Ever since the earliest online poker rooms of the 1990s, online gambling has been continuously improving and expanding. The online casinos of today are now fully competitive with traditional land-based casinos. They are easily accessible, have a massive variety of games and offer players a similar experience to actually being on the casino floor.
As online casinos have grown in popularity, the variety of brands participating in the industry has expanded to match. Initially, online casinos were simple sites with a very niche audience. They had basic graphics and few perks or special features. They were usually run by small, independent companies.
As the market grew, more game developers got involved and started specializing in casino games. Major Las Vegas casino brands saw how online casinos were the future of the industry, and launched their own digital hubs. There are now dozens of reputable online casinos to choose from, with new ones launching every month.
Having so many options can make identifying the ideal online casino for your needs a time-consuming tasks. By considering a few key criteria, that process of evaluating an online casino can be streamlined. The following factors are the most important to consider:
Regular or sweepstakes casino
One of the first decisions to make when choosing an online casino is whether you want to play at a regular online casino or at a sweepstakes casino. Sweepstakes casinos function the same as regular casinos – the only difference is that the games don’t require real money to play.
While their game libraries tend to be smaller, the selection of titles offered by the leading sweepstakes casinos are nearly as diverse as the titles on regular online casinos. One of the main reasons why people choose sweepstakes casinos is that they are legal in nearly every state because they fall under different legislation than regular online casinos.
Licenses
The first thing to check for when choosing an online casino is that it is fully licensed to operate in your location. Licensing information can typically be found at the bottom of the site’s home page or in the About Us section of the site.
There are several regulatory bodies that provide licenses for online casinos. Each US state with legal online gambling will have its own regulatory agency. In addition, there are some internationally recognized regulators. The most trusted are the UK Gambling Commission, the Malta Gaming Authority and the Curaçao Gaming Control Board.
Security
A secure casino is essential. An online casino that cares about protecting its players will be fully encrypted. Encryption software encodes the signals going between the player’s device and the website. This makes it nearly impossible for hackers to steal your personal information or any financial data that you’ve shared with the casino.
Games library
The games library is what matters most to the majority of players – and for good reason! The quality of an online casino’s games library is what will determine how enjoyable playing on the site is likely to be. A massive games library with thousands of titles isn’t essential, but there needs to a good selection of games.
The best casino library for each player will depend on the types of games that they enjoy playing. If you only enjoy table games, an online casino that is dedicated to slot machine games will be disappointing. If you want your casino experience to be as close to the real thing as possible, you’ll need a games library that includes live dealer games.
It’s also smart to check who makes the games. There are a number of elite game developers and a growing number of smaller studios that create most of the most popular games. Some of the developers to look for are NetEnt, Microgaming, Red Tiger and Yggdrasil.
Bonuses
Welcome bonuses are offered by online casinos to attract new customers. They include elements like free spins, deposit matching, and occasionally, even no deposit free credit. These bonuses can get a new casino account off to the best start possible.
Just as important as what a bonus contains are the terms and conditions that set the wagering requirements for the bonus. Wagering requirements are how much a player needs to bet before they can claim any of their winnings from the bonus.
Payment methods
The payment methods offered are an important element of an online casino, and can be the deciding factor for many players. It is important to check what methods are accepted for deposits and withdrawals, since most online casinos will offer a greater selection for deposits than for withdrawals.
The best online casinos will only support reliable and secure payment methods. The most widely used payment methods are bank or wire transfer, credit/debit cards, e-wallets and payment apps. Apple Pay and Google Pay are the most widely used e-wallets. The popular payment methods vary depending on where you’re playing. In the USA, PayPal and Skrill are two of the leading apps, while Neteller is popular in Europe.
Various Types of Web-Based Casinos and Their Benefits(Opens in a new browser tab)
Conclusion
Any online casino that meets or exceeds all of the above criteria will be a good choice. The one that is the best choice for each player depends entirely on personal preference and gaming style.