Looking at the Northernmost parts of Europe, we think of gorgeous landscapes, Northern Lights and the fact that the days are insanely long in summer and insanely short in winter. Almost eternal night time can get to your mental health and thus, Scandinavian people are always trying to find distractions and entertainment.
Some of those distractions can be online casinos as well and it is no huge surprise that Nordic players are a hot commodity for the online gambling industry. In a 2014 survey, for example, Finns were found to come in at 4th place when it came to money spent on gambling per year. But why do Nordic people enjoy online casinos this much? Let’s find out.
Convenient access
When it comes to brick-and-mortar casinos, some of the Nordic countries are not exactly spoilt for choice. Take Finland for example. There is currently only one land-based casino in mainland Finland and that is located in the capital Helsinki.
A second one will be opened this year in Tampere and we don’t want to forget about the small casino in Mariehamn, the capital of the Aland Islands. But that is it. And while Helsinki is the city with the most inhabitants, Finland is bigger than you’d think and not everyone has easy access to the capital.
This is where online casinos shine. Players have access to them from the comfort of their own home. There is no dress code and an online casino, or “netticasinot” in Finnish, can be accessed at any time of night or day.
Bonus offers abound
Another advantage of online casinos is the bonuses that are offered to the players. Online Casinos always try to outdo each other with ever better offers to attract and keep players.
Land-based casinos often can only hope to compete with maybe a complimentary drink included with an entrance fee.
But at online casinos, players can not only benefit from generous welcome packages to boost deposits. There is a whole plethora of possibilities when it comes to bonuses at online casinos. From free spins and deposit bonuses over cashback and reload bonuses all the way to exclusive VIP offers, the imagination of the operators rarely knows any bounds.
And Nordic people are surely not the only ones to appreciate this little perk of the online gambling industry.
Avoiding the monopoly
Most Nordic countries operate their gambling industry on a state monopoly. In Finland, this lies with Veikkaus Oy in mainland Finland, while the Aland islands are regulated by a betting company called PAF.
Veikkaus doesn’t only operate the land-based casino in Helsinki, but also an online betting site and hundreds of slot machines in public spaces all over Finland. Admirably, they use most of their profits to avoid problem gambling and to promote the well-being of Finland’s youth with the help of sports and culture.
But they’re still a monopoly and especially online, there are so many more options, that most Finns won’t hesitate to benefit from.
A bigger game collection
Only having a limited number of land-based casinos leads to a smaller number of games to choose from. And while slot machines can be found all over, table games are restricted to brick-and-mortar casinos.
At online casinos, players can choose from a wide variety of table games and play them against a computer or even with actual human live dealers and other real players, all from the comfort of their own homes or even on the go on their mobile devices.
You won’t find an online casino that only offers four tables. Usually, you can choose any number of different roulette, poker or blackjack variations in their live casino lobby, so there should be something for every player’s preferences.
Jackpot hunters on the move
Nordic people also just love a good fat jackpot slot. The most popular slot in Norway has been Jackpot 6000 for who knows how many years.
Nordic players are notorious jackpot hunters and online casinos offer the best selection to choose from. Online, players can choose between local and global jackpots and they can always see, which jackpot is especially full and about to payout.
This gives online casinos a clear edge, as the selection of jackpots is also just so much bigger there than in the land-based competitors.