Guide to Playing Casinos without a Download
For many years you only really had the choice of downloadable casinos. There were Flash versions available, though the early versions of these were slow and prone to crashing mid-spin. It is only really over the last few years that no-download casino technology has really come into its own. In fact, nowadays this is as good as any download, and a lot more flexible.
This article takes you through all you need to know about No Download Online Casinos. First of all, I have explained what happened with the technology to make these games so much better than in the past. After that you’ll find the pros and cons explained. Next, whether native apps will ever be able to complete with instant-play games is covered. At the end of the article you’ll find some tips for making sure you get the best bonus at your no-download casino.
No Download Mobile Casino Technology
It was three things coming together that really allowed no-download games to reach the next level. Firstly, hardware improved many-fold. I am sure if you tried to play any games on a 10 year old computer it would be a slow and frustrating experience. At the same time software improved dramatically, particularly the rendering of graphics and video quality animations. Finally, networks went from dial-up to 3G and fast broadband. Without any one of these, I am sure that the central recommendation would be to go ahead and download casino software still.
Flash used to have a bad reputation as being laggy and crash-prone. This is no longer the case, today’s Flash is amazing and can deliver videos, animations and real-time games that you never imagined possible with the older versions. There is a compatibility issue with Flash. Apple devices including the latest Macs, iPhones and iPads do not support this system. What you will find is that you can find 3rd party extensions for your browser that makes Flash work. You might need to download Chrome or Firefox for the best results.
Casino software developers are also creating games using HTML5, and Java still features at some casinos. These technologies do not have the same compatibility issues.
What you will find is that there are major differences in the no-download technology on smaller screened devices (small tablets and smartphones). Some casinos have adapted their games by simply shrinking everything, others have done a proper job and thought through difficulties in the controls.
Pros and Cons of No Download Online Casinos
When you access a casino without downloading it, there is a lot more information that needs to be sent over the network. When you download, the game-engine and core graphics are held locally, meaning only the game-state needs to be transmitted. This is what causes occasional delays while playing the non-download games. The time this really becomes apparent is when you are waiting for a slots bonus round, these often download separately to the main game – which saves time if you do not play long enough to trigger this. Of course, on the plus side you are building up the anticipation of your bonus feature while you are waiting.
For me the main positive of the no-Download versions is that you are free to move around casinos very quickly to check out new games or take advantage of bonus offers. When you download a client you are a little more stuck with that brand. The effort of doing through a new download acting as a disincentive to change casino. Of course, the casinos are aware of this, and like the ‘stickiness’ of their download players.
Some casinos have native apps, which do require a download. Apple product owners are often more inclined to download these, since the Flash versions of games are not compatible with their machines. These games have been optimized for iPhones and iPads. On the down-side you will usually get to choose from a very small selection of the total number of games.
To sum up the pros and cons. By downloading you get a slight improvement in speed and game-smoothness, at the expense of a lack of flexibility.
Getting the Best No Download Casino Bonus
All casinos will offer you a bonus to sign up and deposit with them. The headline rates do all look very similar too. What you will find are giant differences in how good these offers really are, when you have a look at the details of their terms and conditions.
Before you get the wrong bonus, here are some key things to look out for. First you need to check the play-through rate of your bonus. This specifies how many times you need to wager the amount before it is yours to keep. The best casinos have rates between 20 and 25 times your deposit, the worst over 50 times.
The other key factor is whether your favorite games are included in the bonus at all, many casinos exclude table games or count these only as a tiny percentage of your total play-through rate.