Since online gaming has become such as popular pass time, there are vast numbers of online casinos to choose from. This makes choosing a reliable online casino a minefield.
Since you will be depositing and playing with money, it’s hugely important to research and pick the right casino to register with. Some of the key areas to explore are; gaming quality, bonus terms and conditions and customer service.
The last thing anyone wants it to be scammed or bled dry by fixed games, so follow the guide below to help you find the most reliable online casino.
Table of Contents
Knowing what you want
First things first you need to decide what it is you want from an online casino. There are many different types of online casinos and they will all offer different features and selling points.
By answering these questions below you can get a better idea of what it is you want from an online casino:
- What type of games do you want to play? Are you looking for online slots, or perhaps a variety of table games such as Blackjack and Poker would be preferential? Either way, by deciding on the types of games you want to have access to can help you make that first step in choosing an online casino.
- How regularly do you want to play? For habitual players, you will want to look for an online casino with a good loyalty scheme to benefit the time you put in.
- What type of bonuses are you after? Are you looking for cashback bonuses with no wagering requirements? Or would you prefer no-deposit bonuses.
By answering these questions you’ll gain a basic understanding of what it is that you’re looking for from an online casino.
Research
Doing your research is vital to ensure you select the most appropriate and safe online casino. If you’re new to online gaming you often find all the information you need by reading professional reviews online.
Whilst researching, you may want to consider the following:
- Your safety and security – is the slots online registered with a valid gaming licence? Does the site run an SSL/TLS Certificate?
- Mobile app compatibility – most online casinos provide a mobile app so you can game on the go. However, you may want to check compatibility with your device and ensure that it can be downloaded from a trusted source, like your app store.
- Bonuses – bonuses are not always what they seem, so always read the fine print in the terms and conditions.
- Pay-outs – make sure to check how long pay-outs take, deposit and withdrawal methods and any fees you may entail.
- Customer Service – legitimate online casinos all provide customer service. You can find information on opening hours, the service you can expect, and reviews of this service online when researching.
Visit the online casino
Once you’ve conducted your research chances are you will have found an online casino you like the look of. The next step is to visit the site.
Browse the site
Take a look around, explore every page and get a feel for the games on offer, bonus features and how the casino comes across at face value. Design is important, so ensure you can load games and the links on pages work.
Test out the games
Most online casinos will let you test out a few games for free. Take advantage of this and test out as many games as you can to ensure that the quality of graphics is high, the games load and they are what you expected.
Use customer services
Ask questions of the customer services support team. By testing out their service you can identify any initial problems and find the answers to any questions you may initially have.
Explore the promotions and bonuses
Make sure you look at the promotions and bonuses on offer and read the terms and conditions provided. The terms for the promos and bonuses will highlight how fair the casino is and how well it rewards its loyal customers.
Register
If you think this could be the online casino for you, then sign up. The difficulty of the registration process will tell a lot about the casino and the continuing experience you can expect as a gamer. This process should be simple and seamless, anything more could suggest problems further down the line.
Demo the games or take the no-deposit bonus
If you’ve registered for a casino site, then it must be answering a lot of the questions above positively, meaning it’s a legit site.
The next step, before you want to deposit your own cash, is to try out the system. Some online casinos will provide a no-deposit bonus, which is a risk-free way to test out how the site works in reality.
If a no-deposit bonus is not available then you could try a demo of various games to get a feel for how they will work instead.
With a no-deposit bonus you can try a little bit of everything; table games such as Blackjack or poker, to slots. This will give you an idea of the library of games you have access to.
Remember no-deposit bonuses will have wagering requirements, meaning you cannot withdraw any winnings. If you try to do this it’ll void your bonus and any winnings.
There is no harm in registering with multiple online casinos, if you could not choose one. This could be a great way to compare games, service, compatibility and quality. However, always make sure you use up anything you deposit first, as you will be charged dormant account fees, unless your account is empty.
