Online casinos are one of the great inventions of the information age. If you
live in a state with no casinos, then internet gambling allows you to enjoy your
hobby without traveling hundreds of miles.
Playing online is great. You don't have to fight crowds or long lines. If you
aren't a smoker, there's no need to enter a smoke-filled room. And there are no
dealers standing around expecting a tip every few minutes.
You enjoy your favorite casino games in the comfort of your own home. Imagine
how lucky we are, that we live in a time when we can play real casino games just
a few feet away from our refrigerators.
That being said, casinos are
intimidating for some new players. So here is an intro to online casinos, which
should help you find your way around when you decide to become an internet
gambler.
Choose the Type of Interface
There are two basic types of interfaces for your computer. If you are like me,
you don't know or want to know too much about this kind of technical jargon. So
let me be simple about it. You have two choices: downloadable games and Java
games.
Java allows you to play immediately. These are played through your browser
without having to download anything. You simply hit the Java option and start to
play at the online casino.
Downloadable software has several advantages over Java, though. Once you take
the time to download the software, the downloadable games tend to be faster.
Their graphics are better and you have better sound quality. So if you prefer
the best quality of connection, you probably want to go with a downloadable
game.
Remember that you have access to the same games through a download or Java.
Open an Online Casino Account
You will need a credit or debit card to open an account at most online casinos.
Casino Sign Up Bonuses
Many casinos offer sign up bonuses which match your initial deposit. This bonus
is sometimes up to 50% of your deposit. There are usually minimum and maximum
deposits benchmarks for this bonus.
Generally speaking, you will need to wager this bonus a certain number of times
before it can be removed from your account. This keeps playing from signing up
for the bonus, then simply cashing out at a profit.
Unless you are in Las Vegas or Atlantic City, most live casinos are the only
show in town. Especially when we are talking about Indian casinos, there might
be hundreds of miles away from their nearest competitor. This means that live
casinos tend to maintain a large house edge. That isn't the case with online
casinos.
Online casinos have many competitors, so they tend to offer better expectations
than live casinos. Their bonuses and comps are highly competitive, which is an
advantage for internet gamblers everywhere. Many casinos will not allow bonuses
played on games like
video poker.
The Games
Online casinos have all the games which you will find at a live casino. Table
games like poker, blackjack, roulette and craps are available. Poker variants
like Caribbean stud poker, Pai Gow poker and Three-Card poker are also
available.
Over the past ten years, the internet casinos have improved their product
dramatically. The online casino really does simulate the best that a land-based
casino has to offer. With real-time interfaces and the inclusion of instant
messaging and chat rooms, you get the feel of a live casino in the comfort of
your own home. If you like to talk to your table mates during the poker hand,
you can use the IM feature to send messages to your opponents.
Slots and video poker are probably the most like their live counterparts.
Because slot machine players tend to prefer isolation, the online slots player
finds little or no distinction between the online and live versions of their
chosen game. In fact, if the point is to be able to gamble away from the sound
and fury of the table games, online slots games are superior to their live
counterparts in every way.
Online Casino Customer Service
Many online casinos offer 24/7
customer service. This is because they serve gamblers all over the globe. There
is no night time in online gambling. Frankly, there are no holidays, either.
Cashing Out at Online Casinos
If you intend on becoming a regular at an online casino, it is better to keep
your money in the account. Remember that it is only one account per credit card
at an online casino, so there are no multiple accounts to multiply your sign up
bonuses.
Once you do cash out, it may take some time to have the money transferred to
your account. Not only will the online casino need time to process the
transaction, but your credit card company will need to do the same. This might
take a number of weeks. Debit cards might be five times quicker than credit
cards in this way. Stay up to date with cash out options a the
Gamblecraft gambling news section.
Casino Licensing
The best online casinos
receive licenses from a variety of jurisdictions worldwide. The more common
license givers are the Antigua Barbuda, Gibralter and the Kahnawake Gaming
Commission out of Canada. Look for these and similar licensing entities to know
your online casino is legitimate.