What has changed is where the rest of that entertainment happens. A lot of it now sits on a phone or a laptop, filling the gaps between everything else people are doing.
That change is easy to miss because nothing has really been replaced. It has just been added on. A night out still happens, but there is something happening on a screen before it, after it, and often during it. The habit now is constant access. Entertainment is always within reach, and that changes how people choose, how long they stay, and what they expect from it.
To get a clearer view of how that plays out in practice, we spoke with Alexander Korsager, Chief Gaming Officer at Casino.org. His team spends its time tracking how players move between platforms, what they look for before they commit, and how they decide where to spend their time. That is reflected in Casino.org’s guide to online casinos in Ireland, which ranks and filters platforms based on factors like game selection, reliability, and how smoothly money moves in and out.
The Shift From Shared Spaces to Always-On Entertainment
Q: Entertainment in Ireland has always been social, often tied to physical spaces. What changes when that moves onto a screen?
Alexander Korsager:
“It doesn’t stop being social, that’s the thing people get wrong. You still have those same things, just not in the same place. Instead of everyone being in the same room, they’re doing their own thing in their won time, but they’re still doing the same kind of thing at the same time.
Think about a pub. You’re there for the pint, sure, but you’re also there for what’s happening around you. The way the Guinness settles, the bit of theatre in it, the conversation that builds around it, splitting the G. That’s not gone anywhere. It just isn’t tied to one location anymore.
Now it’s a phone. It’s something you pick up, put down, come back to. The difference is that it’s always there, and that changes the pace of it.”
Digital Access Has Changed Who Participates
Q: When nearly everyone is online, does entertainment become something people dip into more casually?
Alexander Korsager:
“It becomes part of the day, that’s the difference. Not a separate event. You don’t plan it in the same way anymore. You just fit it in.
Ireland is basically fully connected at this point. There are 5.26 million internet users, which works out at 98.9% of the population, and about 4.26 million people are active on social platforms. That tells you everything you want to know about access.
Once access is that wide, behaviour changes. You don’t wait for the right time. You use what’s there when you have a few minutes. Like standing in line at the hardware store or waiting for your pint to settle. That’s where the casual side comes in.”
Technology Is Now Shaping the Experience Itself
Q: It’s not just access that’s changed, but how platforms behave. What role does technology now play in shaping the experience?
Alexander Korsager:
“It removes friction. That’s the simplest way to put it. You open something, and it’s already showing you things you’re likely to like.
Also, a lot of what’s happening now sits behind the scenes. Platforms are built to keep things moving. No delays, no confusion, no extra steps.
You can see it in how people use their phones in general. About 34% of people in Ireland check their phone at least 50 times a day, and 15% check it more than 100 times. That kind of behaviour sets the standard. Everything has to work at that pace.”
Irish Storytelling Still Finds a Way Through
Q: Ireland has always had a strong storytelling culture. Does that still show up in digital entertainment?
Alexander Korsager:
“It does, just in a different format. The delivery has changed, not the instinct behind it.
You still see the same themes coming through. Music, personality, character. The difference is that it’s not tied to a room or a stage anymore. It can travel.
Look at something like the Johnny Depp and Imelda May track honouring Shane MacGowan getting released and picked up across streaming platforms. That’s Irish storytelling reaching people who aren’t anywhere near Ireland.
That’s the big change. It’s still the same voice, just with a bigger reach.”
Where Player Expectations Are Heading Next
Q: Looking ahead, what do players now expect that they didn’t five or ten years ago?
Alexander Korsager:
“They expect everything to work straight away. That’s the baseline now.
Speed is a given. Choice is a given. Reliability is a given. If any of those fall short, people move on. There’s always another option sitting there.
That’s probably the biggest difference. It’s not about convincing people anymore. It’s about meeting the standard they already have in their heads. And that standard is set by everything else they use every day.”