Could Gambling Legislation Affect Retail Areas?

You might have seen recent Supreme Court rulings that have started to allow online gambling operations. Did you know that this actually has a key impact on traditional shopping zones? Not just online gambling, but land based gambling can play a big role as well. Look at how much shopping there is in Las Vegas, it sites alongside gambling and eating and watching shows as the main things to do in that town. So how could a loosening up of gambling legislation, or even a tightening, affect things? In this article, we're going to have a look.

Look for more multi-spaces

Times are changing from when an area would just be a shopping area. Nowadays, people want more than that from their retail spaces. They want somewhere to shop, but also eat, and enjoy themselves. That's why shopping areas have been building cinemas in malls for ages. Well if you're allowed to build casinos and other betting spaces, this could happen, too. 

In a lot of places where casinos are already allowed, you can see the merging of shopping and gambling. In the aforementioned Las Vegas, you have to walk through casino floors to get to shops. While that might not be what happens in your local mall, you could very much see casinos added to the side of things for multi-entertainment spaces.

Places like London Stratford WestField already have a casino. It's mostly a shopping area, but not just a shopping area. Casinos can actually attract more potential people to the retail and entertainment space.

More incentives

Online casinos and betting sites have long been using incentives to get people through their virtual doors. You can see things like this when you look at bonuses and other free bet offers on sites like nostrabet.com/en/. It's an easy way to get people to do business, free money.

The principle for this is based on "comping" that land-based casinos have used for decades. Only the incentive for these was never as clear. You MIGHT get a free night in a hotel or a free meal if you bet and/or lost enough, but these incentives were never clear.

Now, with online gambling making big use of such tools, traditional retail entertainment spaces are catching up. And it's a lot easier to offer incentives to someone in a retail space with shops and restaurants than just an out of town casino. Loyalty and promo points can now be earned when you gamble that can then be used in the nearby retail space.

Entertainment areas want people to be happy and be spending money. A casino is just one part of this. One thing that gambling-prevalent countries like the UK has seen is more betting shops in high streets. You might think this is moving away from the growth of online gambling, but it's actually tied in with it. You can pick up winnings from these stores and then spend them in the nearby shops. Shopping areas also change with the time. Certain stores like those selling video games and other items might have moved online, where new shops and other markets have taken their place. You might think gambling is moving online, but some people still want traditional betting shops. These have seen growth in areas where they're allowed.

Basically, the growth of gambling will have an impact on retail areas. Maybe more people will want live sport so they can follow the bet they've made? Maybe opening hours will need to be changed or wi-fi options improved. Some States are still resisting more prevalent gambling laws, but these can help offer citizens the choice they want while also providing jobs and tax income.