Online Casino

What Are Online Casinos?

Online casinos are gambling houses that operate very similarly to land-based casinos. But instead of playing in person, you play through the internet.

Usually, with online casinos, real money is used, although you can also play for free at times as well. Typically, you’d play for free by using bonuses and promotions (more on those later).

As you may guess, in order to compete with them, online casinos try to offer the same experience land-based casinos do. This means that not only do they have extensive games, but they also offer the latest in technology. For example, they may have live dealer games where you can even use VR to get an immersive experience.

Online Casino Types

You may think that online casinos are all one and the same, but the truth is, there are actually many types out there. Read on to find out the choices you have available.

No Download Casino

Most online casinos nowadays are no download ones. This is because gamblers want to get on the web and straight to playing; they don’t want to wait for software to finish downloading.

For this reason, on the majority of online casinos, all you have to do is go through the registration process and you’re free to play whatever you wish.

Download Casino

Download casinos are rare for the reason we said above; players want a smooth experience. However, there are some online casinos out there that are quite archaic, which means you’ll have to download their games after registration in order to actually start playing.

Mobile Casino

Mobile casinos are one of the best inventions for the modern person. The average person spends around 5.5 hours a day on their phone; needless to say, we can’t live without them.

Now combine that with a passion for casino games, and you’ll see why it was inevitable that mobile casinos were invented. These were made to function smoothly and seamlessly on practically any mobile device, including tablets. That way, you can play wherever and whenever.

Live Casino

There’s something about a brick and mortar casino that you just can’t 100% replicate with online. But you certainly can come close by utilizing modern technology.

With a live casino, they have a studio where it looks like a real casino, complete with real dealers and tables. They’ll even chat with you and your companions, just like at a land-based casino.

VR Casino

VR casinos take live casinos a step further and give you a completely immersive experience. Online casinos are experimenting with mirroring land-based casinos, such as letting you spin the reels of a slots game.

If you have VR equipment already, then it’s definitely worth a try to see how the VR experience goes for you. This offers a new and refreshing take on online casinos.

Online Casino Games

Practically all the games you play at land-based casinos can be found in their virtual form on online casinos. For example, you can play online poker, blackjack, roulette, baccarat, online slots, and even scratchcards.

Depending on the casino you play on, they may offer a wide variety of games, while others specialize in one or a few, such as slots. If they only specialize in one game, you’ll still get to experience many variations on them. For example, with online slots, there are reel, video, and progressive slots, and software providers work hard to create games of different themes, such as Ancient Egyptian.

Many sites offer free casino games (demos) so you can see how you like their offerings before you start putting real money down.

Online Casino Software Providers

While there are numerous online casino software providers out there, there are certainly major differences between them. Here, we discuss the cream of the crop so you know which providers to look out for and try out.

NetEnt

NetEnt is one of the biggest names in this industry. They were first founded in 1996 and their first online casino was launched in 2000.

NetEnt boasts of over 200 games and is most well-known for titles Gonzo’s Quest and Starburst. Their games can be found in over 100 reputable online casinos in the world, which shows just how good the quality of their titles is. In fact, in 2014, they processed a record amount of over 21 billion gaming transactions!

Microgaming

Microgaming is credited with developing the world’s first online casino software in 1994, which was when they were founded. Not just that, but they also created the first mobile casino software in 2004. As you can see, they’re huge innovators in the online casino space.

This software provider’s most famous game is Mega Moolah, which all slots lovers know and play. Reviews always rave about Mega Moolah. They release new slots games every month, so as you can guess, they specialize in this casino game.

Evolution Gaming

This company is renowned for their live dealer games, which provides wonderfully immersive experiences. Evolution gaming was first founded in 2006, which is a little later than other software providers on this list. However, they quickly rose to the top with their quality offerings.

Evolution Gaming is so good at what they do that if you “sit down” at any live dealer game on any online casino, it’s almost guaranteed that it’s powered by this provider.

Yggdrasil Gaming

Yggdrasil Gaming was founded even later than Evolution Gaming; they’ve only just arrived on the scene in 2013. However, they’ve also quickly made a name for themselves. This company has won multiple awards for their work, including the EGR B2B Award for Innovation in RNG Casino Supplier.

Some of their most famous games include Wilhelm Tell and Nikola Tesla’s Incredible Machine.

Playtech

Playtech was founded in 1999 and is famous for their social games. They have great multilingual support and is the world’s biggest online gaming company.

They have over 600 casino games and work hard to push out new titles every year; on average, they release 50 new ones yearly. This ensures that players will never get bored with Playtech titles, as they have something new to look forward to on a regular basis.

Online Casino Bonuses

Now that you know a little about online casino games and software providers, you’re probably curious about how you stretch your bankroll when gambling online. Thankfully, there are all sorts of online casino bonuses available. Read on to find out more about them.

Welcome Bonus

As you may have guessed, there is a myriad of online casinos. In order to compete with one another, they try to entice new players with welcome bonuses.

In most cases, you’ll receive the bonus after you make your first deposit, and the bonus will usually be a 100% deposit match. Some of the more generous online casinos will offer deposit matches past your first one to keep you coming back. They probably won’t be 100%, but it’ll still be better than no match.

Free Spins

When online casinos release new games, they’ll often give their players free spins so they can check it out without spending any of their bankrolls. Free spins are also offered to get inactive players to come back, so if you leave your account alone for long enough, you’ll most likely get this free bonus deposit in your email.

No Deposit Bonus

With an online casino, no deposit bonuses are one of the best promos to get. As the name suggests, you won’t have to put any of your own money down to gamble and win some cash.

Because this is such a great bonus, you’ll often find it as a welcome bonus. It’s also not as common as the other types of bonuses, so make sure to use them when you get them.

Happy Hours

Just like with restaurants and bars, online casinos will offer happy hours to get more people to play at certain times. Keep an eye out on your email, their social media accounts, and websites to find out when you can take advantage of these offers. Casinos will usually offer discounted rates to gamble on their sites during a set period of time.

Online Casino Payment Systems

Unless you’re playing on a free online casino, then you’ll have to make a deposit and withdrawal at some point. Below are some of the common payment systems offered by online casinos.

Visa/Mastercard

If you’re wondering if you can use a credit card to make a deposit, then you’re in luck. This is one of the most common payment methods you’ll find, which means you can make both deposits and withdrawals with Visa or Mastercard.

PayPal

PayPal’s also a commonly accepted payment system on most online casinos. This method also allows you to make both deposits and withdrawals.

Neteller

Neteller is very similar to PayPal in that it’s also an e-wallet. If you don’t like PayPal or just don’t want to use it for any reason, Neteller is a good alternative that you can deposit and withdraw with.

Paysafecard

Paysafecard is a prepaid card, which means you don’t have to enter your credit card details into a site. You do have to get a physical card, so this means you either have to order it or go to a retailer. Also, you can only deposit with this method; you can’t make withdrawals.

 Cryptocurrency

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have made it big. Naturally, you may be wondering if you can use this as a payment method.

While you certainly can, it’s still quite rare to find. For this reason, you might want to stick with the other more common methods.

How to Find the Best Online Casinos

Unfortunately, not all online casinos are created equally. Not only are some of poor quality, but many aren’t even properly licensed, which means you can get scammed out of your money.

To find the best online casinos, you need to carefully do your research and scrutinize the online casinos you choose to patronize.

For example, real online casinos will be properly licensed by entities like the UK Gambling Commission or the Malta Gambling Commission. They will clearly display the license symbol on their homepages.

In addition, they’ll be very transparent about things such as the volatility of their games and return to player (RTP). They’ll also employ the use of a random number generator (RNG), which ensures that none of their titles are skewed in the house’s favor.

Lastly, they’ll have secure ways for their payment methods. In most cases, they’ll have Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption, which means you’re transmitting your credentials through a secure connection.

Try Playing on an Online Casino Today

Now you have everything you need to know about playing on an online casino. Whether you’re playing from the USA, UK, Germany, or elsewhere, you’ll have the convenience of gambling from the comfort of your own home.

Make sure you do your research and figure out which casinos suit your needs the best. This includes the types of games they offer, as well as the transaction methods they accommodate.

Once you find a few reputable online casinos to gamble on, then you’ll be ready to get your bets on and enjoy hours of entertainment. Make 2020 your year by hitting those jackpots!

Want to learn more about online casinos? Then feel free to check out our other pages.