The Complete Guide to Real Money Online Casinos
Real money online casinos have already been in existence for more than 15 years. Today’s casinos are completely unrecognizable from those early versions. Today live dealers can be streamed into your home, movie clips are intertwined with slots and realistic 3D effect tables can be enjoyed on your mobile devices.
The world of real money online casinos is split between US casinos and those which run to international audiences. As you will read below, this is caused by US legal restrictions. This article covers both US and International casinos. You will also find information on deposits and withdrawals – and those all-important incentives and promotions.
US Real Money Online Casinos
A legal change in 2006 forced the major international casinos to leave the US. The casino industry offering real money games in this country is now based offshore, mostly on Caribbean islands. These casinos claim that they are free to offer games to US players under international free trade agreements. While the federal government disagrees, a stalemate has been reached whereby these outfits continue to operate. Many are well known brands, some of which have been offering games to the US market for 5 or even 10 years. Several of them offer poker and sports-betting in addition to real money casino games.
Complicating things a little further, there are only certain casino software makers which will allow their games to be played on casinos accepting US players. These include Real Time Gaming and the excellent BetSoft.
International Online Casinos
While the US has been facing restrictions, the international real money online casino world has boomed. Many of the big international casino operators license their games from industry giants like Net Entertainments, PlayTech, IGT and MicroGaming. Slots have developed beyond all recognition in recent years, including movie tie-ins and interaction on a scale unheard of a few years ago.
At the same time mobile casino play has boomed. This is mostly through responsive browser games, with a smaller number of casinos choosing to go with native apps as well. Live dealer casinos are a hybrid of virtual betting with a live (and usually very attractive) croupier. The choice of games and ease of use puts the US casinos into the shade. While the US restrictions last, things can only diverge further as time goes by.
Real Money Casino Deposits
In order to enjoy the games, you’ll need to get your money on board. There are many ways available to do this; some of these are set up in such a way as to keep your bank details separate from the casino operators. This gives you that extra peace of mind, especially when dealing with offshore casinos.
Deposits for US Players: Getting around the US government restrictions has become an art-form, and the offshore casinos are very good at this. Their primary method is to accept credit cards using international purchase codes. You will often find that your Visa, MasterCard or Amex card goes through first time without any issues. If you cannot get your money on board this way, then you can always try a pre-paid Visa card instead.
The other main way of getting money deposited is to use a money transfer service. Brands such as Western Union and MoneyGram can be used for person-to-person transfers, which involve wiring your cash to a representative of your casino. This method can also be used for withdrawals at some casinos. eChecks and bank wires are also available at some casinos.
Deposits for International Players: Outside of the US all of the above methods are still available to you, and there are some others in addition. Many players set up accounts with e-wallet services like PayPal or Skrill. These create a 3rd party buffer between your bank and the casino, giving you extra security. If you keep your bankroll in these wallets, you can use it to take advantage of short term bonuses and promotions at various real money casinos too.
Real Money Online Casinos Bonuses
The main way that real money casinos attract new players is by offering big bonuses and promotions. What players need to be careful of is that many of these are not as good as they seem on the surface. There are often terms and conditions excluding certain games, restricting others and possibly even specifying wager-through requirements which are so high as to be unrealistic.
A quick check in the terms should show you which are the legitimate bonuses. I like to look for play through requirements closer to 20 times or maybe 25 times than the high 50x + casinos. Table games should count towards this at around 25%, any lower is just going to cause your bonus to take too long.
Finally, make sure your casino has lots of promotions and loyalty schemes to look after their regular customers. If yours does not, then it is time to start shopping around.