If you’re thinking about signing up for an online casino account but don’t know where to start, which games to play, how to get bonuses, or what it will be like, this ultimate guide on how to gamble online will arm you with everything you need to know so you can get on with playing and winning.
1. Is Online Gambling Legal in the US?
More and more Americans can legally place bets online now that US online gambling laws allow legal gambling in a handful of states, and more are added every few months. The online gambling sector is growing year on year as online casino sites focus on complying with laws aimed to regulate online gambling. So anyone of legal age (21) living in a state which allows online gambling is permitted to play from within the state’s borders.
2. Which States Have Legal Online Gambling Sites?
A number of American states allow legal online gambling. New Jersey currently represents the largest legalized online gambling state in the United States. Since the state of New Jersey agreed to legalize online gambling in 2012, several online gambling sites have teamed up with land-based casino operators to offer a regulated online gambling experience including legal online casino games, online poker, sports gambling sites and online lotteries.
Other states that now have legal online gambling sites, mobile casinos and mobile sports betting include Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, Delaware, and Nevada, with more to come in the near future.
3. Is My Money Safe When I’m Gambling Online?
Thanks to very strict laws placed on online gambling websites, the process of depositing, withdrawing and playing at an online casino site has never been safer. All betting sites are regulated by federal and state online gambling laws and are required to comply with strict regulations in order to gain a gaming license.
When you bet online through companies that offer legalized online sports betting and real money casino games, the gambling license they hold offers a guarantee that your money is secure via encrypted technology. Likewise it assures that gameplay is safe and fair through the employment of industry-used systems that ensure randomness.
For your safety and security, it’s important to ensure you are playing only with legal online casinos and that you steer clear of offshore gambling sites which are not regulated in the US. The best gambling sites will make any information available to you on request to confirm their legitimacy.
4. What Are Bonuses and How Do I Get Them?
Bonuses are cash rewards that online casino sites give players when they make a deposit, take part in a promotion or as an offer to reward loyalty. Bonuses are not the same as cash winnings or prizes and cannot be withdrawn straight away.
Casino bonuses need to be wagered a certain number of times (normally called something like “bonus wagering requirements”) in order to be released and cashed out. Bonuses from a casino site are a great way for players to enjoy some games for free and the chance to win real money when gambling online.
5. What Is It Like Playing at an Online Casino?
Any casino fan should try online casino games – they’re convenient, the latest games in the best high-definition quality are on offer 24/7, they’re packed with rewarding promotions and bonus offers to benefit from, easy to understand in-game instructions, quick and secure deposit and withdrawal methods and are a wonderful way to pass some time playing your favorite casino games.
6. Is Playing Online Better Than Playing at Land-Based Casinos?
Online casinos truly offer a level of convenience land-based casinos just can’t provide. After all, you can’t turn up to a Las Vegas casino in your pajamas, can you!
These days players can enjoy all forms of online gambling from their laptop, phone or tablet, wherever they are and whatever time of the day or night they want. Deposits are instant and securely encrypted, the range of exciting games are quick to load and easy to move from one to another, and live casino games even mean you can enjoy some online gaming with an actual human dealer hosting your table and chatting to you.
7. Which Casino Games Can I Play?
Online casinos have all sorts of real money games from the most popular slot machines with weird and wonderful themes, to everyone’s favorite table games like blackjack, roulette, craps and baccarat, online poker rooms and video poker games, instant play games, live casino games with real human dealers, and much more.
8. How Can I Deposit and What Is the Minimum?
Deposit minimums tend to be quite low at online casinos, with most allowing players to deposit just $20. Players can deposit funds through a range of methods including via credit cards and e-wallets, and even via a land-based casino into their online account. Every deposit is made safely and securely via the latest encryption technology that all regulated and licensed real money gambling sites use.
9. Is It Really Possible to Win at an Online Gambling Site?
It’s not just possible, but a common occurrence! The rise in popularity in the online gambling sector is testament to just how happy and successful players are when playing casino games, online poker and sports betting online. There are hundreds of different games to choose from, with a wide range of minimum and maximum bets and progressive jackpots with millions of dollars to be won, so players have plenty of ways to enjoy online gambling and lots of opportunities to win. Basic game strategies for skill-based games such as blackjack and poker can easily be found online, giving players the chance to improve their gameplay and their chances of winning. Casino bonuses also offer an advantage for players to make money without risking so much of their own funds.
10. How Do I Get My Money When I Win?
When you wager money online and win, your winning funds are credited immediately to your online gaming account. You can then choose to keep playing with these funds or cash them out to your personal bank account. To do so, it’s simply a matter of requesting a withdrawal, waiting a day or so for the online casino to perform its standard verification checks and then your funds will be released to you.
11. What is a Payout Percentage?
Each casino game has a set payout percentage attributed to it, which is the average amount of money the game will return to players as a percentage of the amount they bet. It is also known as the RTP, Return to Player percentage. The higher the payout percentage, the more the game tends to pay out to its players.
12. What is the House Edge?
The house edge is essentially the opposite of the payout percentage. It is the amount of money a casino retains as profit, on average, per casino game offered, or the mathematical advantage the house (casino) has in a game. Games with a lower house edge are the ones that tend to pay out more to players.
13. Which Games are the Easiest to Win?
The easiest games to win are the ones you know how to play. Blackjack, for example, offers an excellent payout percentage, especially when optimal basic blackjack strategy is used.
You can increase your chances of winning by understanding how the game works and employing a basic strategy, whereby you’re betting according to the guidance based on the hand you hold versus the hand the dealer is holding.
Likewise, poker games like three card poker and video poker can be made easier to win by understanding a little of the poker hand rankings and the probability of generating a winning poker hand.
If you’re simply looking for games that are easy to play and aren’t affected by a betting strategy, baccarat and slots games are some of the simplest games to understand and are perfect for beginners to online gambling.
14. Which Casino Games Have the Lowest House Edge?
Blackjack has the lowest house edge of all casino games when basic strategy is used, which means it is the game players are most likely to win on. Other games with low house edges and higher return to player payouts include baccarat, craps, three card poker and roulette.
15. What is a Random Number Generator?
A random number generator (RNG) is technology or a software algorithm used by online casinos, as well as other industries, to produce a completely unpredictable outcome through the generation of an entirely random sequence of numbers.
In online casinos, random number generators are used to determine the result of a card deal, dice roll, or coin flip etc, to ensure all results are completely random and unpredictable.
16. Won’t an Online Casino Keep Taking My Money Until I Have None Left?
When you bet at a reputable, licensed and regulated gambling site, you can rest assured that this is very far from the truth. In fact, it is not in anyone’s interest for you to be permitted to deposit or wager endlessly until you completely run out of money – an online gambling company could lose its gaming license if it does not ensure fair play and responsible gaming for all its players.
Various measures are in place to ensure players’ safety and security which each online gambling company must abide by in order to be registered as a regulated and legal online gambling entity and so its players can legally gamble online.
Online casinos take responsible gaming very seriously and give players the option to self-impose depositing, wagering and playing time limits, as well as the opportunity to temporarily restrict access to their account. Each online casino has its own team of dedicated customer support staff who are available to assist and limit access if ever you feel your gaming is getting out of hand.
17. How Can I Win?
There are many ways players can win at online casinos, but the most important thing is to ensure you’re only playing while it’s fun – stop if it ever stops being fun. To increase your chances of winning, it can be a good idea to check the payout percentage/return to player percentage (RTP) a game has – aim for a high percentage as these are the games where players are more likely to win.
Some games like blackjack and poker can be improved by familiarizing yourself with basic strategy. And it can be a good idea to use any bonuses you receive from an online betting site on getting to know and honing your skills on a new game.
18. Do I Need to Set a Budget?
It’s a really good idea to have a budget in mind and to stick to it to ensure you don’t go off track and spend too much. Only deposit money you can afford to lose (although obviously the hope is you won’t lose it), as it’s important to only play with what you can afford, after expenses and bills have been covered of course. It’s also a good idea to set yourself a time budget, so you’re only playing a certain number of hours a day or week and not spending excessive times playing. Stick to a time and deposit budget and take a break when you need one.
19. What Are Live Dealer Games?
Although most games at online casinos are created in high-definition animation, many online gambling sites also offer live casino games, which are played in the casino’s studios in real time, streamed live online, and hosted by real human dealers. This gives the game a realistic aspect and an authentic land-based casino feeling, which adds to the excitement of the games. Players can chat to the dealers and also to fellow players via the game’s live chat, which guarantees that real live casino kind of feeling even more.
20. Which are the Best Online Casinos?
With so many online casinos operating these days, it’s hard to know how to choose the best betting site. Most offer the same range of games and work in similar sorts of ways. To find the best online betting sites, firstly look at their first deposit bonus and aim for the highest you can find, like a 100% match up bonus up to $500.
Excellent customer service is another area you’ll want to prioritize so be sure to go with an online casino that offers exceptional customer care and attention, helping out quickly with any query you may have. Promotions and offers are also something you’ll want plenty of!
PlayStar is one casino that delivers on all these with a generous sign-up bonus and personalized customer attention tailored to players’ individual needs. With a rewarding loyalty program, frequent promotions and special offers, as well as all the games and live dealer offerings you can imagine, it’s a sure bet for players looking for the ultimate in a safe, secure and sensational online gambling experience.
