How to Choose a Trustworthy Online Casino

Online casinos are all the rage nowadays, and there are many reasons why. You can find far more gaming options in an online casino than you can at a land casino, and also you can play in your own time without having to travel anywhere. Online casinos do not have to pay many overhead costs, which means that they are free to throw more promotions and prizes your way. But which online casino should you pick? Here, we run through all the aspects of online casinos that you should take into consideration when choosing which one you want to play at.

How Can You Trust a Casino?

When searching for online casinos you will find that there are an incredible amount to choose from. Most online casinos will offer bonuses and promotional packages to gain your attention, but the first thing you should consider is how safe they are.

Safe can mean a few different things here. You will need a casino that you can trust - where you can make deposits, play your games, and then withdraw any winnings, and all of these things should be done quickly and with ease. Here are some of the main aspects you will want to check out:

●       License

●       Auditors

●       Security

●       Payment Methods

●       Customer Support

Licenses

All legitimate online gaming companies have licenses from gaming authorities. You should always ensure that a casino holds a license from a gambling authority that is recognised in your jurisdiction. Look out for the Malta Gaming Authority, UK Gambling Commission, Gibraltar Regulatory Authority, British Columbia Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch, and so on.

While not all licensing authorities have the same standards, if you see that a casino holds a license then you can be pretty certain that it is a fair place to play.

Auditors

It is also useful to check out what types of auditors a company uses. These are organisations that are independent of the online gaming company, and they test the company’s games to make sure that they are verified and they are fair to play. What this means is that the games will operate randomly and none of them can be rigged.

If a casino is displaying certification from auditors such as Gaming Laboratories International (GLI), iTech Labs, eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance, RSM International, BMM Testlabs, and Certified Fair Gambling, then you can be sure that the games are above board.

Security

If a site is licensed and all its games are verified, it may still be useful to check its security policies. This is because you will need to submit details to the company such as your name, address, phone number, email, and other types of contact information. You will also need to prove your identity with either a passport, ID card, driver's licence or a similar document. The casino needs these details to make sure that your account is not fraudulent. Once you have made your account, then all of your personal details will remain private and you will be able to top up your account with a deposit. The online casino should be able to keep your personal information and the money in your account safe.

You can easily make sure that they have the technology to do so by checking out their security information. If you see that they have SSL encryption tools and a solid firewall, then you can rest assured that all the information in your account will be only accessible to you and the casino.

Payment Methods

When checking out payment methods, you should first check to see which currencies the casino accepts. You may find that the casino only operates in a few currencies and that you cannot use your local currency. If so, then you should be prepared to either always convert money into one of the available currencies, or you should move on and find a casino that accepts your preferred currency.

At most online casinos, you will have the option to pay via debit or credit card. There may be alternative payment methods such as using electronic wallets. The top electronic wallets are PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, Instadebit, and WebMoney, but there are plenty of others depending on which country the casino is based in.

When you are looking at payment methods, then you should also consider time and limits. Depositing with a debit or credit card usually does not take any time at all. Your bank will immediately inform the online casino that the transaction is in process, and the casino will instantly top up your account. Electronic wallets may take a little longer, depending on the online casino and which wallet you use. You can usually find information about how long it takes to deposit with each of the payment methods they supply. However, withdrawing can be different entirely. It usually takes longer to withdraw money, so you should keep an eye out for which casinos offer faster withdrawal times and which may take longer.

Customer Support

The sign of a good online casino is that they have professional customer service. Look out for options such as live chat and email addresses, as you will be able to address all your concerns and find the solution to any problem you encounter. Most online casinos will have scheduled customer service, so be sure to check when and for how long they will be available.

Distinguishing Features to Look For

The online casino that you choose to play at should not only be safe, but also be practical. What this means is that you will be able to find all your favourite games and you should not have to settle for poor quality or any frustrating aspects that turn you off your gaming.

There are a few points to keep in mind when you are considering an online casino:

●       Quality of the Site

●       Responsible Gambling Tools

●       Mobile Gambling

●       Range of Games

Quality of the Site

Does the site look good? Does it run smoothly and do you find it easy to not only access all your favourite games but also to top up your account, withdraw, find promotions, and so on? It may sound a little subjective, but it is extremely important that the online casino provide you with a good user experience as well as the comfort to play whenever you want to.

If you do not like slow-running websites or lags while you play, then you should avoid those online casinos. Also, you should be able to find your favourite games quickly and play them within seconds of logging in. Accessing your account banking should also be comfortable, as it would be irritating if you would always have to go through many steps to make a deposit or withdraw your winnings.

Responsible Gambling Tools

This may not be the first thing in your head when you are looking for an online casino, but it is always a positive sign when a casino provides responsible gambling tools. This further verifies that online casino is a fair organisation. There may be tools such as a timer for how long you have been playing, the chance to set alarms for when you have been playing for a certain period of time, and even the chance of self-exclusion from the casino. These tools are to make sure that you do not gamble beyond your financial means and do not become addicted to gambling.

Mobile Gambling

Sometimes you may want to take your games with you while you are travelling, when you are waiting in line for something, or even when you sit down somewhere and have a little free time to yourself. If so, then it is important that you will be able to play on your mobile device. If a casino uses HTML5 software then you will be able to open its website from your phone and everything will be resized to fit your device perfectly. You should not have to open a game and find that half the screen is not in your display or that some of the buttons are too small to operate.

Some online casinos develop their own mobile apps. These can enhance your experience as you can directly open the app and jump into your favourite games. If an online casino does not have a mobile app then it is not the end of the world. You will need to open your browser, go to their website, and then login before you can access your games.

Range of Games

The pride and joy of all online casinos is the range of games that they can offer you. Whether you are looking for specific slots, titles from certain developers, good-quality table games, live dealer games, or anything else, you should check out what each online casino has to offer.

Slots usually fill up the majority of the games available at online casinos, exactly as they fill most of the casino floor space in a land casino. If you are looking for a big variety of slots, make sure you check out what themes the casino provides, what types of slots are on offer, who are the developers of the slots games, and so on. Another thing to look out for is how often they release new slots.

If you are more into table games then your life is made a bit easier. Many online casinos have limited table games, so you may be able to find blackjack, poker, and roulette, but there may not be many variants of these games or other specific types of table games. If you want to check out live dealer games, then you should check out what table games they cover, whether they offer games in different languages, and how many people can play each game - as you do not want to wait for a seat at a live dealer game.

What Perks Should You Look For?

Now onto the fun stuff. As mentioned earlier, most online casinos will offer goodies and bonuses to their customers.There are plenty of different perks online casinos can offer you, and here are some that you may want to look out for.

●       Deposit Offers

●       Daily/Weekly Bonuses

●       Comps

●       Recurring Bonuses

●       Competitions

●       Loyalty Programs

Deposit Offers

Many online casinos offer welcome packages that will give you a boost on your first, or first few, deposits. These will ensure that you start off with a huge wad of cash and that you can start playing all your favourite games for hours on end. After the welcome package, there may be other types of deposit bonuses that they offer.

There may be perks when you deposit a certain amount during a promotional week, offers on depositing on a certain day, and other conditions. These benefits can be free spins, boosts on your deposit, cash prizes, and other types of goodies.

Daily/Weekly Bonuses

It does not matter if you are a frequent player or you play only occasionally - it is always good to have daily and weekly goodies. You may find bonuses and prizes just for logging in on certain days, prizes offered if you play a certain game on a specific day, weekly bonuses if you bet a certain amount, and a lot more. Sometimes these offers will relate to specific games that the casino is trying to promote. This not only gives you the chance to win some great prizes but you may be introduced to some great new games made by developers you have not tried yet.

Comp

Comps are complimentary tokens or prizes that are given out by online casinos. These can be tokens or points that you can collect and exchange for cash, items that you are gifted when you accomplish certain achievements or other types of goodies that you can take advantage of. For example, you may be given tokens for playing a certain game and when you have enough you may win a number of bonus rounds in that game, or you may have the chance of collecting double comps points on a certain game and when you accumulate enough you can exchange it for cash.

Competitions

Some online casinos may offer competitions - and though these may sound a bit intimidating, good casinos have fair competitions where you may even have a chance to win some cash prize from a massive pool. There may be daily leaderboards or tournaments on certain games. These will have certain criteria and are not only for the gamers who play with the most money. You may find some casinos offer daily rewards to the players who win the largest proportional wins. Here, it will not matter whether you won a jackpot from a €1 or a €100 bet. If your big win lands at the top of the leaderboard, you may pick up some great rewards.

There may be tournaments on offer too. These usually require players to participate in rounds where they play a certain number of spins in specific titles, for a chance to win prizes from massive cashpools

Seasonal Bonuses

Some casinos offer special seasonal promotions for holidays such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, New Year, and so on. During these times the casino may start offering prizes and promotions far more frequently and you can enjoy your holidays even more. Many games with festive themes are usually promoted during this time and you may find some fantastic offers that are too good to miss.

Loyalty Programs

Most online casinos offer loyalty programs that will keep you playing with them. These may be categorised by different levels, and the more you play the higher you will advance up the levels. These loyalty programs can include boosted bonuses, inclusion to special bonuses, exclusive deposit offers, and many more

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Online Casinos

Now that you have read about how to pick a safe, practical, and fun online casino, you should be able to make a well-informed decision as to which online casino you want to play at. There are many online casinos out there and each one has unique offers that you can take advantage of. Ultimately, it is all about having fun so you should find a casino that provides you with all the games and titles that you will enjoy playing.

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