Casino games have never been so popular as they are today. The internet, smartphones and tablets have made it possible for people to enjoy their favourite slots and table games from the comfort of their own homes. Before the late 1990s, the only way to play them would have been by travelling to a physical casino.
According to data recently published by TechJury, more than 2.5 billion people now play these types of games. To serve this vast market, thousands of online casino sites have popped up all around the world.
With so many sites to choose from, it can be difficult to know which one to choose, especially if you’ve never played in an online casino before.
Thankfully, there are some simple steps you can take to help you decide which one fits your needs the most.
Step 1. Check if the Casino is Licensed
When you deposit money to and play games in an online casino, you want to be sure that your money and personal information are going to be kept safe. Thankfully, there are some really easy checks you can do to make sure.
The first is to confirm that the casino is licensed. Here in the UK, all online casinos must be registered with the Gambling Commission. This is a government regulator that enforces the laws relating to betting and gaming and issues licenses to companies that want to serve customers from Great Britain.
You can check that the casino has been issued a license as details of it should be displayed at the bottom of their website. You can also verify this yourself through the Gambling Commission website. Its public register can be searched by company name, domain name, or license number.
For added peace of mind, you can ensure that the casino uses encryption on its website by checking for the padlock symbol in your web browser.
Step 2. Find Casinos Offering Generous Promotions
There is a lot of competition in the market, which means many online casinos offer promotions to encourage new customers to sign up with them rather than a competitor.
The types of offers usually fall into a few categories:
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No deposit bonus – this is where you get a small amount of bonus credit to play the casino’s games for free when you sign up
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Deposit match bonus – where the casino matches your deposit amount (or a proportion of it), giving you more to play with
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Free spins – these allow you to play slot games for free
Some casinos may also give you free spins for being loyal. Some slot games may also award you with free spins when you unlock certain bonus features or land on certain symbols.
With so many bonuses on offer, shop around and find the one that will be most valuable to you by considering the types of games you will play and how much you intend to deposit.
Step 3. Find Casinos That Offer the Types of Games You Enjoy
There’s little point in registering with an online casino if it doesn’t offer your favourite game, so it’s best to check first. Thankfully, this is really easy to do since most sites allow you to see their catalogue of options before joining. Some even have search boxes so you can just type in the name of the game you want to play and see what comes up.
For lovers of blackjack and roulette, you’ll find that they’re available at practically every casino. Most will even have several variants of each so you’ll have plenty of choice.
Other table games like baccarat, pai gow, and Caribbean stud poker are less common, so you may have to check a few sites first.
If slots are more your thing, then you’ll find hundreds (or even thousands) offered by most online casinos. However, if you have a particular title in mind, you may have to search a little harder as the games offered by a casino will depend on the software provider(s) it works with.
Step 4. Have Fun
Once you’ve found the online casino that works best for you, it’s time to sign up, make your deposit and have fun playing your favourite games.