In a recent report it was noted that there are over 2,500 online gambling sites on the Internet today. Unfortunately only a fraction of these are worth playing at and finding the right casinos is the key to having a trouble free entertaining time compared to a bunch of problems that ruin your online experience. So how do you know which casinos are good and which are bad?
Here is a quick list question you should ask before playing at any casinos. Below we go into more detail about these features.
- Does the web site look professional?
- What software does the casino use?
- In what jurisdiction is the casino licensed in?
- What type of support is offered?
- Are the bonus terms and conditions clearly stated?
- Are the payout percentage independently audited?
- What type of deposit and withdrawal methods are available?
- Is there a daily or weekly withdrawal limit?
- Does the casino have a good reputation?
- Is the casino eCOGRA approved?
There are several things that you should look for when you first visit a casinos web site. First impressions are important so ask yourself - Does the web site look professional? This can be one of the first indicators. If the casinos web site has missing images or broken links then it is probably not a good idea to play there. If they cannot get their web site working properly then how are they going to be when it comes to paying you your winnings?
Another thing to look at right from the start is the casinos domain name. All good casinos have .com domains. If you visit an online casino with a domain name like Best-Online-Casino-In-The-World.net this is pretty much an instant red flag that the site you are looking at should be very closely looked at before playing.
Next up you should look for an About Us or Information page. All good online casinos will have a page which gives you information about their company. These pages should always include where the casino is licensed, what software the casino uses. If the casino does not disclose licensing information or software type then this is usually not a good sign. Good casinos are transparent in their operation.
When it comes to software we suggest that you stick with the five biggest companies. These are Microgaming, Wagerlogic, Odds On Gaming, Real Time Gaming and Playtech. All of these software types have been around for many years and have been proven to offer a fair game with good pay out percentages. More information about the software types can be found in our Casino Software section.
Support is another important issue. If you have a problem you want to know that you will be answered quickly and your problem resolved in a timely manner. Find the Support or Contact Us page of the casinos web site and see what type of options are available for contacting customer service. All good online casinos will offer a range of options including toll free telephone numbers from most countries.
All good online casino have their payout percentages independently audited on a monthly basis. This is a really quick way to find out if you are at a casino that is worth playing at. Look for a "Payout Percentages Independently Audited" like or something along those lines and you should be able to view the payout reports. These can give you a good indication of the casinos long term pay outs.
Of course an online casino must have a range of deposit and withdrawal methods. To find out more about this look for a banking link and check out the options. Also look to see if the casino has a weekly or daily withdrawal limit. Good casinos will not have any limits on the amount you can withdraw so we suggest that if you find a withdrawal limit you seriously consider not playing at that casino. We have more information about this in our Online Casino Banking section.
Bonuses are the biggest cause of player complaints and problems. You should always read the bonus terms and conditions before claiming any free money to ensure that you know what you are getting and what are the requirements. All casino bonuses have some sort of wagering requirements and many have game restrictions. Good casinos will clearly state the bonus terms. If you don't find clear terms than this is another sign that the casino should be avoided.
If the casino you have chosen has passed all of the above tests then there are two final things that are worth looking for before you play. The first is certification from eCOGRA -
eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance. This is an instant indicator that the casino is of high quality and you should have no worries about deposit and playing. All eCOGRA certified casinos are top quality.
Lastly if you are not sure about a casino then we recommend heading to the message boards and doing a search for the casinos name. If you find no results then it can either mean there are no complaints or that the casino is very new. If you find complaints then read the messages to see if the problems were sorted out in a timely manner. Popular forums include Casinomeister and Winner Online.
Having read this article you should now have no problems deciding if a casino is worth playing at by just looking around their web site. One final point - While there is some attraction to join lots of casinos to claim the welcome bonuses it is in our opinion a much better idea to just pick one or two casinos and become a regular player. As a frequent player you will get additional bonuses anyway and you reduce the chance of you joining a less than reputable casino just for some free cash.
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