Charles Ingel - Monday, 07 February 2022 - Features
New casinos are popping online at an unprecedented pace. Every modern operator offers fascinating bonuses, lucrative promos, and a bunch of payment options to woo players. And while this is great news for the punters, finding the best casinos often becomes a challenge. To add to the confusion, gambling isn’t regulated across the globe, and online casinos are banned in several countries. Then there are illegal casinos, which pose a real threat to privacy and online security.
Casino evaluation is a skill that’s acquired over time. Our experts believe that you must grasp the basic concepts before moving on to the advanced stages. Here’s how to get started.
Before signing up on an online casino, make sure the operator accepts players from your region. You can also check the local laws to make sure you comply. While it all sounds simple enough, getting hold of the proper authorities can be a struggle. Thankfully, we’re here to answer all your questions up front.
If you mistakenly sign up for a casino that doesn’t allow players from your country, the operator will likely block your account and prevent you from accessing the winnings. Most online casinos have stringent software in place to ensure that players from specific jurisdictions are barred from signing up.
Quick Tip – Instead of visiting individual casinos to figure out whether you can legally sign up for online gambling, visit a casino aggregator to find detailed answers to your questions. You can also use the live chat feature for more complicated questions.
Unlicensed casinos are known to entice unsuspecting players with the promise of massive rewards and huge bonuses, only to go back on their word, citing complex terms and conditions. Unregulated casinos aren’t bound by law to stick to their tall claims. Hence, they must be avoided at all costs.
Here’s how illegal casinos can avoid paying up their dues:
Quick Tip – Always check a casino’s reputation before signing up. You can read our detailed reviews or browse verified forums for more info. You can also run a background check on the casino’s owners online.
Every legal online casino is licensed by a reputed government body. You can assess the reliability of an online casino from the country of origin. For instance, reputed casinos are mostly registered in the United Kingdom, Malta, Gibraltar, Isle of Man, and Curacao. Such regulators are most likely to respond to queries or claims raised against an operator.
However, online casinos registered in Costa Rica, Antigua, Seychelles, and similar countries are more likely to rip off players. Most platforms that claim to be licensed in these parts of the world might not have a valid license at all.
Other than a generic license, it’s crucial to check if an operator possesses country-specific licenses to operate in a specific region. Online casinos that are licensed by several reputed organisations are less likely to scam you at the end of the day.
Quick Tip – Before signing up, make sure your shortlisted casino follows responsible gambling protocols and has its Random Number Generator independently verified periodically.
Before signing up for online gambling, how do you verify the provable fairness of the games? Since you don’t have access to the RNG, how do you know that the casino hasn’t rigged the games for you to lose? This is where casino licensing comes into play. Regulated operators are legally required to have the games checked randomly by a third-party auditor.
Moreover, players must realise that an RNG is difficult to rig. Random Number Generators are designed to produce randomised outcomes each time. And since these algorithms are tested frequently, casinos aren’t inclined to put their reputations on the line.
We strongly suggest keeping a lookout for a casino’s payback percentage and Return-to-Player. If an operator does not publish this information on the website, it’s a major red flag. As a rule of thumb, stick to transparent casinos since they are more likely to keep their end of the bargain when the time comes.
However, if you must sign up on a platform that isn’t transparent about their payback percentage or RTP, we strongly recommend running an online audit before registration. After all, better be safe than sorry.
Most reputed casinos will have a long list of games from the top developers around the world to keep the players engaged. So, if your shortlisted casino barely has a handful of games in the library, it’s time to go back to the drawing board and resume the search. For best results, opt for an online casino that offers a healthy mix of games, from video slots to table games and live dealer offerings.
Most online casinos use English as their default language. So, if you’re well-versed in English, this should not be a problem. However, if you’re unfamiliar with the language, you might consider opting for a local casino or one which supports your preferred language. This allows you to study the casino’s terms of use, promotional messages and communicate with the support teams if and when the time arises.
This is an integral part of the casino experience, and we urge players to verify the response times before signing up. There is just one way to be sure, and that’s by engaging with the support team.
Luckily, there is a simple excuse that you can use to get in touch. Not all platforms have all the information clearly labelled on the site.
And this raises several questions like:
You can use any of these questions to contact the customer support team and measure their response time. Customer support is a crucial part of the casino experience and comes in handy in several situations. You can contact customer support via email, live chat, or telephone.
Since online casinos constantly face stiff competition, they offer a wide range of bonuses and promotions to woo players. This is great news for the players who can choose between lucrative welcome bonuses, reload bonuses, VIP programs, and more.
Bonuses are great for both habitual gamblers and recreational punters since they improve the chances of winning. While bonuses are free, they have several restrictions, as we discuss below.
So, make sure to familiarise yourselves with the casino’s terms and conditions before signing up:
Quick Tip – If you’re looking for casinos with the biggest bonuses, you can find, rank, and compare the top offers on our website.
Before signing up, consider the following factors:
Quick Tip – Instead of manually shortlisting and comparing online casinos, you can use our casino guide to find the best operators. Don’t forget to read our unbiased reviews before making up your mind.
Do you like to play on the go? The best online casinos offer a uniform experience whether you’re browsing from the desktop, smartphone, or tablet. Apart from smooth gaming, online casinos should also offer seamless functions like registration, withdrawal, or deposit from a mobile device. Most reputed casinos have dedicated iOS and Android apps for that purpose. So, make sure your shortlisted casino supports mobile gaming before signing up.
Quick Tip – Looking for mobile casinos? Our website helps you find the top operators near you.
Irrespective of whether you’re an amateur or expert punter, here are some of the important factors to consider:
Quick Tip – Looking for casinos with the friendliest deposit and withdrawal policies? Our website ranks and compares operators based on ease of use.
Every reputed online casino has a page dedicated to responsible gambling. You will find the link attached in the footer section along with pages like About Us, Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, etc. The responsible gambling section must clearly define the casino’s goals and how it plans to help players suffering from gambling addiction. A licensed online casino will have a self-exclusion policy that allows players to exclude themselves from all forms of gambling and related communication for a specified period.
Online gambling is a pleasurable experience when practised in moderation. For the best experience, we recommend finding the right casino. Read our reviews, compare websites using filters, and get off to a healthy start.
Charles Ingel is our resident casino and bonus review expert. He makes sure that every bonus on our site is active and tests for fairness. Charles sees to it that we have the best no deposit promos of any online bonus site.
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