How does a newcomer experience the online gambling industry the first time? What Is there to look out for? Here is a few ways of ensuring that your online gaming experience stays enjoyable fun instead of becoming a thumping headache.
After being in the online gaming industry for more than 5 years it has become evident that there are many dangers for the newcomer. However many complaints of bad service and rigged software has made it clear to casinos that the straight and narrow road is much more viable due to so many online casinos loosing their market share and inevitably closing down.
Two of the main role players have been casino watchdog sites such as casinomeister and online casino reviewer. These online forums have in the past sorted out many a player's issues with online casinos and online poker rooms.
But how does this work? Many casinos in the past has seen players' complaints as not that serious. However since 1998 when Brain Bailey's casinomeister has seen the light this has changed. During this time the online community has approached him many times to sort out problems that they have experienced. Those that didn't sort out problems satisfactory have been rouged by him most of these casinos don't even exist anymore.
Software Providers
Enough about other people how do I ensure that the online casino I play with is both fair and reliable? In this regard it is important to have a thorough understanding of how the online industry works. First there are the software providers such as Microgaming, Party Gaming and Playtech. The software in itself is a good indicator of the standards set to the online casinos. Software providers such as Microgaming would easily cancel their agreements with such an operator if the operator acts in a way that can harm their reputation as a quality casino software provider. Other software providers such as RTG have proven otherwise and are therefore regarded as bad. So in summary the software provider plays a very important role in making the right choice.
Games variety
The games and quality of the software is also very important factor in the decision process. The reason for this is that your enjoyment and entertainment experience depends on the choice you have.
Support
This is one of the key factors in choosing the right casinos. Support in the online industry is crucial in that it effects the speed at which the payment is made and often the call center is the only means for a player to resolve issues with regards to non payment or software problems. Always choose a casino with the live chat option as this has proven through the years as being a key communications method with casinos.
Terms and conditions
Due to the online gambling industry having allot of promotions that include free money, it has become crucial for them to protect themselves from abuse. Therefore before you signup for a special promotion ensure that you understand the terms and conditions that accompany the specific promotion. In most cases the casino has a wager requirement that needs to be met before you are allowed to cash-in any winnings. In some cases these wager requirements can be truly ridiculous and is it better to avoid it completely.
Payout percentages
Seen as one of the key benefits of online play, a payout percentage reflects the fairness of the casino's software. This basically represents the amount of money paid out by a casino in terms of the amounts wagered. In many cases these percentages represents 95% and more. These payout percentages should only be regarded as valid if it is a certified document by a independent auditor such as Price Waterhouse Coopers. If it is not a auditing company that you are familiar with and regard as trust worthy rather give the document a pass and research whether or not the casino is actually trustworthy.
Affiliates
Many first time players are not familiar with this term, but an affiliate essentially is an advertising agent that represents casinos. Affiliates often gets paid to display the casinos banners and can in many cases not be trusted. Some affiliate sites will even attempt to convince you that they have winning strategies and that you will make a fortune using these strategies. This off course often end up making them more and more money due to the player loosing more and more money. Although some casino games do have strategies one thing must be kept in mind. The odds are on the side of the casino. this is logical as the casino games are designed for this purpose.
Be aware of these sites that often selling you a bunch of lies. I would never forget the first time I went to Vegas. During the flight there the most amazing thing was the people that were busy reading card counting books and Blackjack for dummies books. When they got of the airplane they simply couldn't wait to hit the tables. On the flight back most of them looked like they carried the world on their shoulders. They clearly went there with high expectations in making a fortune. But the books clearly didn't mention that due to card counters hitting Vegas and other US casinos very hard they started using more decks reshuffling the decks more often basically making card counting a ridiculous concept. There are strategies that are less risky and much more reliable, but more about that later.
Summary
The final step in ensuring you a safe and fun experience definitely is watchdog sites. It is best to ask other players and reliable site owners about a casino before playing there. Some sites such as this one refuse to promote any other casinos than fair casinos. This to us is a logical step as we would like our visitors to come back to our site as we have a long term goal instead of a short term unrealistic dream. |
