Casinomeister’s Guide for Online Gamblers

Prerequisite: please read the section “Spot the Rogue“. You need to research the casino before selecting it as one to throw your money at. Once this has been accomplished, and you feel comfortable, continue with the following guidelines.

Also – Casinomeister’s Accredited Casino section has already been vetted for you. These are the casinos that you should be joining.

Some important notes to consider before making deposits at any casino or poker room:

  • Read their Terms and Conditions and make sure you understand them. These are usually posted at the casino’s website or as you are downloading their software. There are usually TWO sets of terms and conditions – General Terms and Conditions: those applied to every aspect of the gaming experience, and Terms and Conditions applied to Bonuses. Make sure you read and understand both. You may reside in a jurisdiction that allows play, but your country may be bonus banned. If you do not understand a bonus term or condition – ask their support to clarify it for you. BONUSES ARE NOT OBLIGATORY – if you don’t like the terms – play without one.
  • If the terms and conditions are sloppily written – avoid this casino. When casinos are struggling with the English language, they ought to be avoided. Language difficulties will eventually lead to problematic situations especially with misunderstanding terms and conditions.
  • Make sure you are allowed to play. US citizens, Canadians, Danes, Australians, and citizens from Eastern Europe or Russia may be excluded at the casino.
  • US PLAYERS Ensure that you abide by your local jurisdiction’s laws concerning participating with online casinos. When in doubt, seek qualified legal advice. Please be advised that some casinos that accept US bets have difficulties in sending payments to the US. Play at your own risk.
  • Make sure you are old enough to play. If you are between the ages of 18 – 21, contact the casino support to ensure they will honor your winnings if you win. Get this in writing.
  • Are there cash out limitations? Read the banking terms. Some casinos limit cash outs to x amount per month or week. If a casino has stipulations that limit your cash outs unless you play back a certain amount, DO NOT SIGN UP.
  • Do not deposit in currencies other than your own. For instance, if the casino allows players to deposit in GBPs and you live in Canada, DO NOT deposit in GBPs unless the casino explicitly states that you may. Contact their support to get this in writing.
  • Understand the rules for bonuses. Most online casinos apply bonuses to first time customers; some to returning customers. Nevertheless, there are limits to the amount that the bonus may be. For instance, if they offer to apply a 35% bonus to your first deposit, make sure you understand whether or not there is a limit to how much the bonus is applied to. Make sure that you are playing the games that the bonuses cover, or the bonus play may be forfeited. Read both the general and promotional terms and conditions!
  • Do not play restricted games during bonus play. In most cases your winnings will be VOID if you play ANY restricted games during bonus play. If you wish to play a restricted game, regardless on how you feel about whether the games don’t count or are restricted, contact the customer support beforehand and get their okay in writing.
  • Fight Online Casino Spam! When opening an account at a casino, use a unique email address for each account. For instance, bigmamacasino@yahoo.com for Big Mama Casino. This way, if you receive any spam emails to this account, you’ll know who is responsible. Hah!
  • You are responsible for the use of your computer. When you sign up, you are agreeing that you are responsible to keep your username and password private from third parties. Don’t let your teenagers, ex-husbands, and drunken friends use your computer! They’ll screw you over!
  • When you open a new account, get these documents approved via e-mail before depositing. Many players are disappointed at having to produce these items once they have made a large win. It is common for casinos to request this sort of information before sending your winnings. But never fear, it’s usually a one-time-only process. Once you are in their system as a real player, you should have no problems.
  • Don’t play at sites licensed in Belize, Venezuela, Eastern Europe.
  • Don’t play at sites with unknown or undisclosed software.
  • Don’t make agreements over the phone. Get them in writing.
  • Don’t forget to keep copies of all chat sessions and emails.
  • Never sign up at dodgy operations.

Final Note:

Ensure that you join our forum and post your questions or experiences (good and bad). If you’re a newbie to this, please understand you are not alone – there are many players in our forum that are willing to give you tips and advice. There are also i-gaming representatives that are available to you if indeed you have a problem that their support can’t handle.