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Topic: Why Gambling Operators Did Not Opted for .casino Domain Name (Read 280 times)

hero member
Activity: 3080
Merit: 603
There is a commonality that most websites should be '.com' and if it's not a .com seen by a normie that just casually uses the internet. They won't visit that. I think that's the psychology behind that why most casinos still uses the .com because that's the purpose of it, a commercialized domain. And it will continue to be passed on as long as it's a business and an enterprise, we'll typically going to see .com. Because that's the sole purpose of that domain but casinos can opt for that .casino as a back up or mirror.
hero member
Activity: 2646
Merit: 582
Leading Crypto Sports Betting & Casino Platform
The fact that it is a casino doesn't necessarily mean that they have to use ".casino" As domain. Using that domain does not make the casino to be special in any way and because they have always prefer the old choice (.com) which is very easy for people, I feel that's why they continue to use it.
Actually, this makes them special because I never saw a casino that has this domain extension yet. It is not the domain extension is what makes easy for people I believe but it is the domain name. I mean even if they have that dot com extension but their site name goes like> 'cvdhfebfcbpa...' , it will still be hard for the people to remember them, not unless if they will simply bookmark it.

I think as of now, it was only the school and academic websites are the ones that use an appropriate domain extension which was dot edu (.edu). Even though this domain extension is already common for them but I heard that it was still expensive. Ah well, I guess it is because buyers of it has enough budget and also most are backed by the government.
legendary
Activity: 3276
Merit: 3537
Nec Recisa Recedit
I don't think that domain is still making a difference. Its from a while I am not seeing people advertising "premium name" or "premium domains"..
There are big casino/gambling houses that have ALL possible domain on their websites...
Probably they noe thtat this is an expensive thing to do without any real advantage.
hero member
Activity: 2758
Merit: 675
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Probably because of how other domains are already well known? We all know about .com. It's pretty much a trusted and reliable domain by all, and would probably appeal as a legitimate website compared to say websites that end with .xyz .abc or even .casino, regardless of how it's connected with, well, casino. Unless some central authority makes it a required domain name for casinos, we probably won't see any uses for it anytime soon.

And marketing wise as well, you'd almost always want a domain that's recognizeable by people and .com provides that more than any other domain name. At least in the concept of services (since tech technically uses .io sometimes).
legendary
Activity: 1204
Merit: 1005
Because if they use .casino domain name, it will make them obvious.

Countries who not allow gambling, not allow online casino or not allow unauthorized online casino will be easier to restrict against these sites. They only need to ban "casino" keyword, then the citizen will not able to access it.

There are many casinos are using very random domain in order to not get caught.

This is one of the main reasons for giving .com domains instead of using .casino, they will be easily detected and blocked by many countries that prohibit gambling operations or without a license and so on, domains with .com are more commonly used and rarely detected or they require more effort to search for blocking, the rest is like what Sanitough said.
sr. member
Activity: 2632
Merit: 259
I think they want to bring some professionalism and make their platform not look like that cheap, untrustful gambling site. Extensions of .com,.net, and even .io are more recognized and better trusted by the public, many users associate these kinds of extensions with established or legitimate businesses, while some.casino domains come off as too niche for non-tech-savvy gamblers.
I do not think it looks cheap but it can be confusing. If their names has the word casino in it already but then their domain name is still .casino, it can get double. Besides that, these casinos probably think of how the search engines may display their website and domain names that are common are likely to come out on top.
Quote
I don't have knowledge about websites SEO but it tells that .com feels more legit and shows a reputable gambling platform. In my experience in buying domains, i do feel more bullish to those who spends with a good and expensive domain, a small factor but still plays a huge part in marketing.
I agree. It is a show of functionality as well. When doing business, you want to spend as little as possible but you can't also deprive your business of quality.
legendary
Activity: 3346
Merit: 1134
Leading Crypto Sports Betting & Casino Platform
Probably easier to find.
When you type in Google "stake", the first one on the list will be stake.com because of sponsorship. But I highly doubt it will be on the top if they chose ".casino".
Next to the list are Merriam-Webster, Reddit, and Dictionary websites.
Why didn't Stake.games come out first? Or Stake.us? It was not even on the 2nd and 3rd page of the Google search which is the most widely used search engine. I think the ".com" thing will help gamblers find their way to the gambling site easier than using the one you mentioned.
legendary
Activity: 2576
Merit: 1229
I think the answer is simply, many people are used to domains that belongs to their country and to .com. Everything else they find suspicious or consider a website on unpopular domain to have cheap context (sites located on free hosting rarely are great designed or have good context). When it comes about money, if I saw something with .casino domain I would first make a search if it is legit. When something starts with hesitation, it usually dont end well or it rarely becomes a thing of common use.
copper member
Activity: 2800
Merit: 1179
Leading Crypto Sports Betting & Casino Platform
Domain name is not that a big deal anymore while .com is still the most popular since its commonly use by popular websites. Also it will cause a conflict in case they secure .casino domain while they can’t buy the .com counterpart especially if their brand became popular.

In the end, they will still need to acquire .com and other popular domain just to secure their brand website.
hero member
Activity: 2520
Merit: 783
Out of curiosity, I checked Namecheap domain search and, out of curiosity, I checked if they are selling a.casino domain and yes, they are selling it not only Namecheap but also Godaddy, but I wonder why these casino owners do not prefer this.casino domain since the domain is perceived as a casino platform instead they opted for.io,.com,.net, or other domain extensions. I seldom see a.casino domain when its cheaper than all these extensions

I wonder what's the reason.

You can check it here https://www.namecheap.com/domains/registration/results/?domain=abcd.casino



Maybe because of this reason.

Price
People usually use the domain they usually know safe for them
Regulation matters
Popularity of those domain names.

I guess this is just simple reasons on why casino owners select that. But we don't actually know the real situation comes up on the  minds of casino owners since maybe they have personal preferences or choices that's why they come up with those names they present to public.
legendary
Activity: 2912
Merit: 6403
Blackjack.fun
Because the domain extension and the domain name itself have become less and less important since the mobile age started.
SEO as some say is becoming irrelevant, nobody is searching for "casino" lol, most of them find out about it from ads, then the whole thing about the name, look around you, almost no casino has the "casino" in it, you would rather have a weird name and a .com domain than casino.casino.

Plus, there is the thing about the domain owners, at least with .com and io you have a trusted manager and a country, with most .guru .casino .money it's a company that has acquired the right that might at any point cancel your domain and good luck battling with it some god forbidden jurisdiction where they operate while your business is destroyed!


sr. member
Activity: 546
Merit: 265
Probably could be that they want to make it matured not being that they are they want to show what they are by their identities rather whoever that to learn about the domain should visit their casino sites.

So I don't think they would just consider preferring a sparkling name that may attract people to visit their domains rather than just making it obvious in bearing a casino related name.
hero member
Activity: 854
Merit: 554
Leading Crypto Sports Betting & Casino Platform
The fact that it is a casino doesn't necessarily mean that they have to use ".casino" As domain. Using that domain does not make the casino to be special in any way and because they have always prefer the old choice (.com) which is very easy for people, I feel that's why they continue to use it.
copper member
Activity: 3010
Merit: 1284
https://linktr.ee/crwthopia
Maybe some established gambling operators have been able to get that. Still, if they are doing their initial casino launching, it will usually be a .com because it is easy to remember. It would be best if you started from that, in my opinion. I guess it's good to point out that, but it's not a necessary thing.
sr. member
Activity: 1260
Merit: 429

I wonder what's the reason.


From what I know, .com domains are much more attractive and appealing and have higher marketability compared to .casino domains. Especially in Google search, usually the .com domain is much better for SEO compared to similar domains, because the .com domain has been widely used for commercial activities and the designation is much better than other types of domains. And also people are still not familiar with the .casino domain, it seems not credible and reliable, that's why casinos prefer to use other domain names but on the .com domain compared to good domain names but on the .casino domain or other new gTLDs.
hero member
Activity: 2604
Merit: 816
🐺Spinarium.com🐺 - iGaming casino
When a domain use .com, that can increase the prestige of that site especially if the domain name is easy to remember. That will be good for SEO for the site. If a casino use .casino, many countries that prohibit will directly ban their site for their citizens. If that is happen, the site can not develop their site and have many members.

Casino wants to have a good branded for their company so with .com, they will slowly popular among the other casinos. Besides that, with a .com for their domain name can also gives trust for their members. If they can also gives the best services to them, that will grow their casino to bigger.
hero member
Activity: 510
Merit: 574
Top-tier crypto casino and sportsbook
I wonder what's the reason.

why would they pick .casino over .com or .gg or .bet? .casino is not a brand friendly extension at all, i would not use it even if they give to me for free. (the renewal price is a rip off)
and it would do an operator more harm than any benefits they have (can't think of a single one) over other TLDs, and gTLD extensions often have a low trust score and are commonly associated with spam, phishing and viewed as shady by most people.

.com is king on the internet, brands pay $$$$$$ for a good name. just check this list: https://namebio.com/top-100-domain-name-sales-2024
legendary
Activity: 1162
Merit: 2025
Leading Crypto Sports Betting & Casino Platform
Out of curiosity, I checked Namecheap domain search and, out of curiosity, I checked if they are selling a.casino domain and yes, they are selling it not only Namecheap but also Godaddy, but I wonder why these casino owners do not prefer this.casino domain since the domain is perceived as a casino platform instead they opted for.io,.com,.net, or other domain extensions. I seldom see a.casino domain when its cheaper than all these extensions

I wonder what's the reason.

You can check it here https://www.namecheap.com/domains/registration/results/?domain=abcd.casino



I believe it is mostly because of the internet culture and the popularity which has always existed to .com/.net domains, when compared to other domains which just recently surged in these lastest years as options for casino operators and casino staff to opt for, if you are someone who was born in the 90s and remember how internet was in the early 2000s, then the general perceptions it that .com/net domains have more "value" or legitimacy than other type of domains which could also serve to host exactly the same service.
Also, keep in mind casinos are highly profitable businesses and keeping their classic domains by paying an extra should not be a problem to them, of anything, they will take this extra .casino domains and use turn them into mirrors to their main domains and services...
legendary
Activity: 1526
Merit: 1359
Quote
Also, consider this: lets say someone told you to "go to Roobet casino's website." Which address would you try first in your browser if you do not know the exact domain name?
Most times Google won't even allow you complete type before it displays the globe sign, showing you could click and be taken to the site you're searching once the site is on. I think it's a resultant effect of what's often searched. Remember that a few years ago, even DOT io wasn't that popular generally. It used to be DOT com and DOT net. Perhaps, one day DOT casino will also become the sought after domain by casinos.

Perhaps. But unless the same company also owns a .com domain, I dont think it makes much sense to buy a .casino domain right now. Traditional top-level domains like .com and .net still hold significant weight in terms of brand recognition and user trust.  While .casino domains might gain popularity, it is unlikely to surpass the dominance of these established top-level domains anytime soon.
hero member
Activity: 1974
Merit: 502
Vave.com - Crypto Casino
If I'm a gambling operator, I will never use the domain extension.casino, the word is banned on many platforms that you want to promote, and its too obvious that its a gambling platform. Operators want people to perceive their casino as entertainment or a gaming platform, so they adopt the domain extension.IO or net because it connotes a technology platform that is embraced by many players.

So it means that gambling operation was too shady about it regarding domain name, and it's not guaranteed that they're in compliance with regulations and not all of them done it legally if I'm not mistaken mate.
Gambling operators still had an option to comply with government's regulations because of this domain concerns. Well, that so deep to tackle with and whether it's obvious or not I believed gambling still exists no matter how the restriction became so tight for this type of platform.
legendary
Activity: 2716
Merit: 1225
Once a man, twice a child!
The price you saw on NameCheap is only for the first year of the domain. The renewal price for .casino domains is usually over $200 per year as far as I know.
Perhaps, lowering the price for the first year is a ploy to hoodwink new users and drag them in to face the real thing. It's like what sites do with their ToS, intentionally hiding the problematic/grey areas in tiny prints or often extending them in verbosity. That's deceit.

Quote
Also, consider this: lets say someone told you to "go to Roobet casino's website." Which address would you try first in your browser if you do not know the exact domain name?
Most times Google won't even allow you complete type before it displays the globe sign, showing you could click and be taken to the site you're searching once the site is on. I think it's a resultant effect of what's often searched. Remember that a few years ago, even DOT io wasn't that popular generally. It used to be DOT com and DOT net. Perhaps, one day DOT casino will also become the sought after domain by casinos.
hero member
Activity: 2716
Merit: 904
I don't have knowledge about websites SEO but it tells that .com feels more legit and shows a reputable gambling platform. In my experience in buying domains, i do feel more bullish to those who spends with a good and expensive domain, a small factor but still plays a huge part in marketing.
When it comes to domain names, there’s really not much difference between .com and .casino. For example, if you check the pricing at https://www.namecheap.com/domains/registration/gtld/com/, the cost of a .com domain isn’t far off from the .casino range.

So, I think it’s not about the price but more about popularity. People tend to remember .com domains more easily, and they also perform better in terms of SEO, making them a preferred choice.
legendary
Activity: 1834
Merit: 1010
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I think they want to bring some professionalism and make their platform not look like that cheap, untrustful gambling site. Extensions of .com,.net, and even .io are more recognized and better trusted by the public, many users associate these kinds of extensions with established or legitimate businesses, while some.casino domains come off as too niche for non-tech-savvy gamblers.

I don't have knowledge about websites SEO but it tells that .com feels more legit and shows a reputable gambling platform. In my experience in buying domains, i do feel more bullish to those who spends with a good and expensive domain, a small factor but still plays a huge part in marketing.

sr. member
Activity: 294
Merit: 433
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I wonder what's the reason.
one of the reasons is proabably because those domians extensions that you mentioned are very well known and is already established and when people see it they automaticaly see it in a positive light unlike other domain extentions. just to be clear, I am not saying that just because a casino uses .com, .io, .net or other popular domain extensions that people should trust them, I am just saying that people usually have a positive look on the extension domains that was mentioned because they are very popular and well known by everyone.
Sometimes we wonder if casinos using .casino or .xyz domains are legitimate? Like to think like that, don't you?
Unlike popular domains in general, we have no doubts about it.

Obviously the reason for all that we don't know only the casino operator knows, but behind the casino choosing a domain that is already popular I think the explanation from other friends here makes sense.
legendary
Activity: 1526
Merit: 1359
~

The price you saw on NameCheap is only for the first year of the domain. The renewal price for .casino domains is usually over $200 per year as far as I know. Although I dont think thats a lot of money for popular casinos, it still doesnt make sense to pay more, especially when COM, NET, and other well-known top-level domains are much cheaper (around $10/year, if Im not mistaken).

Also, consider this: lets say someone told you to "go to Roobet casino's website." Which address would you try first in your browser if you do not know the exact domain name? Exactly! While new TLDs may sound cool, old TLDs are still more common and popular.
legendary
Activity: 3416
Merit: 1225
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If I'm a gambling operator, I will never use the domain extension.casino, the word is banned on many platforms that you want to promote, and its too obvious that its a gambling platform. Operators want people to perceive their casino as entertainment or a gaming platform, so they adopt the domain extension.IO or net because it connotes a technology platform that is embraced by many players.
sr. member
Activity: 616
Merit: 281
 .casino is a really cool domain name. As we have .gov .tv casinos should employ the  .casino domain name. I can try to guess a reason why they choose not to use this. One of the guesses is that the  .casino domain name is limiting. If they choose to expand and offer other services it will not fit in the  .casino domain name.

A Centralized casino that wants to move to decentralized casino or render polymarket like prediction could become problematic with the  .casino domain name. We can never tell the future directions of these casinos therefore it is better to play it safe.
legendary
Activity: 1568
Merit: 1139
Top-tier crypto casino and sportsbook
I wonder what's the reason.
Not every internet user will be familiar with using Dot Casino. Internet users are more familiar with dot com and dot io.

If a casino decides to use only dot casino as its domain name, many gamblers who are visiting the site for the first time and mistakenly put dot com will be redirected elsewhere and may be discouraged from wanting to come back to try the correct domain name. This is why it is important that your site is accessible even from the first click, hence the reason for more importance placed on dot com and dot io.

There are also casinos that do not just offer gambling services, like Betfury; using the dot casino domain name on such a casino limits the scope of what people are to expect when they visit the site. It paints the picture that it is only gambling that is done on the platform.
sr. member
Activity: 2618
Merit: 439
I wonder what's the reason.
The only reason I can think of is because other domain names are the common ones and most used. .io for example is what is common to a lot of people and therefore they are most likely to already expect a website with this domain name. If they see a casino with this domain name, they might be more confident that the website is a legit one.

I tried searching if there is some domain name requirement for casinos but found nothing so it seems like this is the only reason we can find.
legendary
Activity: 1358
Merit: 1565
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Like other said it's all about SEO .com domains is most recognized domain extension and most of the .com are always on the top rankings on the search engine.

Yes, I also think this is the reason.

Generally in online businesses, .com, .net and .io are common and that will be the reason just like some people posted.

As far as I remember, the most common are .com and .io. Although if we talk about the bigger houses, they have opted for .com and I think that's for SEO optimisation and that's it. Duelbits.com, Stake.com and Metawin.com are some of the examples.
legendary
Activity: 2562
Merit: 1119
I wonder what's the reason.
one of the reasons is proabably because those domians extensions that you mentioned are very well known and is already established and when people see it they automaticaly see it in a positive light unlike other domain extentions. just to be clear, I am not saying that just because a casino uses .com, .io, .net or other popular domain extensions that people should trust them, I am just saying that people usually have a positive look on the extension domains that was mentioned because they are very popular and well known by everyone.
legendary
Activity: 1512
Merit: 4795
Leading Crypto Sports Betting & Casino Platform
Because if they use .casino domain name, it will make them obvious.

Countries who not allow gambling, not allow online casino or not allow unauthorized online casino will be easier to restrict against these sites. They only need to ban "casino" keyword, then the citizen will not able to access it.
I do not think this is the reason because those well reputed gambling sites prefer to restrict people from restricted countries or location from gambling. Generally in online businesses, .com, .net and .io are common and that will be the reason just like some people posted.
hero member
Activity: 2800
Merit: 595
https://www.betcoin.ag
I believe it's because the aforementioned are quite popular and most searched.
.com for example isn't limited to just a Casino
It could be used for any other businesses, it may be to serve as an option.
I know price isn't everything but there's a reason why a. Casino is cheaper while the others are more expensive
I believe. Casino is too specific and limited.

I tried reading some pages I found it says the .casino extension is considered a specialized top-level domain (TLD) but I'm not sure how it would affect the SEO for its promotion on search engines but most gamblers and people today are just ignoring the top search results on google, it doesn't much effect anymore whether a casino has specialized domain.

Most gamblers today just know how to find reliable casinos without having to rely on search results. What casinos would possibly do is buy their extension and redirect the traffic to the main .com site.
legendary
Activity: 3514
Merit: 3253
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There are some reasons why they prefer to use other domain extension than using .casino domain extension.

Like other said it's all about SEO .com domains is most recognized domain extension and most of the .com are always on the top rankings on the search engine.

Another reason is the renewal fee for .casino domains are pretty expensive compared to other domain extension.
New casinos prefer to use .com domain because is cheaper than any of special extension like .casino domain.
hero member
Activity: 714
Merit: 1298
Out of curiosity, I checked Namecheap domain search and, out of curiosity, I checked if they are selling a.casino domain and yes, they are selling it not only Namecheap but also Godaddy, but I wonder why these casino owners do not prefer this.casino domain since the domain is perceived as a casino platform instead they opted for.io,.com,.net, or other domain extensions. I seldom see a.casino domain when its cheaper than all these extensions

I think it would make a sense solely for new casinos to register their name  in .casino domain. The old casinos may loose their brand awareness  should they move there. Besides .com is less obvious for those entities who devoted themselves to the  fight with casinos' activity thus gambling business  may prefer to be on the low profile to not attract attention of such adversaries.
hero member
Activity: 3178
Merit: 579
Its not a good idea it will restrict their promoters and their affiliates to where they can promote the casino, because social medias are banning the word that closely associated to gambling so if they use the domain casino the system will track them and ban their promoters, this is the reason why they choose other domains extensions to hide the nature of their platform.
hero member
Activity: 1190
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Livecasino.io
If I were into a competitive industry like the casino business I would not want to do anything that would be a competitive disadvantage for me and my business. I see the . casino domain as a competitive disadvantage. This is aside the other obvious reasons already stated by other members. If it is not popular, I don't want to be the first person to start it. We should dig into this to see if other casinos had tested this in the past and how it turned out for them.
legendary
Activity: 3318
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Playbet.io - Crypto Casino and Sportsbook
I tried checking out the top casinos and came across an article, though I don’t entirely agree with its rankings. What I noticed is that none of them use a .casino domain, most are either .com or .io. I think this is not just because .casino domains aren’t popular, but also due to regulatory issues. A domain with “casino” in it could easily be blocked if filtered by authorities.

I think that's just how it is, what’s important is that we enjoy playing in the most reputable casinos.

Personally, if I see a casino using a .casino domain, I might think it’s a bit cheap.
sr. member
Activity: 518
Merit: 433
Playbet.io - Crypto Casino and Sportsbook
I believe it's because the aforementioned are quite popular and most searched.
.com for example isn't limited to just a Casino
It could be used for any other businesses, it may be to serve as an option.
I know price isn't everything but there's a reason why a. Casino is cheaper while the others are more expensive
I believe. Casino is too specific and limited.
hero member
Activity: 1540
Merit: 606
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Out of curiosity, I checked Namecheap domain search and, out of curiosity, I checked if they are selling a.casino domain and yes, they are selling it not only Namecheap but also Godaddy, but I wonder why these casino owners do not prefer this.casino domain since the domain is perceived as a casino platform instead they opted for.io,.com,.net, or other domain extensions. I seldom see a.casino domain when its cheaper than all these extensions

I wonder what's the reason.

You can check it here https://www.namecheap.com/domains/registration/results/?domain=abcd.casino



Probably because .com and .io are still considered as appealing and gives a premium on casino website compared to the .casino. Until now, I don’t see any casino that use .casino domain even on their mirror link probably due to lack of appeal.

Besides, gamblers don’t consider anymore the domain as top priority for choosing the casino. It’s the bonuses and other rewards is the most important thing to consider nowadays when choosing the casino.

Before during early days of crypto domain is always being considered since there’s no other thing to rely since casino operates anonymously without license but right now almost all casino has license to that gives reassurance to user.
legendary
Activity: 1890
Merit: 1210
Because if they use .casino domain name, it will make them obvious.

Countries who not allow gambling, not allow online casino or not allow unauthorized online casino will be easier to restrict against these sites. They only need to ban "casino" keyword, then the citizen will not able to access it.

There are many casinos are using very random domain in order to not get caught.
hero member
Activity: 2954
Merit: 719
It’s probably due to the optimization of SEO performance because a .com domain is more popular and adds credibility to their casino. If you look at the most popular casinos in the crypto world, they’re using .com since it’s widely recognized and easier for people to search.

On the other hand, using .casino as a domain might not be as effective for advertising. Some people might immediately dismiss it just because they associate casinos with wasting money. However, if the ads catch their interest first, and they later find out it’s a casino after being convinced by the rewards , it might change their perspective.
hero member
Activity: 3108
Merit: 616
Leading Crypto Sports Betting & Casino Platform
Out of curiosity, I checked Namecheap domain search and, out of curiosity, I checked if they are selling a.casino domain and yes, they are selling it not only Namecheap but also Godaddy, but I wonder why these casino owners do not prefer this.casino domain since the domain is perceived as a casino platform instead they opted for.io,.com,.net, or other domain extensions. I seldom see a.casino domain when its cheaper than all these extensions

I wonder what's the reason.

You can check it here https://www.namecheap.com/domains/registration/results/?domain=abcd.casino

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