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The Beginner’s Guide to online casinos
When I started playing at online casinos back in 2001 I had many unanswered questions to this world of online casinos.
Due to learning by doing the hard way I have now 6 years later become an experienced player. I would like to share my knowledge and experiences with you so you can get a safer and more convenient start than the one I had.
In the following guide I have listed answers to many of the 10 most significant questions I faced.
Today, more than 6 years later, I continue to play in online casinos, but nowadays I am more selective of where I play. I enjoy a smooth gameplay, realistic and nice graphics, bonuses (extra money provided by the casino), great jackpots and fast payouts. This is why Inter Casino definitely is my favourite online casino. They have got all these pros.
Click here to read my review of Inter Casino.
 | Residents of the USA cannot sign up at Inter Casino. As a great alternative I recommend playing at Bodog Casino. |
1. What is an online casino all about?
An online casino is internet based which means that you play in a virtual forum on a website, but you can still play for real money and with real people around the world. You do not necessarily have to gamble your own money, but you can also just play for fun or practice for free. Usually the casinos offers all the classic games like Blackjack, Poker, Roulette and Slots but there is also an emerging area for alternative games. I distinguish between to types of casinos: First theDownloads Casinoswhich is the major part of online casino that requires you to download and install a free software program before you can play. It usually takes no longer than 15 minutes to complete this process and it is worthwhile since these download casinos have the best flow, graphics, sounds, and features. The second types of casinos are – as you might have guessed already –No Download Casinosthat offers you instant play from any web browser because they use Flash or Java Technology.
2. Is it safe for me to play in online casinos?
Neither Jesper nor I had any idea of which casino to trust and not to trust when we started playing back in 2001. Today we have played at more than 300 online casinos, and in none of these have we experienced any kind of misuse of our credit cards or account information. A good indicator of which casino to trust is the software and program they use. The biggest software providers (Boss Media, Cryptologic, and Microgaming) are quoted on the stock exchanges, and do not dare to risk there reputation, therefore they put in a great amount of money to secure their costumers.
At BettingExpert we have picked out the safest and most respected online casino that put a notable effort into securing their players.
Most casinos ude a 128-bit encryption which means that the possibility of your details will end up in the hands of another is 1 to 340,282,366,920,939,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 so I certainly is safer to play at an online casino than crossing the street to your local casino :o)
3. Is it legal for me to play in online casinos?
In general it is impossible for me to answer this question, since different countries have different laws on gambling. If you are in doubt then contact you local legal authorities before you start playing.
Said that, I’ve never heard of anyone who has been judged for playing in an online casino and keep this basic principle in mind: When an online casino accepts you address in the registration form during the sign-up process, the casino will be the one in trouble if it is not legal for you to play online.
4. Are the online casinos being fair to me?
There’re more than 2,000 different online casinos and the competition between these is tough because the internet makes it possible for the users to switch to a different casino right away if they aren’t satisfied with the service provided or the quality of the game. Therefore the major software providers spend lots of money to control that they offer the fairest games and have the best payouts. In addition to this the best online casinos have accountants to manage their game payouts for example the well-known PriceWaterHouseCoopers gives a monthly statement of all casinos using Microgaming Software which is monitored on the casino’s homepage.
Compared to traditional land-based casinos, the payout from online casinos is notably better (between 96-98%) which partly is due to lower expenses and higher competition between online casinos. Still they do make a lot of money, and because they’re aware of this fact it does not seem sensible for them to have dishonest games because that would threaten their reputation.
So yes, I would definitely call them fair.
5. Can I really win there?
When you play casino online you are not more or less lucky than in the real world. There will be games you will win and games you will loose. But surely you can make a difference by playing well or choosing the right strategy.
But certainly yes! It is possible to win real money online! Some BettingExpert users have send us some screen pictures of their winnings which show several examples of more than thousands of dollars winnings.
6. How do I withdraw any winnings?
Usually you can choose between several options on how to receive your winnings. I have listed the four most common ways:
Cheque: You can choose to receive your winnings on a cheque. This will be send to you with normal mail which means that you have to wait a few days before you receive it. Some casinos might charge you $1 for mail fee but usually this service is for free. Also remember that your bank might charge you a small fee to deposit the money on your bank account.
Cheque via Courier: For immediate delivery you can have the cheque handled by quick companies like UPS or FEDex who will make sure that the check is in your hands within a few days. Depending on how much you’ve won, they will charge you about $30 for their service.
Wire Transfer: With wire transfer you can have you winnings transferred to your bank account right away. It is quick and easy but usually the casinos will charge you a fee for this service, so it is only recommendable if you win a lot.
NETeller account: This company is quoted at the London Stock exchange and provides secure transfer service of your money online. You can create an account for free at www.neteller.com and use it for deposits and withdrawals from all online casinos. You do not have to pay any fees and you winnings will be transferred to your account in a couple of days, so it will be convenient for you to have this account.
7. How do I deposit my money in an online casino?
There are several ways for you to make a deposit at the online casino:
Credit card
You can deposit money right away at all online casinos with a credit- or debit card for example Visacard, Mastercard, Dinnners Club, Eurocard etc.
Neteller account
In case your credit card has been denied due to bank restrictions or deposit limits, then NETeller is another option for you to make a deposit at the online casino. As mentioned above you can create and account for free and use it to make deposits as well as withdrawals.
Wire transfer
This is method will transfer money from your bank account to the online casino but it takes some days for the transaction to be completed and is therefore only recommendable if you can not make a deposit by credit card or if the deposit you wish to make is too big to be completed by credit card transaction.
Paysafecard
This card can be purchased in your local shop and can be used for payments on several internet sites. You can find the nearest local shop at www.paysafecard.com. To use it you have to type in the PIN code and Password (these you will find on the paysafecard) and the current amount you bourght will be transferred to the casino accordingly.
8. Am I a compulsive gambler?
To quite a lot of people gambling can become an unintended obsession where it is difficult to control ones desire for winning. This phenomenon called compulsive gambling draws many people to gamble at for example online casinos under exaggerated circumstances. Because the condition makes people addicted and because people loose their sense of reality the end result is often that they loose way too much money or in the worst case get bankrupt or end in great debts. There is surely a blurred borderline to this phenomenon that makes it difficult to say precisely when you are obsessed about playing or just eager to win in a healthy way, but a golden rule is that you should never play with money you cannot afford to loose. Also remember that gambling is meant to be fun.
If you might have a gambling problem then please consult your doctor or visit: www.gamblersanonymous.org
9. How are the casinos being rated at BettingExpert?
We put a great effort into carefully testing the casinos to make sure everything is satisfactory before they are recommended at BettingExpert. Any optional casino will be tested by either Jesper or I where we make a deposit and play at the casino to see if it works according to our standards of fair games, reliable payouts and good support service. If so, we rate the casino upon the following criteria:
- The quality and quantity of the Signup Bonus and other promotions
- The quality and quantity of games, the software design used and other good features
- The quality and quantity of support – for example if Live help is offered and if they give precise and fast answers to out our questions
- The time it takes to complete payments
10. Which games and strategies are preferable?
In my opinion Blackjack is the best game to play online both due the good payout but also because of the fantastic thrill it gives you. It is a game that requires some skills and there are various ways to play your hand - therefore I find it more exciting than games that only depend on pure luck.
Now and then it is also enjoyable to play other classic casino games like The Roulette, Video Poker and Slots. One of Jesper’s favourites is Let it Ride Poker because you get the chance of hitting the Jackpot with a nice Royal Flush.
Please see all our recommended tips and tricks in Game Strategies.
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