How to Choose the Right Online Casino
Online casinos have been on the rise for well over a decade now, rivalling and overtaking traditional casinos when it comes to traffic. Whilst this was in part down to lockdowns forcing the temporary closures of casinos, but there was a strong pre-existing trend for many years due to the accessibility and large choice of games that online casinos offer.
Whether you want to play online roulette or online poker, there are a lot of options. However, due to the industry growing so quickly, there are many casinos out there that aren’t fully licensed or aren’t run as smoothly as they should. So, here is a rundown on how to choose what online casino fits your needs the best.
Country and Licencing
The first thing to check when you stumble across a casino is to see if they accept players from the country you live in. Many casinos only accept customers that are in the same territory as them for regulation reasons, and that’s okay. It’s important to only sign up if you’re a legitimate customer because it’s equally important that the casino is fully licensed. This can usually be checked in the footnotes of the casino, or somewhere in the T&Cs.
All online casinos should have a license unless they’re illegal and illegitimate. Avoiding these is important because it’s the first red flag that you may get scammed, or have zero regulatory protection as a customer. It’s also important that the license and regulation are relevant to yourself, and your location. For example, some regulators are untrustworthy and don’t even have a contact address (keep an eye out for Seychelles, Panama, and Costa Rica for untrustworthy regulators).
Reputation
It is possible for a casino to be fully legitimate on paper but to have dire customer service and fail to meet regulatory and customer standards. The best way to figure this out is with online reviews, but make sure you head to websites where the cumulative voting review system (or comments) are legitimate, and not bots or manipulated by the casino. If there are negative reviews, read what they refer to and if this is a one-off or a common pattern.
Choice of Games
Finally, the slightly more enjoyable aspects of picking your casino. You want to first consider what games you would like to play. Is it traditional table games, card games, slots? One of the biggest advantages online casinos have over traditional casinos is the vast selection of games.
Generally, casinos will state the game developers that they work with. So, keep an eye out on big casino game devs, such as Microgaming, Playtech, Betsoft, NetEnt, Evolution Gaming, and ELK Studios. Not only is it a good sign that they’re working with innovative developers that have a high output of new games, but it also means they have been fully tested with strong graphics, themes, and are licensed.
User Experience
One aspect of choosing a casino that is often overlooked is simply the user experience. How do you find navigating the website? Is the app buggy? Is it easy to find the right game? You can generally browse the website like a customer before even signing up, which can give you an instant feel for the user experience. Plus, if the casino website looks absolutely terrible, then it’s likely that the casino is terrible. It could be a quick indication of an unlicensed scam if it looks terrible, or it could indicate an unprofitable and low budget platform.
Bonuses
If you’re struggling to decide between a handful of casinos, there’s no shame in simply picking the one with the best bonus. With all other things being equal, you could get some free spins or credit into your account. Of course, don’t pick the casino on the bonus alone, as it’s no good if the casino has barely any games and awful customer support. Be sure that your bonus is easily accessible and not locked behind a “must complete 25x spins of the same value” to withdraw. A quick read of the *T&C at the bottom should indicate this.
Deposit, Withdrawals, and Currency
Finally, it’s important you can deposit and withdraw money without friction. After all, you’re playing for money, so it’s no good if you cannot withdraw the money. Some casinos have very long waiting times, such as taking a week for withdrawals, whilst others charge a fee. You needn’t put up with this, as there are many free options.
If you’re looking for ultra-fast secure transactions, then you could opt for a crypto casino. This will also mean you can play without the worry of activity appearing on your bank statement. However, crypto casinos can often operate in a grey area of regulation and licensing, so be extra cautious when assessing these.
Otherwise, some casinos will simply have Mastercard options, whilst others include better choices such as PayPal. Ultimately, this is down to what suits you.
