Online Casino Beginners Guide

So you’ve decided to have a go and play at an online casino but don’t what to expect. Don’t worry because we are here to explain all that you need to know.

What is an online casino?

An online casino is an Internet site where you can play most of if not all casino games, such as roulette, blackjack, craps, slot machines, for real money. Most online casinos will let you play for free but the real reason to play is to win real money.

There are two kinds of online casino -

• Software Download casinos: Most online casinos offer this option whereby you download and install the casino software before you can play. Unfortunately the software is usually aimed only at windows users. Although downloads can be slow, you can download these casinos for free and play games for fun before depositing money. Usually they play faster than Non-download casinos.
• Non-download casinos: This type of casino will require you to have already downloaded Macromedia Flash. However, casino download time is very fast and the graphics on a flash casino can be excellent.

Some casinos offer both options. There is no difference between Download and Non-Download casinos, it’s really a matter of preference for the player whether they wish to install the casino software on there own PC or play the Flash version.

If you are worried about what would happen if you lost your internet connection then don’t. You won’t lose your chips or your current bet. Casino software is quite sophisticated as your account status and the games state is constantly monitored so if you were to suddenly lose your internet connection or your PC crashes all you have to do is log back into the casino and you will be returned to the last state of play. You will not lose any money.

Where are Online casinos located?

Most online casinos are generally licensed in the country they are in and have to report to the local government to some extent. Antigua, St. Kitts, Grenada, Curacao, Dominican Republican and Gibraltar are just a few countries that license them.

The reason these small countries allow online casino operators to set up is because it can help boost their local economy. It is usually cheaper for tax reasons plus in many countries such as the United States, it is actually illegal to set up an online casino. Companies pay anything up to $100,000 to gain a gaming license in these countries, as well as paying ongoing taxes to the local Government. So don’t think that an online casino must be some sort of ’Mickey Mouse’ operation because they are licensed in some little Caribbean island. It is quite commonplace.

How Do I Start Playing?

We highly recommend that you look around at a number of casinos before making any decisions. Although you cannot go wrong with any online casino featured on this site. All offer quick and secure deposit and withdrawal facilities and there is also a wide variety of bonus and promotion offers for you to take advantage of. You’ll find promotion days such as ’Blackjack day’ where player who win the most money playing Blackjack for that day will win an extra cash bonus of $500 to $1000.

Always look at the deposit requirements, minimum bets etc before making your decision. Each online casino listed on Casino Gamblers Guide has been reviewed for fair play compliance, downloads and quality of games offered.

Once you have chosen a casino and downloaded the software, you will be asked to register as either a Guest player or Real Player. Guest Players or Play for Fun players allow you to register without depositing money. You can then play the games for fun before playing for real allowing you to practice each game and get a feel for the gaming software. To become a Real Player you will need to complete an online form. You will end up with an account number and a password. Make a note of these details - you will need them to log in again.

How do I make cash deposits and withdrawals?

In all cases you will have to deposit money up front before you can gamble for real online. This will mean sending online casinos money via wire transfers, credit cards etc.

All casinos operate on the account system - you send them money and your account is credited for that amount. As you gamble, money is credited or debited as you win or lose. When you wish to withdraw money from your casino account you can do so in nearly all of the ways that deposits could be made.

Many operations now allow you to have money withdrawn directly placed back onto the credit card that you first deposited money into your account with. This option is recommended as you can access your winnings within days. Unfortunately the credit card companies do have issues with online casinos. If after a playing session you wish to withdraw your initial deposit and winnings on to your credit card then your credit card company will only allow you to put your initial deposit back on to your card. To receive your winnings you will need to use an alternative withdrawal option such as a check or wire transfer. All online casinos will offer you the option of sending you a check. Fortunately online casinos have also turned to payment processors such as Firepay and Neteller to allow players to conduct deposits and withdrawals with the casino.

How secure are online casinos and sportsbooks?

There are relatively few problems with casino payouts and deposit security. Many online casino jurisdictions require that the licensee posts bonds of cash or insurance as part of the license requirements.

Your personal security (including credit card details and other personal information) is also guaranteed under license agreements in many, if not all, jurisdictions. Most casinos and sportsbooks use secure servers to conduct all of their transactions, and all information about you is held offline. Many also take out insurance against fraud.

How fair are online casinos and sportsbooks?

All casinos listed on Casino Gamblers Guide adhere to a fair play policy. Online Casinos are fairer than many people realize. The ’house’ is happy making the normal profits of gambling. It is not in a casino’s interest to try and rip off its players. Competition between online casinos is cutthroat so any unhappy players would just go elsewhere. In many of the countries, the computer programs must be submitted to the government for thorough checking of the randomness and fairness toward the player, and the firm also has to be guaranteed by one of the big eight international accounting firms. All online casinos featured on this site have their payout percentages independently reviewed.

Again it is not in the interests of an online casino not to make their casino software produce completely random outcomes. If they were to pre-program a set of pre-determined results into their software then the real casino gambling experts would spot this a mile off and take advantage of the casino.

In all cases with casino gambling the odds for single deck blackjack, for instance, are exactly the same with an online casino as with the real thing. The same is true for baccarat, roulette etc. As for the gaming machine type games (slots, video poker etc) the player payout percentages are determined by the casino, and many will post what the percentage of payout is online.