Use Common Sense and Have Fun Playing at Online Casinos

With over $5 billion in annual revenue online casinos are big
business. Offering everything from poker and sportsbook to
blackjack and slot machines, people have the online gaming bug
and are placing bets online.



Like any business, some online casinos are legitimate and stake
their reputations on fair play, while others are shady and face
accusations that their games are rigged. Before handing over
your hard-earned cash (or credit card) to online casinos, learn
about the features and drawbacks of each. Here are some
highlights:



Free Bonuses: Many online gaming establishments offer free
sign-up bonuses, some totaling up to 300 percent of your initial
deposit. Before you make your initial deposit, though, check out
the site's policies on deposits, bonuses, and payouts. Some
online casinos have stringent rules about withdrawals. For
example, they may require you to play eight times the amount of
your original deposit before you make a withdrawal, or they may
have a rule that states you forfeit any bonuses when you make a
withdrawal.



Download vs. Flash: Some online casinos offer poker, slot
machines, and sportsbook online through a Flash version of their
gaming system, while others require you to download software to
your PC. There are very few online casinos that support the Mac
platform.



Community: Online casinos place a premium on player loyalty.
They may offer free premiums, run weekly or monthly specials, or
offer other player incentives. Online gaming establishments
generally publish a weekly or monthly newsletter that publicizes
giveaways, prize drawings, and other promotions. In addition,
many casinos offer simultaneous chat rooms, so players can talk
to one another while playing poker, or host bulletin boards to
foster a sense of community among online casino players.



Honesty: Read the fine print and make sure that, when
applicable, online casinos use random number generators to
ensure impartiality. Prior to signing up for a site, read
bulletin boards on the Internet to see what other players are
saying about the site. Some sites utilize third party testing to
attest to impartiality, and some online casinos have promised to
play by the code of conduct of the Interactive Gaming Council.
Those sites typically display the IGC logo on their home pages.



Deposits: Online casinos, whether they offer poker, sportsbook,
or other forms of online gambling, generally accept deposits in
a variety of forms. Although most bank-issued credit cards
refuse charges to online casinos, there are a number of other
ways to make deposits to online gaming establishments. These
include NETeller, 900-PAY, Citadel, FirePay, iGM-Pay, ELV,
Switch/Solo, ePassporte, Euro Standard Bank Transfer, and bank
wire.



Whether you're playing poker, sportsbook, blackjack, or slot
machines, be sure to play safely online.