The so-called iGaming industry has been around for a couple of decades now. The first online casinos were established in the 1990s, and ever since, they’ve been growing in popularity. Their emergence has also led to an increased interest in gambling as a whole, as statistics show.
But, what do online casinos, or gambling as a whole, have to do with motorcycles, and motorcycle culture? Well, some might be surprised to learn that many casinos take huge inspiration from motorcycles and biking culture. Indeed, plenty of casinos do their best to appeal to bikers.
Online Slots And Bikers
When it comes to popularity, online slots are, by far, the biggest game at online casinos. Reels and wheels truly get the blood pumping. But what is the connection between online slots and bikers? Well, believe it or not, there really is one.
A lot of online slots take inspiration from various walks of life. From cinema to video games to the supernatural. One of the most popular subcultures that online slot developers take inspiration from is biking. Slots with a biker theme are plentiful, you can find many of them at online casinos.
Online casinos make gambling a lot easier. First of all, they accept a variety of payment methods. For example, Mastercard Casinos are easy to access, and often host a variety of games, including ones with motorbike themes. As the category suggests, they also accept MasterCard-based payments, making depositing and withdrawing easy.
But, lest you think online slots are the only ones that take inspiration from biking, let us look at land-based games that are just as inspired by the subculture.
Land-based Slots And Bikers
Much like their younger counter-parts, land-based slots often appeal to different subcultures as well. You get martial arts-inspired titles for fans of MMA and Kung Fu movies, Asian tags for those fascinated by different cultures, and motorbike-inspired games for the biker in the crowd.
We’ve come a long way since the days of the fruit machine. Themed-slots is the culmination of 100+ years of slot machine history. The new direction seems to be working, as gambling is now more popular than it ever has been.
Of course, that shouldn’t surprise anyone. Most people like what they like and want to see them represented in popular media. Whether that be films about bikers or casino games themed around bikers. Speaking of cinema, though…
Cinematic Links
Biker culture really took off in the 1980s. It was a decade when the hero was flipped on his head. Protagonists in cinema became smooth-talking, rough-around-the-edges, morally grey anti-heroes. What better visual aesthetic for this, then a leather jacket, and a motorcycle?
Films consistently took inspiration from biker culture. We see this in the aesthetic of many of the biggest films of the 80s and early 90s. Think things like Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Black Rain, or even the cyberpunk future of Blade Runner.
So plentiful were these films that the very trope itself has grown into a cliché. To the point that, if in 2023 we see a character with bike glasses and a leather jacket, we expect him to turn out to be the hero at the end.
But what does all this have to do with gambling? Well, plenty of biker characters in films are shown to gamble. Whether they spin slots, roulette, or go a round of blackjack. Of course, the most popular game that film bikers always play is poker, the undisputed king of gambling games.
But, is there any truth to the idea that bikers like to gamble more than non-bikers? Well, that we can’t say. While gambling and biker culture are intertwined, there is no study to suggest that bikers, on average, gamble more than non-bikers.
Land-based Casinos
Land-based casinos have consistently done their best to appeal to bikers. From an aesthetics perspective, plenty of land-based casinos embrace the aesthetics associated with motorbikes. You wouldn’t be hard-pressed to find casinos that use the steel hogs as symbols.
A lot of gambling establishments are not above using sex appeal to attract an audience. Drawings of leather-clad women and geared-up hunks may decorate the casino exterior, attracting both the male and female bikers that just happen to be passing by.
Of course, within these establishments, you will almost certainly find slot machines that take heavy inspiration from biking culture. However, we already discussed those above.
Sports Betting
The final point we are looking at is the huge sports betting culture that exists within the biker subculture. Pretty much as soon as bikes were invented, racing with them became a popular pastime. Now, motor-races are some of the most popular events in the world of auto-racing.
In many people’s eyes, sports betting is another form of gambling. Though some may take umbrage with the claim, it is a fair thing to postulate. After all, much like many gambling games, sports betting relies on analysis, research, and quite some luck.
If you know a lot about motorcycles, you naturally have an edge in the research and analysis department when it comes to betting on motor-racing. You know the best models, what makes them tick, their top speeds, and how dangerous they can get. Which means, all you need is a bit of luck.
Some motor-racing events are relatively new. Others, have endured for a long time. The following is a list of some of the most popular motor-racing events that get plenty of bettors interested.
- The Isle of Man TT: a motor race held on the Isle of Man, often considered to be the most dangerous race in the world.
- The MotoGP: the oldest motor racing event in the world, many consider the MotoGP to the the pinnacle of motorcycle racing.
- Superbike World Championship: the biggest race in the Superbike racing subcategory. This one attracts quite a lot of fans and bettors.
Ending Thoughts
The link between gambling and motorcycles goes deeper than many imagine. We hope that this article has helped you to better understand both subcultures, and find out more about how they connect and come together.
