Online casinos have completely revolutionised gambling and allow players to enjoy their favourite games from wherever they are on the planet with an internet connection. Online casinos also tend to have more avant-garde games that are closer to video games than they are to traditional casino games. All online casinos are not equal, however, and some online casinos don’t offer the best experience to players. That’s when they’re not a front for a scam operation. Let’s take a look at some of the things you should look for when picking an online casino.
Accreditation
The very first thing you have to do when picking an online casino is to look at the accreditation. There’s a handful of respected regulatory bodies that hand licences to online casinos, and if the casino of your choice is not licenced by them, beware. These bodies include:
- The Alderney Gambling Control Commission
- The Curacao Gaming Control Board
- The Gibraltar Regulatory Authority
- The Kahnawake Gaming Commission
- The Malta Gaming Authority
- The UK Gambling Commission
You should be able to find a casino’s accreditation by looking at a website, but, if you want to make sure, we suggest that you check out a site like OnlineCasinos first. Sites like OnlineCasinos review the top casinos in the business and the casinos on their list are all accredited. You’ll also learn about the quality of the gameplay, customer service, and game selection at different casinos, among other things.
Bonuses
Bonuses are one of the major perks of online casinos and you should take advantage of them every chance you get. You also have to understand how to read the terms of a bonus so you can tell how good it actually is.
Don’t be too impressed by big numbers as they often hide very restrictive terms. A casino may offer you a 500% match deposit bonus on your first deposit, but that doesn’t mean much if you have to wager 80 times that bonus before you can even withdraw your money.
This is why you need to look at wagering requirements when looking at any bonus. You also have to be careful with free spins. While they will look good at first glance, you should know on which machines you can use these spins. Some casinos will only allow you to use these spins on mega-jackpot machines with impossible odds. So, again read the fine print and make sure that you can use your free spins on a wide variety of games.
Game Selection
Speaking of variety, you should also check how many games an online casino has and which software provider they’re using. The software provider will give you a good idea of how many games the casino has and the quality of their games.
Providers like Microgaming, for instance, are known for their massive collections and classic games, while providers like Playtech are known for innovative games with immersive graphics and sounds. Game selection will make a huge difference in your gaming experience, so make sure that you pick a casino with enough games to keep you interested.
Customer Service
You should also know how good the customer service is at any casino before you play there. The casino should allow you to contact them either through phone, email, or live chat at any time of the day or night. You should be able to get in touch with a human rep fast and they should speak proper English.
We suggest that you call any casino first and gauge the reps’ response before you spend a penny with them. Ask them very specific questions on their games, like the RTP ratio on a specific machine or questions about their bonus structure. Check how clear they sound and if their answers are professional. They should be courteous and patient with you as well. If they tick all of these boxes, then you’ll know you’ll have someone to call in case anything happens with your account.
Payment Options
Another thing you should look for is the number of payment options the casino in question offers. Most casinos will allow you to pay using most major credit cards and through bank transfer. They should also offer other options like Skrill, PayPal, Trustly, Paysafecard, Zimpler, or Neteller.
Another thing you should check is how long it takes for money to be credited to your account and how long withdrawals take. This is very important as some casinos will have you wait weeks before you can see money reflected in your account. You should check what fees they put on withdrawals as well.
Cybersecurity
You also have to make sure that the casino takes cybersecurity very seriously. Look for things like two-factor authentication and SSL encryption. You should also check if the casino has a history of breaches, and how bad those breaches were. It’s possible for a casino to still be safe even if it suffers a minor breach before. You just have to check that a casino didn’t experience multiple breaches in the past and see what they did to prevent them from happening again.
Software Quality
Once you’ve found a few safe casinos, you can give their software a spin. Download their application on your tablet, phone, and laptop if you’re going to be playing across devices.
See how the software performs and how it looks on different supports. Check how fluid the animations are and if your connection is stable. The last thing you want is for a game to freeze while you can still place wagers or to get disconnected during a very important hand.
A stable server is extremely important if you like to play games like BlackJack, for instance. So, ensure that their site is as stable as possible and ask people in the community if they’ve had to deal with any issues with a particular site before playing.
These are all things you should pay special attention to when looking for an online casino. The most important part is ensuring that the casino is safe and licenced, then you can start looking for interesting offers.
