virtually every online casino offers slot machines because they make up the bread and butter of a gambling site’s revenue.
In Yorkshire, you not only find slot machines in casinos, but you can find low-value machines in bars, pubs, restaurants, snooker halls, and even in some cafes. Arcades and piers also commonly feature coin-operated slots. The size of the jackpot and stake physical machines are allowed to offer is determined by the type of venue. While most pubs and bars can only offer maximum jackpots of £100, casinos can offer £10,000 jackpots with some progressive jackpots allowed to reach £20,000.
Horse Racing
Horse racing is one of the UK’s most popular pastimes, and horse racing betting originated in the UK in the early 17th Century. Online betting opportunities provide punters with more statistics, live coverage of races, and a wealth of complicated and alternative bets. Like the rest of the UK gambling market, online horse racing betting is regulated in the UK and there are many sports betting companies licensed in the country.
Approximately 10,000 races every year across 59 racetracks. Nine of these courses are found in Yorkshire and races occur on around 180 days of the year. York’s Ebor Festival, held in August every year, is the county’s biggest horse racing meeting. Bookmakers also operate in virtually every town and city, and can still be found on most streets, despite the increase in popularity of online horse racing wagering.
Greyhound Racing
Greyhound racing has fallen out of favour a little in recent years, but despite originating in California, coursing and, subsequently, greyhound racing, became especially popular in the UK. Like horse racing, greyhound betting is popular online. With minimal TV coverage of races, online betting on greyhounds is especially popular and most sites that offer horse racing also offer betting on these events.
Bookmakers take bets on horse racing, and despite the closure of a lot of greyhound race tracks, there are still 20 greyhound race tracks across the country. Doncaster Stadium in Doncaster, Kinsley Stadium in Kinsley, and Owlerton Stadium in Sheffield still offer live racing and greyhound betting in Yorkshire.
Other Sports Betting
As well as casinos and racing, the UK offers a host of other betting opportunities. The National Lottery is played by millions of people every week, with tickets and results available online, and online bingo is a popular pastime with many players. Punters love to place bets on football, rugby, and cricket, which are the favourite sports in the county, and online bookmakers run regular promotions and special bet options.
Bingo is also popular at physical bingo halls, and remains very popular in Yorkshire. Mecca Bingo in Leeds is a large hall that offers food and drink as well as regular themed games. You can also find bookmakers inside sports stadiums, including at the MKM Stadium, Elland Road, and the Riverside Stadium in Hull, Leeds, and Middlesborough respectively.
