The Reason Why Brick-And-Mortar Sportsbooks Won"t Disappear

So far 2014 hasn't been the year for brick-and-mortar gambling venues with a vast amount of casinos and other establishments having to shut-down after claiming bankruptcy, not to mention the fact that industry giants profits have shrunk during the year, yet, tangible venues shall not disappear any time soon.

Why?

First of all, the reason why brick-and-mortar sportsbooks and casinos continue to exist is because of two main reasons; one, people are still not completely convinced that gambling online is a good idea - complete nonsense, but everyone has the right to be nonsensical and take poor illogical choices based on events and technology of almost a decade ago, point at which Facebook was just launching (just as an FYI to compare the amount of time elapsed since then) - as well as the fact that virtual gaming can't recreate the experience offered by tangible venues.

Although it's quite probable that brick-and-mortar sportsbooks and casinos will have to close several locales, enough will remain for the time-being - this will result in more brands disappearing, but the strongest ones surviving - however, the long-term future can be either brilliant or extremely dark.

There are several reasons for the current financial situation of gambling establishments, the main one being that people are still struggling to survive and find jobs after the recent crisis - even if at this point more people have jobs than the registered amount before the crisis, most of these positions are paying much less, not to mention that there is a larger workforce (teens have grown since then) requiring an income - but the fact that there are mobile applications that provide an engaging activity which satisfies the same impulse as gambling is another important one.

The future of brick-and-mortar sportsbooks and casinos is not at immediate risk, but if the economy doesn't recover properly - meaning that there is less of a middle class and the breach among poor and rich continues to grow at an alarming rate - and companies don't apply proper marketing strategies to attract new customers while conserving the loyalty of existing ones, things will start to get ugly for all of them.

On the other hand, if sportsbooks and casinos start innovating and embracing change by incorporating technology in creative ways to improve brand awareness and incite prospects, as well as perceiving at least a slight improvement in the financial recovery of most of the world, they will most likely be able to continue doing business for at least another century - if managed properly they might even regain an edge in a few decades.

What do you think?

Do you expect a different reality for sportsbooks?