When the first online casino appeared twenty-five years ago, no one dreamed of the proportions online casinos would reach. Since then, the popularity of online casino games has been on the rise. In addition, one of the most appealing aspects of them is being able to play anywhere at any time as long as you have a connection to the internet. You can always use your phone, tablet, and sometimes, you can even play using your TV and remote control!
With so many different games available, and so many ways to win, online casinos are more convenient and are getting more popular than most land-based casinos. If you love playing these types of games, at an online casino, you don’t need to go anywhere physically. You have all the games in the world at the tip of your fingers.
Online Casino
One of the first online casinos was founded on the Isle of Man in 1994. Since then, the technology and number of competitors in online gaming have skyrocketed. There are several types of software available if you want to start playing. Furthermore, you can choose to play either for free or for real money at an online casino.
Web-Based
With this type of casino, you do not have to download anything. The only thing you’ll need to do is type the email address and play one of the real money casino games that are available. These type of websites are built on either Macromedia Flash, Macromedia Shockwave, or Java.
Download-Based
The second type, as you can imagine, will require you to download a client that will allow you to access games, wager, or do anything else. There are many advantages of download-based casinos. The program itself will work much faster because there will be no need for cache data to load from the internet. While the main downside would be having to download the entire program in the first place, it is common for clients to offer a larger variety of games.
Live Dealer
The whole idea behind this kind of casino is that real people are dealing with real customers. The players will talk with the dealer using chat service, and they’ll be able to play picking commands on their screens. The main downside of this type of casinos is the price. To provide this kind of gaming experience, there would have to be several people working on it, such as a dealer, camera operators, croupiers, and people in charge of all the tech details. The most popular and common live dealer games are roulette, blackjack, and baccarat.
Types of Games
There is almost a 100% chance that some games for real money would be available in every online casino. Among these games, at the very least, these games include the likes of video poker games, slots games, roulette, and blackjack. While it is not guaranteed that every website will have all of these games, almost each of them will have slot machines.
All the games in an online casino work the same way as in a brick-and-mortar casino. You pick a game, place your bets, and play. Whether you like games with cards, dice, or any other kind, you can be sure that you’ll find any of them online.
Deposits and Withdrawals
Similar to land-based casinos, if you desire to play for real money, you will have to deposit a certain amount before you can start playing. That sum, of course, depends on the game itself. Each website offers several methods for depositing funds, so you can choose the one that suits you the best. There are many options you can choose from, such as credit cards, debit cards, checks, wire transfers, etc. And there is usually a wide offer of methods to withdraw your real money winnings at online casinos.
The most exciting thing for players are bonus offers. There are several deposit bonuses to attract new players. While new players will sometimes get these bonuses for promotional purposes, it is not rare that there are some wagering requirements before you can cash out your winnings. Usually, these requirements will have a player wager a specific sum before they can withdraw. Naturally, players will not be able to simply cash out their welcome bonus.
Welcome Bonus
This reward is a one-time bonus for new players who decide to deposit and play at an online casino for the first time. Depending on the sum you deposit, the casino will match that sum or a percent of it as a welcome gift. They are usually associated with either a casino or a casino group, while it is not rare for them to be tied to a particular game.
Referral Bonus
Besides the welcome bonus a casino offers, there are referral bonuses as well. They are gifts that casinos give to a person when they introduce another player. Both the referee and referrer will get the bonus if they fulfill all the criteria like depositing a certain amount or playing a number of games.
No-Deposit Bonus
The no-deposit bonus is one of the most popular casino bonuses. There are two types of no-deposit bonuses, and the main difference is quite apparent when you try to withdraw money. The first one is usually called “phantom” or “sticky bonus,” and it cannot be cashed out. It just serves as an additional sum on your balance you can use to play and is non-withdrawable. The cashable bonuses are available in full, and you can withdraw them with the rest of the winnings.
Betting
After you deposit an initial amount, you can then proceed to play games and bet. The betting itself works as in any land-based casino. Depending on the game you play, you will place your bets and play as long as you have enough money on your account. When you win enough money, you can proceed to the withdrawal part if all the criteria have been met. The bet itself can vary between $0.01 and several dollars depending on the game. Some games will allow even higher bets if you are into high stakes.
Slot Machines
One of the most popular games is the slot machine. Based on the classic fruit slots, these games offer the well-known thrill of the slot machines with beautiful visuals and multiple rewards. Depending on the game, the player can choose a number of paylines and bets. Furthermore, you can adjust even the speed of a slot, allowing extremely fluent playing. What is more important is the number of ways to win. There are slot machines that give over 200 winning combinations.
Furthermore, many slot machines have a progressive jackpot which gets higher and higher in time. Whether you prefer vintage slots or modern ones, there is a perfect option for you. There are many slot machines with different themes such as movies, fantasy, and mythology. Besides beautiful animations and visuals, these games are attractive to both new and old players because of both small bets as well as big potential winnings. The famous “penny slots” are slots that offer a minimum bet of $0.01 allowing players to enjoy playing games without having to wager a small fortune. Of course, there are options to raise bets to several dollars with a potential jackpot and 50,000 multipliers.
The main reason for the vast popularity of these slot machines are chances to win. Some of the games offer 25 paylines with low bets allowing players to win something with almost every spin. While payouts are non-significant, this draws users more and more because of the frequent winnings. Furthermore, with the addition of progressive rewards and jackpots, players can win more money the more they play.
Mobile Gaming
With the rise of online casinos in the last 20 years, there has been a new type of casinos designed for mobile devices. Research has shown that there is a higher chance for smartphone users to play online casino games than generic mobile phone users. Of course, certain casinos allow phone gaming only if you’re physically present in their casino. While Google doesn’t allow any real-money apps in its Google Play Store, there are other websites designed specifically for mobile casinos. Using mobile devices, both smartphones and generic phones, as well as tablet computers for playing at an online casino counts as mobile gambling.
Legality
There are many countries with stringent gambling laws that forbid online casinos. While it is not illegal for users in the USA to play online gambling games, there is a strict law against those websites being on the USA soil. Most of the companies that work as software developers in the gambling industry operate outside of the USA. For example, RealTime Gaming had to change location from Atlanta and is now in Costa Rica. Playtech and Microgaming are both situated on the Isle of Man. And there are many other online casinos in Latin America, the Caribbean, Netherlands Antilles, Australia, and elsewhere. So basically, as long as the website is not located in the United States, you’re safe.
Safety
For new players, the thing that concerns them the most is safety and security. Because of the nature of the internet, there are specific steps that you need to take to enjoy online gambling fully. Before starting your online gambling adventure, you should be sure that the website you’re going to use is safe. The last thing you want is to enter your credit card info on a suspicious site. If you are not sure which online casino is safe, you can always check it online.
Besides user reviews, there are watchdog portals online that provide the complete list of online casinos that are safe, secure, and verified. If you avoid suspicious websites and stick with the certified ones, you will have nothing but pleasure. Real-money winnings at an online casino are as real as any other. Online casinos follow the same rules as any other online-based shops. You wouldn’t trust a random unverified shop with your credit card info, would you?
Conclusion
Playing games at an online casino can be quite fun, as long as you follow the rules. You should always check the details about your country’s laws or any other guidelines you can find. Besides, checking the website can be nothing but good for you and your whole potential experience. If you are a fan of casinos and gambling in general, but you would like to keep the comfort of your own home, this might be the right thing for you. Winning real money is possible, and it’s never been easier.
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