Introduction to Online Casino Gambling

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Before you register with online casinos and start spending your money, it indeed is a good idea to understand what defines an online casino. Because playing in an online casino for the first time, whether live or online, could be a bit overwhelming.

There are so many online casino games to pick from and details to pay attention to. You’ll discover that it’s not that difficult to get started but that you’ll run into loads of different casino terms, rules and vocabulary, and you’ll need to know what those entail. In general, the rules of the games are pretty straightforward, but you certainly shouldn’t start gambling in an online casino before you understand exactly what’s involved. Let’s take a closer look at some critical online casino information that you’ll want to know by heart.

Content:

What is an online casino?

The first obvious question you should ask yourself is ‘What is an online casino?’. Well, in short, an online casino is an internet-based mechanism of gambling that allows real people to play in a virtual environment. There you go. And although you do not necessarily have to gamble with real money, you do have the option to participate in real, live bets with other players and an online host. Most online casinos offer a wide spectrum of classic games such as Blackjack, Poker games, Roulette and an array of (free) Video Slot games and Fruit Machines.

Download online casinos vs instant play online casinos

Now that we’ve defined the actual definition of an online casino, we should add that there’s a distinction between online download casinos and no online download casinos. The first type of online casino requires you to download and install a (free) software program before you can play. This usually doesn’t take more than 15 minutes to complete, and it’s worthwhile since online download casinos tend to have the best graphics, sounds, features and overall flow. The second type of online casino, the no download casino, offers you to play instantly from your web browser due to their usage of Flash or Java technology.

Live online dealer casinos

Live dealer online casino games are the natural evolution within the online casinos’ industry and provide an enhanced online gambling experience to players. Since Internet connection speeds and live streaming technologies are continuously advancing, so is the quality of the live dealer casinos. More and more freshly launched online casinos choose to focus on live dealer games. However, the technology required for a live dealer casino is still costly, and so far, not many of them have been very successful.

Live dealer online casinos offer streaming videos with real dealers dealing with real cards and launching actual roulette balls. It’s basically the closest you can get online to a traditional land-based casino experience. Play live Blackjack, live Roulette, live Baccarat, Live Poker, and Live Sic Bo for real money, and all viewed on high definition real-time video feeds, playable on your desktop or mobile device.

Most of the games will also offer a chat function, which adds to the social dimension. It’s the experience of a land-based casino but from the comfort of your own home.

How to tell if an online casino is safe

It’s most certainly not always that easy to tell whether an online casino is safe or not, but there are signs to look out for. In general: if the online casino uses Microgaming or Cryptologic software, you can be sure that the software vendor is strict about who they give their licenses to. If you go with a Playtech or IGT casino, then usually, you’re also in safe hands. Other vendors could be a bit of a hit and miss. Keep in mind that both good and evil exist out there!

Several online casinos display various seals of legitimacy from independent regulators, along with audited payout certifications. Whist none of these guarantee safety, seals from eCOGRA and auditing by PriceWaterhouseCoopers are generally signs that the casino is at least working with people that have the right intentions.

For more info, please visit: Finding a Safe Casino.

How to pick an online casino

One of the first things you should look for is the ‘About Us page. There you should expect to see information that reinforces the online casino’s operations which should give you a feeling of confidence. Information transparency is not a good thing unless they are licenced in Gibraltar, the U.K., Australia, the Isle Of Man, Malta or Alderney. These are strict jurisdictions that care about how the business world views them.

This is Casinomeister’s perception of the strictness of jurisdictions that regulate online gambling companies: Alderney (strict), Australia (strict), Antigua & Barbuda (not very strict), Costa Rica (not very strict), Curacao N.V. (not very strict), First Cagayan Philippines (not very strict), Gibraltar (strict), Isle Of Man (strict), Kahnawake (reasonably strict), Malta (strict), U.K. (strict), Vanuatu (reasonably strict). More on this in the Licensing and Regulations section.

Obviously, the best recommendations come from other online casino players that we share in abundance on the Casinomeister forums. As a general rule, the fewer threads in the complaints section, the better. And when still in doubt, you should give the elaborate Casinomeister online casino reviews a thorough read to learn all about an online casino’s pros and cons and the ins and outs.

Key online casino knowledge

Before you go ahead and set up an account with an online casino, keep the following key online casino knowledge in mind:

Online casino games are games of chance;
The house always wins;
It’s not impossible to win;
Luck is not the only factor.

Outcomes of online casino games are determined by random events. This could involve the turn of a card, the spin of a wheel or the roll of a dice. None of which you have any control over. You might be able to influence your chances of winning depend on the games you play, but ultimately, the results are unpredictable.

The online casino, however, doesn’t need luck to win. Due to their algorithms and mathematical advantages, the odds will always be against you as a player. It comes down to the laws of probability, but the house will always hold the advantage over the player.

Even though that doesn’t necessarily mean that you are guaranteed to lose every time you play. The earlier mentioned laws of probability could also work in your favour. It would help if you kept in mind that an online casino’s advantage is effective in the long term, which means that in the short term and with a bit of luck and good fortune, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t find yourself winning in an online casino.

Some games, however, do not only rely on luck. If you learn the correct game strategies by heart, then with certain games such as Poker and Blackjack, you might even be able to keep the house’s advantage to a bare minimum.