How to Get Started
With a large number of options, it’s never been easier to find a reputable online casino that has the games you like to play. However, you want to be cautious when choosing a casino to ensure that your transaction information is kept private. Stick with casinos that are licensed, regulated, and have received a seal of approval from a regulatory or governing board. With these tips in mind, start your search for the best online casino.
How to choose the best casino site
When choosing an online casino, you don’t want to make your selection solely based on factors like cost or ease-of-use. There are many other important considerations to think about. Ideally, an online casino should have a clean design, user-friendly software, excellent customer service, and convenient payment methods. Also take note if the casino is licensed and has a safe and secure online gaming environment.
When searching the web for the best casinos, consider the following characteristics:
Age
While the age of an online casino may not seem important, it can actually tell you a lot about a company. If a casino website has only been around for a few months, that should set off some red flags. Online casinos come and go but only the best ones stick around for the long haul. Do some digging to determine when the website was established and how long the company has been in business. As a general rule of thumb, the longer that an online casino has been operating, the more likely it is to be a legitimate business that you can trust with your personal details.
Reputation
Having a positive online presence is crucial for all businesses but especially casinos. If an online casino has a bad reputation due to poor web design, inferior game selection, inadequate customer service, or a host of other issues, people are not going to want to play there. It is important for businesses in the online gambling community to differentiate themselves from their competition. Read online reviews to get the inside scoop about casino websites you may be interested in trying. If a website does not meet your expectations, leave it in search of a better alternative.
Support
When you first join an online casino, customer support may be the last thing on your mind. It’s true that most people don’t consider what type of customer support is available to them until a problem occurs. However, when your money is at stake, you want to know that you can get in contact with a customer service representative pronto. The best online casinos have several ways to contact customer support, such as by telephone, email, or live chat. Most established online casinos also have social media accounts where players can go to unleash their concerns and consult with a customer representative.
Design
Poor website design is often reflective of sloppy business practices. Great online casinos are willing to invest some money to develop a website that is both aesthetically-pleasing and easy to navigate. First impressions are everything when you first visit an online casino. What do the casino websites you like have that make them stand out against the competition? Maybe it’s easy access to a wide selection of games. Or perhaps it’s the interactive widgets, noticeable action buttons, or simple registration process. Of course, the site should also load quickly to make the customer experience as satisfactory as possible.
Games
What exactly are you looking for in an online casino? Some players prefer a casino website that has a large selection of slots and table games, giving them the opportunity to try them all. Others prefer to play specific games and there are casinos that specialize in blackjack, keno, and other games. What’s great about online casinos is that thousands of people can play the same game at the same time. No having to wait around until a person hops off the machine or table like at a brick-and-mortar casino. If you’re in search of more limited casino games, it may take some time to find online casinos that offer the game selection you’re looking for.
Payment
In addition to having an impressive selection of games, most people want an online casino to have a variety of payment methods. Depositing money into your online account should be fast and require just a few simple steps. Having a mix of payment options helps ensure that everyone has the opportunity to play using the resources they have. Most online casinos offer several payment options available with the most common being credit cards, debit cards, bank transfers, and e-wallet choices like PayPal.
Withdrawal
Always check to see how the withdrawal process works before depositing money into your casino account. The last thing you want to do is win big only to find out you’ll need to jump through a bunch of hoops to gain access to your money. Some online casinos make it difficult to withdraw your winnings by requiring you to complete paperwork or fax personal information for identity purposes. Many also have high payment thresholds or only pay out on certain days of the month. These can be major drawback and you may want to consider other options if these withdrawal policies do not work in your favor.
Bonuses
It wouldn’t be an online casino without access to bonuses, free spins, and other promotions. However, not all online casinos offer adequate bonuses and those that do many have certain restrictions. Some of the best online casinos not only make it easy to access great bonuses and free spins, but they also add your bonus winnings to your balance in quick succession. Bonuses and promotions can often be found on the homepage of a casino, making it easy to locate these perks and use them before they expire. Also look for online casinos that offer loyalty programs for gamblers who spend a lot of money gambling.
Security
Safety and security are critical features when choosing an online casino. Most casino websites require you to sign up or register using personal information like your full name and address. To deposit and withdraw money, you will also need to provide some type of payment information like a credit card or banking details. Of course, you don’t want this information getting in the wrong hands. Most reputable casinos use 128-bit SSL Data Encryption technology to keep their customers’ data safe. You can determine if an online casino offers a safe and secure gaming environment by looking on their website.
Mobile
While many people still gamble on their desktop or laptop, most have transitioned to gameplay on their smartphones and other mobile devices. Mobile websites and apps make it easy and convenient to gain access to your favorite casino games while lounging on the couch or waiting in the doctor’s office. Having enjoyable entertainment anytime, anywhere is an attractive feature. Check to see what casinos offer mobile versions of their websites or apps that you can download directly to your phone. Some online casinos also offer customers loyalty points when they play casino games on any mobile device.
Credibility
You always want to make sure that your money is in good hands before depositing your hard-earned money into a casino account. A majority of reputable online casinos are licensed, including casinos in the U.S., U.K., and other countries across the globe. Each country is regulated by a government agency that ensures that games are fair and prevents criminal activity and underage gambling. To obtain a license, a casino must meet certain criteria and provide evidence that they are who they say they are.
Supplier
Most online casinos work with a software provider to deliver customers with gaming software. This is how you’re able to play slots and table games like blackjack, baccarat, roulette, and video poker. If an online casino works with a leading software provider, the odds are good that the casino is of high-quality. Some of the most popular software supplies used by gambling companies all over the world include Evolution Gaming, Microgaming, Extreme Live Gaming, NetEnt, Amaya, and Playtech.
Languages
Navigating an online casino website can be challenging when you’re unable to decipher the language. The best casinos offer geo-locating technology that changes the site language to the spoken language in the country where the player is located. However, not all online casinos are this accommodating. While most offer their site in multiple languages, some casinos still lag in this department. If a website is not available in a language that you can read, continue your search.
Currencies
In the same way that online casinos offer their websites in multiple languages, they also offer different currencies to accommodate gamblers from all over the world. However, playing casino games on a website that uses a different currency can have some drawbacks. Both deposits and withdrawals can be affected by the region’s exchange rates which may deter some gamblers from partaking in gameplay. Keep this in mind when choosing online casinos based in other countries.
Rank
Some of the best online casinos are ranked on top of the search engines and there is a reason for this. To rank high in the search engine results pages (SERPs), a website must have unique content, be well optimized, have a professional site structure, be mobile-friendly, and receive a lot of traffic. The search engines consider these types of websites to have greater value. When you search for “online casinos”, take a look at what websites are on the first page. These are likely some of the best gambling websites.
Responsible Gambling
Playing at any kind of casino, whether it’s online or a land-based casino, is supposed to be a fun and an enjoyable activity. If you’ve found that the fun has stopped, you’re going into credit or have been spending money that you shouldn’t be spending, there are places out there that can help.
Ensuring that all gambling is responsible gaming is the best way to play online, and should you find that you’re playing one more hand each time, or perhaps dipping into other funds, please take a look at our Responsible Gambling section or visit your nearest Gamblers Anonymous.
