How to Choose the Best Online Casino for You

Fortunately or unfortunately, nowadays the market for online casinos has grown so big that there is intense competition for gaming companies and lots of options for players. For newbies, researching some recommended online casinos might be a great way to start to navigate safe and secure sites.

This is a good thing in some way, because competition pushes online casinos to improve their features, user offers, bonuses, and terms. But at the same time, most of them try to scam users and entice them with almost illegal or scam-like methods. That's why you have to be careful where you register—and most importantly, where you put your money.

To help you demystify when to make a decision, I've composed this tutorial-type post as a manual such that from the onset, you make sound decisions.

Choose What Your Aims Are

The key to doing when choosing an online casino that meets your needs is to be cognizant of just what those needs are. That is, you should be cognizant of what you expect to derive from your online casino experience.

Do you need a place to play blackjack?
Do you want to know how to play video poker?
Are you wishing to play with real money without making a large investment?
Do you want to play live dealer games with webcam?
Do you want to play Texas Hold'em and similarly bet on sports along with casino games?

However, a warning: if your goal is to find a safe way to make money with little effort, no online casino will be a good option. Sure, they have payouts and odds that resemble live casinos, but all online casinos are designed to block advantage play.

You can’t count cards online, for example.
All of them come with harsh wagering requirements that render making a profit from welcome bonuses impossible. And as with any casino, real or virtual, there is always an inherent house edge on each game. Eventually, that edge can't be overcome.

But knowing your intentions is always the beginning of making an intelligent choice about where to play.

Read What Other Players Are Saying

There are several forums and sites where members post comments about online casinos in public. You can read these but don't take everything at face value. Some very glowing comments are probably from shills, and very damning ones probably from sore losers.

What you really need to keep an eye out for is withdrawal time grievances. If the players are struggling to withdraw their winnings and the casino does not offer a good reason for it, don't join.

A few casinos take it one step further by having customer service agents who are around on such forums. That's a positive sign—it shows how much the casino cares for its players, even before joining.

Review the Casino's Withdrawal Policy

To avoid being one of those players submitting negative cashout complaints, this is significant.

Cashout complaints are what you usually see in online complaints. One of the things you complain about is that most casinos will permit you to cancel a pending withdrawal. The longer the period for this, the worse for the player.

Example:
You win $300 and request a withdrawal. While the casino processes it, your money is in "pending" status. You get a time frame from most casinos to withdraw that money and have it re-invested into your account. The temptation to gamble again is strong—and 95% of the time, players cancel the withdrawal and lose the money all over again.

Worst casinos have this reversal feature open for 48 hours or longer. Best is less than 12 hours. Better still is none at all.

Processing time also matters. The faster a casino processes the withdrawal, the better. Best casinos take less than 24 hours to pay out, while the worst need 72 hours or longer just to start the transfer process.

Also, be on the lookout for withdrawal limits. Some casinos restrict you to $2,000 or so per week. That is not good because it means the casino may be underfunded. Let's say you manage to win $10,000 on slots. You don't want to have to wait 2 months to cash it out. The best casinos do not have withdrawal limits at all.

Test the Casino in Demo Mode

Lastly, utilize the demo or free-play mode that is being provided by most casinos and poker websites. This will allow you to test the games risk-free using virtual chips. You'll be able to experience the graphics, bonuses, pace, and system itself without having to deposit funds.

This way, you will determine if the casino actually lives up to your expectations before investing real money.