The online casino world keeps on getting bigger, and if you’re new to the scene, the plethora of available casino sites and the wide and varied array of games available can be genuinely intimidating.Even if you’re a seasoned veteran, it can sometimes feel like too much to pick a new game to play or a new site to play at.However, as is our nature, we are here with a handy guide to make the whole process substantially easier for you. So, here are our top tips for online casino players.
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Do the Research
Before you sign up to a new online casino, it is vital that you take the time to research the operator, their history, and their licenses.The online casino industry is a long way past the Wild West style industry it was in the 90s, when the protection of players and their money often felt like an afterthought and regulation was little more than a pipe dream, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still be careful.Any casino you play at should hold a license to operate in your jurisdiction, so if you are a player in the UK, any operator should hold a valid license from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) for example.Regulators have lists of the operators that carry licenses too, so you can check both at the site, and with the relevant Commission to ensure you are playing at a trustworthy site.Then there’s knowing whether or not a site is right for you. We have reviews of all the best online casinos in these pages and the list is growing every week, so if you want to know more about an online casino site, we’ve got you covered!
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Understanding Bonuses
One of the most popular ways to entice players to an online casino is with an eye-catching and tempting welcome bonus.However, due to small print and terms and conditions, not every bonus is the same as every other, and a welcome bonus that offers big money isn’t necessarily the best one to take.For example, if a site offers a 200% bonus up to £2,000, that can feel hugely exciting, you could have £2,000 to play with for a deposit of substantially less. However, if that bonus comes with a 40x wagering requirement, you will have to wager both your deposit and the bonus 40 times over before you can withdraw any winnings at all, which is simply out of reach of many.On the other hand, you may find a site that offers you a spin on a selected slot for every £1 you deposit over £10, this, at first glance, seems like a far worse deal, but there are sites which offer this kind of promotion with no wagering requirements attached, so any money you win from those spins is immediately yours to withdraw if you so choose.
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Manage your Spending
Problem gambling is never out of the news at the moment, especially after the recent Government decision to reduce the maximum stake at fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) from £100 to £2.There is no doubt that gambling comes with its dangers, so it is vital before you start playing to be aware of how much you can afford to spend, and more importantly, how much you can afford to lose.Most online casinos offer the ability to limit how much you deposit on a monthly basis, using tools like this can create a much safer environment where you can enjoy casino play without ever falling foul of the temptation to bet too much.However careful you are, the danger is always there, so also make sure you stay aware of your spending, and if you are worried about your gambling, speak to your loved ones, and contact one of the many organisations such as GambleAware who are there to offer advice and assistance to those with concerns about their gambling habits.
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Try Different Games
You may have been enticed into the iGaming world by a particular game type, maybe you are a big fan of playing the slot machines in your local pub and want to find out if your luck carries over into the online world, for example.But there are so many options in the online casino world that it isn’t in your best interest to pick a game type and stick with it, different games appeal to different players for different reasons.For example, if you like to combine skill with luck, then maybe you’re more likely to favour poker, or if you want a game with a high return-to-player (RTP, the opposite of a house edge) then you may choose to play Blackjack.With such a myriad of available options, it’s worth trying out as many as you can before deciding on what works for you.
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Understand RTP
As mentioned above, RTP is the average that a player will receive back for every wage they make on an online casino game.For example, if a game has an RTP of 97%, then over many bets, the average return to the player would be 97p for every £1 bet.While a higher RTP of a game does mean that you are statistically more likely to pick up wins from it, this is not a guarantee. The RTP is an average taken over thousands of bets, and however much you bet, you may never make it to that 97% average, you may be above or below by some distance, so do not use the RTP of a game as a guarantee.That being said, it is worth knowing what games hold the highest RTP, Blackjack, as referenced above, is one of the best for this, with a 98% average as long as you play the game in the correct way (check out our Blackjack guide for further information on this).Slot games, while popular, often have a lower RTP, but due to the differing nature of the games, this isn’t always true.NetEnt’s Bloodsuckers slot, for example, has an RTP equal to Blackjack at 98%, while many other slots will have a percentage in the lower 90s.Scratchcards are usually the games with the lowest RTP, so instant win fans can often find their money disappearing quite quickly.
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Control your Withdrawals
Controlling your spending is obviously vital at an online casino, as explained above, but it is also worth staying in control of your winnings to make sure you actually profit from the wins you make, as opposed to losing the money back into casino games.Of course, you may choose to spend your winnings playing your favourite games and there is, obviously, nothing wrong with that at all.However, if you are looking for a way to ensure that at least some of a big win comes to your bank account, there’s a useful method to remember.As an example, let’s say you have deposited £20 at your favourite online casino, you wager that £20, and within a few spins on your favourite slot or some time playing your favourite table game, you manage to double that deposit, so you now have £40.At this point, withdraw everything above your original £20 bet, you have now broken even on your deposit, and you still have £20 to play with, continue to do this, every time your account goes above £40, withdraw everything but £20, if you’re lucky, you may find yourself getting richer £20 at a time while staying keeping enough cash in your online casino account to enjoy playing all the games you love.
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Enjoy Yourself
As these tips make clear, it is of the utmost importance to stay vigilant when playing at online casinos. You need to make sure that you and your money will remain protected, and you must ensure that you are not spending more than you can afford to.With all this on your mind, it can be easy to forget to have fun, and that is a real shame, so while you stay aware of what’s happening at all times, make sure you also allow yourself to enjoy the games you are playing.Over the last two decades, the online casino industry has gone from almost cult status, to one of the biggest and most important industries in the world, and while this has led to many confusing legal changes over the years, it also means that software developers are fighting tooth and nail to try and make their games the most popular amongst players.As a result, those who play at online casinos are absolutely spoilt for choice when it comes to the games to play, and this is something that could be taken full advantage of.Whatever you’re into, you will find a game, and probably an online casino, dedicated to it, slots come with various reel and payline structures, some with huge jackpots, others which offer more regular, smaller wins, while table games such as Poker and Roulette come in a variety of different forms to almost guarantee they’ll be something to appeal to you.The online casino is an absolute goldmine when it comes to finding fun games to play that can also pay out nice amounts of cash if you’re very lucky, and as long as you follow these simple tips, you should be able to enjoy the experience to the fullest.