What to Look for In New Online Casinos
Casinos come and casinos go online – with things often changing so fast that it can be difficult to keep up. This article tackles two key questions concerning new online casinos. First of all, are they worth playing at? Below I have considered both the pros and cons of choosing these over more established brands. Second, if you do choose to play at new casinos, what should you be looking for in terms of security and bonus offers?
The Positives of Playing at New Online Casinos
When a casino is first launched, the owners usually set aside a budget for marketing. This is used to attract players from other casinos, and to create offers which are good enough to make the press. As a player you can take advantage of these deals, which are often a lot better than those given by the established casinos. You’ll usually need to be fast – the money will run out after a few months. You also need to make sure you read the terms and conditions in detail, to make sure there are no hidden catches in the small print. All-in-all, by playing at new online casinos, you’ll get better deals than elsewhere.
The other main advantage is that new casinos often push forward the technology. This could be in the games offered, or in the app / mobile technology used to deliver these games. There may be innovative ways of navigating to the best games, or even a social aspect to your gaming which is missing from the older casinos.
The Negatives of Playing at New Online Casinos
For me the main negative is that new casinos have not had much time to develop a reputation. There are huge differences between the best and the worst casinos when it comes to how good (or bad!) they are at looking after their player’s needs. Most important of all is the payment processing side. By playing at new casinos, you will not have had time to assess whether they are a reliable payer. There are some ways of assessing whether your new casino is legitimate or not, which are covered below.
How to tell if your New Online Casino is Legitimate
If you find a new online casino with some enticing bonus offers and a great selection of games, you’ll be keen to know whether this is a safe and legitimate outfit to play on. While no method is completely fool-proof, there are some fast checks that you can do which will weed out many of the rogues.
The first check is for an operating license. On its own, this would not be enough to give you complete peace of mind, however the lack of a license should be enough to stop you depositing completely. For US casinos, popular licensing jurisdictions include Panama, Antigua, Netherlands Antilles and Kahnawake. For European or international casinos, you should look for licenses from Malta, Gibraltar, The Isle of Man or Cyprus.
Second, I like to ensure that the fairness of their deal and payout percentages have been verified by a 3rd party auditing specialist. There are several companies which specialize in this area, including iGaming Labs and Technical Systems testing. Look out for badges and linked certificates on the homepage of your casino, legitimate casinos are happy to display these.
Finally, you can check the ownership of your casino and the contact details they provide. The casino itself may be brand new, however many are run by companies with many years of experience in this space. Once you know who the owners are you can find their other casinos, and then check the reputation of these properties – especially when it comes to pay outs.
How to Compare New Casino Bonuses
All casinos, whether old or new, will offer players a welcome bonus as an incentive to sign up and enjoy the games. New casinos often offer bigger and better bonus deals than the established players. This makes it more important than ever to make sure you check the terms and conditions of the bonus and get an idea of the following key criteria:
- Play-though rates: This is how many times you’ll need to wager through your bonus before you can withdraw it (and any profits). There is a wide range for these at different casinos.
- Time limits, a high wager through + low time limit can make a bonus impossible to benefit from.
- Excluded games: Some casinos have clauses which void the bonus if certain games are played, while others only count certain games as a small proportion of the total play-through.
This is just a guideline, it is certainly worth spending 5 minutes checking the terms. One other thing I like to check is the number of 1-off promotions and loyalty schemes available. Many casinos reward new players at the expense of loyal ones, make sure your new casino has the right balance.