Stuff You Should Know Before Depositing
I'll put this in bullet-point form to keep it easy to read. All the information relating to each
bullet is expanded within these pages, but it's good to get a quick feel for what to expect. I
remember some issues confused me initially. But that said, it may look more complicated than it
actually is. Assuming you find a good casino to play, which isn't tricky, the processes are all
pretty straight forward.
- Some casinos are "bad apples", but the majority are
legitimate providing you play fairly yourself!
- Not all casinos accept players from all countries. Generally, if you live in
a country where online gambling may be against the law
(Italy, USA etc), check carefully. You should also check the minimum age limit at each casino.
- When you come to cashout, you will often be asked to provide some
documentation/ID electronically or otherwise, the
first time you cashout a sizeable amount. This will delay payment for up to 7-10 days (on
average) the first time you do this.
- Most casinos run on one of several well-known
casino software platforms so you will see
similar games and interfaces at many online casinos. The software is also an important
indicator as to the legitimacy of a casino and it is
pretty easy to download and register a "real money" account. Note that almost all the casinos
also allow you to sign up as a guest to play for fun and try it out first.
- Many online casinos have download and/or Flash/Java options available.
Where there is an option, the download version will generally have a lot more games.
- Generally, casinos accept Euros, US dollars and UK pounds. Some also
take Canadian dollars and S.A rands.
- Most casinos take credit and debit cards, but many experienced players
set up a free eWallet account which speeds up
payments and generally makes life a bit easier.
- Casino signup bonuses are common
but need careful thought as they come with very strict terms and conditions which many players
find obstructive (I rarely take them personally).
- All casino games have a "house edge". How much this is varies, and in many
cases is affected by your degree of skill in the chosen game. However most games online
have higher expected odds of return compared to land-based bricks and mortar ("B&M") casinos.
I'd say, as a generalisation, you'd expect around 92% - 95% for slots, 97% - 99.5% for video
poker, 97.5% - 99.5% for table games and Keno, which varies a lot, from 75% to 95%.
