Interview with Kimberly


Amuse: When did you gamble the first time, where and what game did you play?
Kimberly: I was 18 years old and on holiday, we visited the Wild Coast Sun for the day and I decided that because I was finally “legal” to gamble I’d have a go.  I first played slots…they looked the easiest!  Back then I didn’t care about odds and payout percentages, it was all just fun.

Amuse: Follow up on this question: Did you win?
Kimberly: YES!  R800 which was a FORTUNE to me then and paid for everything I wanted that holiday :)

Amuse: When did you gamble the first time online?
Kimberly: in 2005

Amuse: How much was your biggest win/loss?
Kimberly: My biggest win was R10000, my biggest loss R1000 which made me feel sick…I am stingy and usually stop when I am on a losing streak!  As you can see I am not a high roller by any means!

Amuse: In your views, what is the difference in gambling online an in a land based casinos?
Kimberly: In essence there is no real difference both offer pretty much the same thing, although gambling online means I can have fun  without leaving the house which is great in the winter months!  I have found that online casinos have the ability to offer a wider variety of games  (they aren’t dependant on floor space as land based casinos) and also higher payouts on certain games.  I also feel less intimidated when playing online because if I play tables I can glance at the strategy cards, the tables at land based casinos can be VERY daunting if you are learning or not a high roller, especially if you make a mistake!   I also don’t like the crowds of people hanging over my shoulder watching and critiquing my every move, I just want to have fun!  I’ve heard a lot of people comment on land based casinos being more of a social outing, and I used to agree but found that the social aspect is still there when you gamble online if you join a casino that offers tournaments and player chat.

Amuse: Do you believe casinos cheat?
Kimberly: Ummmm…no, they are audited aren’t they?  Plus the odds are usually in their favour anyway so I don’t think they have to!

Amuse: Are online casinos safe?
Kimberly: Do you get your money if you win?  That depends where you play, which is something you have to be very aware of and requires a lot of research.  If you play at reputable places you get your money if you win, if you don’t then anything can happen really.

Amuse: What are the problems South Africans are facing when they want to play online?
Kimberly: In the past I would say it was slow internet connectivity but now with high speed connections, ADSL etc. it seems pretty easy, although you have to find casinos that do offer their services to South African players, not all do for processing reasons.

Amuse: Why do online casinos have such a bad reputation?
Kimberly: I guess it’s like anything “new”, unknown and on the internet!  Remember when people said they’d never do online banking?  I was one of them!  So I think it’s largely due to the fact that people instinctively fear the unknown.  Let’s face it, online casinos could be a whole lot more transparent about where they operate out of and there should be more concrete courses of action that one could take should anything go wrong, that would make them more accessible to the public and give them peace of mind.  Another reason for the bad reputation is probably also because rogue online casinos that don’t pay, cheat or steal from players  generally get bad media coverage and those that are run professionally aren’t newsworthy so they get no mention at all and people then just generalise based on the information they do receive.

Amuse: Where do you see the future of online gambling in South Africa?
Kimberly: I’m not really sure where it will go in terms of legislation…but one thing is for sure, it is definitely catching on and I hear more and more people saying that they play online, so I am sure we’re going to see exponential growth.

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