Three Rules for Choosing the Best Online Casino Last time, I told you how to pick the greatest welcome bonus and a little earlier I compared online and land-based casinos. You might remember that although I like going to a traditional brick and mortar casino once in a while, I’d rather play at online casino sites. But that’s mostly because I know which online casinos to play at. That wasn’t always the case. I’ve had my fair share of dodgy operators and I’ve made my fair share of mistakes. But that’s good – any experience is good experience – something under you belt to keep you from repeating the mistakes of the past. As Bram Stoker wrote in his highly-acclaimed horror novel Dracula, “We learn from failure, not from success!” Anyway, I have prepared the most important information for you to bear in mind when hunting down the best online casino and have separated it into 3 easy rules. Without further ado, here’s what you need to know when choosing the best online casino: #1 Legal & Safe Above all, an online casino should be legal. No, it must be legal and fully regulated. They must have all the necessary licences to prove it and display them on their website, too. Playing at an unregulated casino might cost you your bonus and further financial losses. If you aren’t convinced just yet, I’ll tell you a scary story about playing at illegal casinos in a bit. #2 Games & Variations The best casinos have a large portfolio. I’m not going to say that the games should be from multiple providers because there are casinos powered by a single software company, such as Playtech, which have impressive game collections nonetheless. Yet, make sure the casino you’re considering has a good number of game variations – why would you settle for European Roulette only if you could play a roulette with some exciting features. Moreover, you should be able to try the games in practice mode, as they remind us at bestonlinecasinos.org.uk. #3 Bonuses & Perks I’ve already explained all the important points about welcome bonuses but the perks don’t stop there. The best casinos make sure you get all the right attention even after you’ve played through your first deposit bonus. Make sure there are regular promotional offers, competitions, and comp points. A VIP membership is also a good option to have. Conclusion – A Scary Story In the beginning, I told you that any experience is good experience. Yet, the negative experience of playing at an unregulated casino is something you’re better off without. Don’t get fooled by the tempting bonus. You probably won’t be able to turn it over and keep the winnings… You see, the illegal casino doesn’t announce its unregulated status on their homepage. It temps you with a humongous bonus, for example, and you deposit your hard-earned cash ready to play and win a big prize. However, that can never happen. They have their fine print and their solutions and the validity period of the bonus is probably too short anyway. You end up ineligible for withdrawing your winnings and you can’t take your deposit back and there’s no one to protect your rights because… the casino is unregulated! Continue reading

How to Choose the Best Casino Bonus Today, I’ll let you in on a secret about online casinos. Because of the fierce competition – there are hundreds of casinos in the UK – operators fight over customers by offering them bigger and better welcome bonuses. I remember the first time I saw a £100 welcome bonus at a casino site. I thought it couldn’t possibly get any better than getting money for free. I didn’t read the fine print. Nor did I think twice or check out the competition before claiming that bonus. Well, I know better now… Since not all bonuses are created equal, there are a few things to pay attention to before picking one. Have a look at the most important points. Amount The amount of the bonus is important. Duh! You don’t need me to tell you that it’s better to get £200 instead of £100. Yet, there’s more… Validity Period So, you got a £1000 bonus but you only have 24 hours to turn it over 50 times? Well, that’s hardly possible, isn’t it. Look for a nice, reasonable period in which you’ll actually be able to play through your bonus. Playthrough Yes, casinos give you free money but in order to be able to withdraw the winnings you’ve accumulated from that bonus, you’ll need to play through the bonus a few times. Beware for sometimes casinos use different wording. At Ladbrokes, for example, they say “you must wager at least twenty times (x20) your allocated funds plus your bonus amount”. If you aren’t paying close attention, you’ll conclude that the playthrough requirement is 20 times when, in fact, it’s 40 times. Percentage Casinos invite you to join their sites and give you a match of your first deposit, which is called a welcome bonus. They usually give you a 100% match but that’s not always the case. If you think getting £200 for your £200 is good, how about getting £200 for your £100 with a 200% match? Games Before you register at a casino, make sure the games you will be playing are included in the bonus and they have a good wagering contribution. For example, if you like slots, you’ll hardly have any problems because those are abundant and usually have a 100% contribution. However, this is not the case with other games, such as roulette, blackjack, and baccarat. Other You see, all those characteristics are vital when picking a bonus. Yet, there could be more. That’s why I suggest you have a good read of the terms and conditions of the bonus. Yeah, I know legalese is boring but it would be good for your wallet. It goes without saying that you should play at regulated casinos only. How do you know if a casino is legal in the UK? Look for the seal of the UK Gambling Commission. Oh, yes, also keep coming back to my blog for more info on how to beat the system. Finally, the proverb ‘A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush’ is true when it comes to casino bonuses. If there’s just one thing you remember after reading this post, let it be that it’s better to get £100 and be able to cash it out than be promised £1000 and never see any of it. Continue reading

Online Vs. Land-Based Casinos Online or land-based – that is the question! That’s something from Hamlet, right. Lol, no, but if Shakespeare lived today, he’d also find himself wondering which medium of endless fun to choose. Land-based casinos have been around for a long time, a really long time. Online casinos – not so much. They’ve only been available for some 20 years and that’s if you count the awkward thing in mid 90s for an online casino. I know, I know, the online gambling veterans out there wouldn’t give me the time of day after reading this but, honestly, if you’ve set foot in an online casino in the last couple of years, you wouldn’t call that old thing from the 90s an online casino, too. Anyway, land-based casinos do have their advantages. I, personally, like takling a date to a posh casino and wowing her with my blackjack skills. It wouldn’t be the same if I just played on my iPad and was like “See? See, how I doubled down on that hand?” on our date, right? It would be rather rude. So, I put on a tux, pretend I’m James Bond and show off my girl all night. It doesn’t all come natural; sometimes I need to prepare. For example, I learnt how to shuffle my chips with this handy video. Then, we go spent all the money won on stupid, useless stuff. I do love to splurge and treat my dates well. But, visiting a traditional casino is time-consuming and may really break the bank sometimes. Just getting there and being properly dressed, and all the commotion makes it not practical to do it too often. What’s too often, you might ask. Well, if you’re like me, you’d want to be able to play every day. Note that I said “be able to” – you see playing daily, for hours, might be classified as problem gaming, and I’m not advertising that, no way. But being able to play means that you have the opportunity and as a sane adult you can make your own choices and not be tied to only being able to play on a Friday night, for example. There are other advantages to online casinos and, try as I might, I wouldn’t be able to list them all in a single post. Comfort surely comes first but then, there’re re the lower betting limits. At an online casino, you don’t need to have a fat sum of money at hand in order to play. You surely can bet big but the good thing is that you don’t have to. And then, there are the bonuses! You’ll get a bonus just for signing up for a site and oftentimes there are no deposit bonuses as well. Wait, did you get that? You’ll get money just for registering at a site and that money would not only give you a chance to play but you could actually make a profit that you’d be able to cash out. There are a bunch of wagering requirements to consider, of course, but I’ll tell you all about what you need to pay attention to in another post. So, you see that though both land-based and online casinos have their positives, the latter offers you more freedom and more choices. Besides, who said you couldn’t have both? Continue reading