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AskGamblers.com – Complete list of smaller gambling software providers
 
Made by request of BlueBird


Hi folks!

We all know a lot for the major gambling software providers, I suppose! I doubt, there is even a single gambler, who haven’t heard of Microgaming, Playtech, Net Entertainment, Real Time Gaming, Rival, Cryptologic, Top Game, BetOnSoft, BetSoft, SkillOnNet, IGT, CTXM. But, on the other hand… How many of you know something about Amuzi Gaming for example? Or have tried Cozy Games? Or even have heard of Evolution Gaming… Believe me, there are some real diamonds among the smaller gambling platforms, producing slots and games, near and sometimes even over, the quality of the top-notched players in this field! And some of them have made absolute masterpieces!

So, my aim is to try to gather all the presented gambling platforms in AskGamblers.com website plus some other, who are still strangers here! The AskGamblers team has already done some great software reviews over the years and I’m not going to repeat them, so for the presented platforms you will get a link to the website review. As for the strangers, I’ll try to make my own reviews.

Well, enough talking! Time to start the journey…


Gambling software providers, reviewed by AskGamblers.com:

21GNET

3DICE

888 GAMING

ALIQUANTUM GAMING

AMAYA GAMING – look for additional information below the list!

AMIGOTECHS

AMUZI GAMING – look for additional information below the list!

ARISTOCRAT – look for additional information below the list!

ASH GAMING

B3W GROUP

BLUEPRINT GAMING

BOSS MEDIA / GTECH G2

CGTV GAMES

CHARTWELL TECHNOLOGY

COZY GAMES

CWC GAMING

DIGITAL GAMING SOLUTIONS

DRAGONFISH

DYNAMITE IDEA – look for additional information below the list!

ELECTRACADE

ENTRACTION

EVERLEAF GAMING – look for additional information below the list!

EVOLUTION GAMING

FINSOFT

GAMESCALE

GAMESYS

GRAND VIRTUAL

GREENTUBE

LEANDER GAMES

MERGE GAMING

NEOGAMES

NU WORKS

NYX INTERACTIVE

ONGAME

OPENBET (former Orbis Technology)

PARIPLAY

PARLAY ENTERTAINMENT

PARTY GAMING

PLAY ‘N’ GO

PROPRIETARY

SHERIFF GAMING

SLOTLAND ENTERTAINMENT

SMART GAMING

VIADEN – look for additional information below the list!

VIRTUE FUSION

VISIONARY iGAMING

VUETEC

WAGERLOGIC

WAGERWORKS

WAGER GAMING TECHNOLOGY (former VEGAS TECHNOLOGY)

WMS GAMING



Gambling software providers, not reviewed by AskGamblers.com:
 
 
 
 


Aberrant
 
 
 
 
Brief company info: Aberrant Software Inc. is a privately held corporation with its headquarters located in Ontario, Canada. Aberrant Software specializes in the development and licensing of software technologies with emphasis on the iGaming sector. Their complete software package is currently utilized by some of the most successful online bingo operators in the world. The Aberrant Gaming Suite comprises a turn-key online solution which includes a wide variety of games such as: multi-player and single player bingo (75 ball, 80 ball, 90 ball and Variant styles) along with an assortment of soft games such as Slot Machines, Instant Keno, Video Poker, Hi-lo, Match and Scratch tickets.
Powered casinos: Maria Bingo, Unibet Bingo, Bella Bingo
Games preview:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Action Poker Network
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Brief company info: ActionPoker Network brings together poker players from all around the world to play poker in a number of online card rooms. The ActionPoker Network was one of the first poker networks on the internet and carries top-tier brands like Actionpoker.com, Tigergaming.com, PokerInCanada.com as well as smaller niche brands like PayNoRake.com. The ActionPoker Network offers operators the opportunity to get instant player liquidity, a number of advanced marketing tools and turn-key clients. Setting up a new poker room rarely takes more than a few weeks depending on the requirements of the operator. With one of the poker industries most aggressive tournament and promotion schedules, ActionPoker Network enables players to always find their tournaments or events of choice. ActionPoker Network the proven poker network that has been successfully operating since 1999.
Powered casinos: BreakAway, Sci Fi, Connect2, PayNoRake
Games preview:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Amaya Gaming
 
 
 
 
 
 
Brief company info: Through its recent acquisition of Chartwell Technology, Amaya’s Online B2B division has over 13 years’ industry expertise and specializes in the development of leading-edge casino games, gaming systems, and platform for the regulated iGaming industry. Our exciting product mix consists of a combination of our own distinctive games, handpicked exclusive titles from some of the most coveted land-based suppliers in the industry – all powered by a rock-solid iGaming platform. Amaya’s extensive portfolio of 145 online casino games includes: slot games, table games, fixed odds games, live dealer, mobile games, mini games, and multiplayer blackjack and baccarat. Through our Rapid Game Deployment technology, we consistently release exciting new content on a monthly basis. Amaya has a pending acquisition of Cryptologic Ltd., which is another pioneer in the online gaming industry. Once this acquisition is complete and integrated, Amaya will have over 400 proprietary and third party branded titles to offer to their customers.
Powered casinos: Bet365, MyBet, 138 Sungame, Victor Chandler, bWin, Stan James, CentreBet
Games preview:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Amuzi Gaming
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Brief company info: Amuzi Gaming is a state of the art platform for operating a virtual casino environment for players, which is constantly striving through research and development to provide the online gaming industry with up to date, cutting edge technology in order to power successful casino platforms for their business partners.
With a substantial stable of the most entertaining of Video Slots, Poker, Roulette and Blackjack on offer, not to mention unique Progressive games, Amuzi can deliver the most innovative experience to both operators and players alike.
Powered casinos: Casinoval
Games preview:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Aristocrat
 
 
 
 
 
 
Brief company info: With over 50 years industry experience and over 2000 staff globally, Aristocrat has built on its Australian market leadership and reputation to become a premium supplier of groundbreaking technologies and services to the international gaming industry. Aristocrat enjoys a well-earned reputation for outstanding performance and strong brand equity in more than 200 jurisdictions around the world. The diverse product line-up extends from electronic gaming machines to complete gaming solutions, including systems, services, electronic tables, and ancillary equipment. Aristocrat aims to become the leading provider of gaming solutions. Imagination, focus and creativity play major roles in achieving this vision. Aristocrat offices are located in Australia, the USA, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Sweden, Argentina, Japan, and Macau. Each staff member is focused on fulfilling the needs of customers at all levels, while the global management structure drives innovation in business areas. Aristocrat’s core values of integrity and respect for the individual and the communities within which the company operates, underpin relationships with all stakeholders. Aristocrat is committed to working in partnership with industry, governments, and regulators to ensure it meets all responsibilities.
Powered casinos: Money Gaming, Genting, Bet365
Games preview:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dynamite Idea
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Brief company info: Please look at the review of GTECH G2
 
 
 
 
 


Everleaf Gaming
 
 
 
 
 
 
Brief company info: Everleaf Gaming is a network of partners - independent online cardrooms. From fully managed turn-key solution to simply providing the pool of players - Everleaf offers its partners every possible solution to meet their requirements. To guarantee their success, Everleaf makes sure that its partner cardroom operators will only need to focus on what they are doing best.
Everleaf Gaming offers one of the best poker solutions for online and land-based operators. Everleaf Gaming Ltd. is licensed and regulated by the Malta Lottery and Gaming Authority (LGA).
Powered casinos: XPT Poker, Golden Poker Club, Red Cherry Poker, StarBet Gaming, Poker4Ever, WSF Poker
Games preview:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Excapsa
 
 
 
 
 
 
Brief company info: This software provider does not exist since 2010!
 
 
 
 
 



iSoftBet /former Fast CPU/
 
 
 
 
 
Brief company info: With extensive experience and a portfolio of over 400 games, premium online casino software developer iSoftBet is at the vanguard of games innovation. Their uniquely powerful and flexible services offer tailor-made gaming solutions designed to meet every need. From unparalleled games and technologies, to comprehensive management tools and sophisticated ePayment integration; iSoftBet will give any business the competitive edge. As specialists in the regulated markets, certified in Italy, Malta and Belgium, they’re skilled at meeting the strict protocol challenges of the regulatory bodies. The company is a market leader in gaming creation and development, its range of products includes software for online casinos and online poker, bingo gaming, mobile options and live gaming.
Powered casinos: Casino 777, Casino 770
Games preview:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FinSoft
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Brief company info: Please look at the review of GTECH G2 for more information.
 
 
 
 
 


GameAccount
 
 
 
 
 
Brief company info: GameAccount Network is the leading provider of instant play non-download Skill Games to eGaming operators specialising in software solutions comprising non-download person-to-person games such as Backgammon, Poker and Dominoes. The Skill Games are accompanied by a full suite of Casino Table Games and Casino Slot Games. Selected games are also available in iOS, Android and HTML5 gaming applications for enabling mobile gaming. The GameAccount Network comprises various subsets of players according the the regulated market they're active within. The physically separate Alderney, Gibraltar and Italian networks cater to eGaming operators licensed in each of those jurisdictions with Alderney linked to a Data Vault located in Spain to serve the Spanish regulated market commencing 01 June 2012. GameAccount Network brings together the end-user players of our games from multiple network members, maximising player liquidity to benefit all members of the relevant network. Platform Services are software and hardware solutions for major operators, provided on request as fully-serviced Internet Gaming Systems available on standalone hardware platforms.
Powered casinos: MoneyGaming
Games preview:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
GameScale
 
 
 
 
 
 
Brief company info: GameScale provides a unique gaming platform designed for running a successful online gaming business. Their mission is to provide you with the best technology, which is custom, suited to your present and future needs. The technology platform provided under license to operators comprises a suite of download and non-download flash applications, together with a comprehensive web-based back office system, enabling effective customer services support and management reporting to the levels required by publicly listed operators. GameScale’s unique software platform enables operators to provide their customers with the ability to play across multiple products and platforms in all languages and currencies. The quality and innovation of their products are the basis of their reputation, substantiated by our attention to details and quality of service. GameScale is licensed by the Lotteries and Gaming Authority of Malta, one of the leading and renowned European online gaming jurisdictions, which became the first EU member state to regulate Remote Gambling.
Powered casinos: Conan, Cosmik, Deuce Club
Games preview:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gaming and Gambling
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Brief company info: Gaming and Gambling is in online gambling business since 1992 and since 1997 on internet casinos. They offer unique Turnkey Solutions for starting an online casino or poker. Some of their products are also available as 'Stand Alone' products.

Powered casinos: Netcash, CasinoNation Belgie, CasinoNation Deutchland
Games preview:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gaming Technology Slutions /a Playtech company/
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Brief company info: Gaming Technology Solutions (GTS) is a leading global supplier of gaming solutions for online gaming operations. Playtech provides cutting-edge software to the top operators in the gaming industry, and through the GTS Enhanced Gaming Engine (EdGE) platform, provides clients with access to the best in breed soft and casino games on the market. EdGE is the only truly open games platform available and provides a flexible solution that maximises player spend and game revenue whilst minimising operational costs.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
GloboTech
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Brief company info: GloboTech is one of the leading Russian software companies, which are offering to their clients complete casino suit solutions. For the last 8 years, the company has managed to complete successfully 8 huge casino projects and to create more than 600 different games.
Powered casinos: Grand-Casino, Va-Bank, Twist, Fortuna
Games preview:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ho Gaming
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Brief company info: Their products offer a distinct end-to-end originality that is apparent in each aspect of the solution.
 
Built with the ingrained understanding of each client’s uniqueness. The result – A customizable system that can be tuned to match your vision Visual interface and game flow attuned to the needs of the online gamer A secure and scalable underlying technical base for consistency and reliability Extensive administrative, customer support, marketing and reporting tools What makes HOGaming Different?
True Multiplayer Flash Games, No Download and Install Transparent, secure, and flexible to meet your custom needs Online Gaming operations with real land based casino foundation Fair Gaming Standards of Land Based Casinos Innovate and unique product that stands out from the standard crowd of clones Powered casinos: 138 Sungame, MyBet.com, VC
Games preview:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
LeapFrog Gaming
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Brief company info: LeapFrog Gaming is considered to be the first software company that has built a virtual 3D Bingo casino halls. Virtual bingo halls usually feature several bingo rooms as well as rooms with other games such as slot machines. Players in bingo rooms are divided in smaller groups at the tables. Each player can choose its table. It is possible to chat and also to see how close other players at the table are to winning, which gives it a very realistic feel. You can win really big playing in online bingo halls powered by Leap Frog Gaming, as the jackpots are very high both at bingo and at slot machines. They can reach the astronomic high sum of $500,000. Another game that is very popular among the players is Video Poker.
Powered casinos: Bingo Liner, Bingo Café, King Jackpot, Bingo Cabin, Jet Bingo
Games preview:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Parspro
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Brief company info: Parspro, a wholly owned subsidiary of Scientific Games Corporation (Nasdaq: SGMS), is a leading provider of complete on-line betting systems and related services for organisations that operate — or plan to operate — betting services on an electronic media platform. Through its founder and chief executive Sigurdur Baldursson, Parspro traces its roots back to the early 1990s, when he served as managing director of Iceland’s state betting organisation.During his tenure Baldursson established the organisation as a European leader in the use of PC technology for betting services, overseeing, among other things, the creation of one of the world’s first on-line sports books for use at the 1995 World Handball Championship. The Parspro management team consists of a group of experienced industry professionals who are only too aware that success in the highly competitive world of online betting depends not only on identifying and implementing best-of-breed software, but also on an interlocking mesh of factors such as hardware, odds management, games creation, online processing, security, probability management, reporting and profit management.
Powered casinos: Unibet, Betsafe, Bet24, Betplus
Games preview:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Tain eGaming
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Brief company info: Tain has been around since the beginning of iGaming providing a wide variety of gaming platforms such as sportbook, poker and casino software and much more to the online gaming market. Tain is a technology driven company that have developed iGaming platforms and services since 1999, providing solutions to everyone from the smallest start-ups to the global giants of online gaming. Over the years Tain’s focus has shifted from not only providing our own online gaming platforms, to becoming an integrated partner to all the major software providers in the iGaming industry. With their core offering of the Tain Commons Platform (TCP) and the Tain Payment Gateway (TPG) they open endless possibilities for any operator of any size. All online gambling products supplied by Tain or through Tain are world class. They enable even the smallest online gaming companies to gain access to the online gambling products previously reserved for all but the very largest of iGaming operators. In addition to the various poker, casino, sportsbook and bingo products, Tain is able to provide a full range of services necessary for an online gaming company. From company operations offices in Malta they can offer 24/7 support and monitoring, including advanced DBA services. Tain also provides payment handling solutions as well as risk and fraud monitoring in addition to first and second line support, all available in several languages.
Powered casinos: Expect Sportsbook, BetSpace Sportsbook
Games preview:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total E Soft
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Brief company info: Total E Soft casino software packages consist of over 100 of the highest-quality and original games - more than many of the largest casinos, including the 2 biggest operators in the UK. From card and table games, such as Blackjack and Roulette, through unique-to-TES video slot games, and even Live Dealer games, Total E Soft provide the perfect online casino gaming environment for your customers... not to mention the largest selection of video poker games anywhere! They also offer a competitive and affordable casino and sportsbetting solution, which is currently available in up to 18 languages! NEW - Multiplayer Poker has arrived with our Ultimate package.
Powered casinos: CasinoCo, 123 Vegas Win, Power Play, Bet.cr
Games preview:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Viaden
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Brief company info: Viaden is a leading mobile and casino software development company. With over 10 million users, its 60+ successful apps for iOS and Android are used in every corner of the globe. Having established a regular presence in Apple's New & Noteworthy, What's Hot, and Staff Favorites, Viaden has clearly proven itself as a trusted source for high-quality mobile and social applications. Over 10 million people worldwide currently use mobile applications developed by Viaden. From Health care and fitness to gaming and even time-management, Viaden develops and maintains innovative applications that make a difference in our customers’ lives. For use on a variety of iOS and Android mobile devices, Viaden applications help our clients achieve their goals. Viaden originally began as an outsourcing company focused on the development of custom web-applications and service delivery. After operating in this domain for several years, in 2006 the company shifted its focus to the development and delivery of software products. Since that time, Viaden has designed online and mobile solutions that are now used by companies and individuals all over the world. Viaden is located in Minsk, Belarus and proudly maintains its standing among the top Belarusian software developers. Our 5+ years experience in a variety of domains testifies to our commitment in providing only world-class products. In 2007, the company joined the exclusive ranks of the Belarusian High Technology Park, a union of the leading software development companies supported by the Belarusian Government. In 2009, the company launched its department of Mobile Application Development, which introduced a range of gaming, health care, and life-style applications. These applications serve a variety of wireless devices including Android based smartphones, iPhones and iPads. Today, applications developed by Viaden are among the most downloaded apps on the iTunes App Store.
Powered casinos: BetCirca, Cyber Club, Leo Vegas
Games preview:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Wager21
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Brief company info: Located in the United Kingdom, the Wager 21 company provides one of the smaller online casino platforms available in today's market. It may be small, but Wager 21 still have something to offer to the online gaming market. Wager 21 deal with online casino software and also with sports wager possibilities.
Powered casinos: Lucky Dog, Diamond Gal, Gold Betting, Grand Casino Royale, Lady Dream,
Games preview:



Last update: 10.11.2012
 

I would also like to say sorry to you if i misled you in anyway.I did not know that you could talk on here like this.If i had known i would have been on here sooner.i did not look around the site nor forum and only clicked on the other day.please accept my apologies.

Hahaha, nothing, I couldn't resist not to say that! Rare moments of my sincere praise!

You are most welcome! Actually I was just on my way to suggest you looking at this thread, but it seems you are already navigating in here quite successfully!

Is anyone looking forward to the release of Avalon 2?? I'm actually a big fan of Avalon ... I don't play it much these days so I'm hoping this new release will rekindle my love for the slot.
 
I'm an even bigger fan of multiplayer Avalon but the opportunity to play that is few and far between lately.

Hi!
 
 
I have a little idea! Lets post here some words known only in gambling world, so we all can learn something from each others.
 
 
All you have to do is to write one or more words with short explanation beside ( you can write some of the synonyms also) Doesn't have to be some complicated word, but also something like playthrough, withdrawal etc.. or not so famous sort of games
 
(not the happiest explanation, but I hope you understand )
 
I'll start with a few :
 
Bust - used in BlackJack game, when you get over 21 and lose
 
Pass - To fold, not to bet
 
Full House - used in Poker like a name for a hand which includes one pair and three of a kind
 
Jackpot - used in Casino for big win on a Slot machine
 
Trips - used in Poker, for 3 cards of a kind

I may have a row for starting another thread - but I'm taking the risk anyway!
 
I was just writing a game review actually and it got me thinking about all the different slot features. With so many slots being released now and they all having different features and free spins it got me thinking which one is my favourite.
 
My favourite feature on a slot of all time is Jack and the Beanstalks WALKING WILD. Its a rare feature, there aren't that many slots that have a feature of this kind and the ones who do I don't rate very highly.
 
What's your favourite slot feature? Or worst!

I have always asked myself during all these years what would be if I had never pressed that glossy button "APPLY NOW" at the bottom of my registration form in Bet365 back in 2009! Could it be better or worse? It seems that I will never manage to get the answers of these questions, but there is something I have learned a lot about - the world of online gambling! I have met, talked, argued, laughed and played with so many people across the entire world! I have experienced so many emotions – sometimes good, sometimes bad and sometimes simply indescribable rush of adrenalin! I had sweet victories, I had terrible losses but eventually all that really matters is not the money, but the people, you can call friends! And I managed to meet and make many new friends – especially here, at Askgamblers.com. In return I would like to make a small gift to all present and future friends of Askgamblers.com, and especially to our friends with a little experience, who are just beginning their steps in the glamorous and shiny world of gambling!


But first, please, allow me to present myself! Who am I – a present and former member of more than 180 online casinos with enormous experience in the field of online gambling and specifically - video slots. I am not a professional and no, I did not found the way to beat the bank, unfortunately! What I have found is the way to get the best for my money, or in other words to get a fair deal with the casino! And I am going to share all this with you FOR FREE!
If someone is expecting to find in this guide just another commercial, screaming with huge letters something like “How to become a millionaire from online casinos in just a week!”, or “How to beat the casino software!”, or “The ultimate slot strategy…” or “The only working roulette strategy”, well … I am afraid he/she will be rather disappointed. My point of view is quite different and I what I believe in is that the ONLY way to beat the casino is TO KNOW! Yes, exactly! THE KNOWLEDGE IS THE KEY TO THE SUCCESS! Because when you know where you are going, who are you dealing with, what are you going to do, how it works, what is the price and how much you can win or lose, than your chances of success are much greater from those of an average newbie in this shiny and glamorous but also tricky world of online gambling!
Let us face the truth, the online casino business was not made with a purpose all of the customers to win. Maybe some part of them yes, but definitely not all of them, otherwise any casino will bankrupt in just a month! Well, my goal is as many as possible of those people who trust me to get in the small group of winners! Cool – you will say, but how? And my answer is – just spend half an hour and read carefully this guide! I will give you five simple rules, follow them and you will always get a 100% quality service!
And at the end I want you know – do not worry about the fact, that maybe you are a complete novice in this filed. Everything here is explained as seen through the eyes of an ordinary player with plenty of examples! You will not lose the way, I will watch for you!



RULE №1 – ALWAYS CHECK THE CASINO FIRST

ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS check the online casino, which you intend to join before you register and deposit even a dime!
What am I talking about?
Online gambling is a business, worth billions, in fact tens of billions every year! The struggle for even a tiny peace of that sweet cake is an unimaginably hard task. And while 99% of the online casinos compete between each other by inventing and offering amazing promotions, bonuses, loyalty programs, rewards, competitions, tournaments and whatever you might remember for, just to attract a single customer, for the rest 1% this is considered to be a terribly long and hard road and they simply resort to some short-term decisions, which unfortunately can be described with only one word – DECEIT! And what is worst, the players understand this exactly in the moment, when they are supposed to be happiest – when they requested a withdrawal!
How this awful scheme works?
Imagine that you have joined such kind of casino, they are called rogues or scam usually, but you still don’t have an idea of the troubles, waiting for you! So, you have joined, deposited, played and maybe even managed to won some decent amount! Cool, time for pay back! You have issued a withdrawal from your casino account, you have sent already all the required documents, in order to be verified your personal identity and now you are waiting for the money to arrive in your bank account or e-wallet! A week has passed, than 10 days, than two weeks but still no sign from your money! It has passed twice as much time as it was written in the casino website, needed for processing player’s winnings. During this time you have sent at least a dozen of e-mails or have contacted the live casino support 10 times, where you were answered that everything is ok from their side and you have been redirected to the secure department, where you were told that you must send your documents again and again and again, and when finally they have received that documents and you were verified than you are redirected to the finance department, where you were told at first that no one there has ever received such withdrawal request, than it turned out that someone has wrong your account number, than finally everything is ok but you have to wait for another day or two...while after a couple months you simply understand that you are deceived and those 100$, 200$ or more, will never arrive in your pocket! As the great “Metallica” sings “sad, but true”! This is not the only possible scenario, rogue casino might use, of course, but combines 95% of the cases maybe!
How to prevent yourself from being a victim of a rogue casino?
As I have stated in the beginning – ALWAYS check the online casino, which you intend to join, before you register and deposit even a dime in it! This is the only way to protect yourself! Maybe you will ask how to make this check and where to look for? It is easy – the fastest and the most simple decision is to browse our website here at Askgamblers.com, but you can also look in any search portal for the combinations like “rogue casinos”, “blacklisted casinos”, “casino warnings” or “casinos to avoid” and etc. Just a brief glimpse at the first 5 or 10 results will be more than enough for you to reveal information about the fact is the casino, you intend to play in, a member of any of those listings! If the answer is no – than everything is ok, but if it is yes – try to get as much details for the reason the casino is being described as a rogue as possible! Sometimes the violations, for which the casino is put in the negative listings, might seem not so important to you, but eventually you are those, who will take the final decision! The more you know about it, the easier will be the choice of the next casino, so always pay enough attention to the facts, you have discovered! This will also help you avoid such kind of unpleasant experiences in the future.
What to do if you become a victim of a rogue casino?
If you have the misfortune to be deceived by such kind of an online casino, there is only one way – try to remain calm, no matter how much money is involved, show a strong and unshakable determination to seek for your rights, when dealing with the casino management and immediately look for help. You will be surprised how much help can be found by various gambling organizations, communities and portals. One of the best examples of such dedicated and absolutely free help is offered by Askgamblers.com. Here you will find a unique complaint system, through which you are given the opportunity to resolve any kind of issues, by the mediation of the Askgamblers team! Another great working possibility is to submit an official complaint by an online form, e-mail or a phone call to the gambling organization, that has licensed and regulated the casino, you have troubles with! Perfect examples for such organizations are Malta Gaming Authority, Gibraltar Licensing Authority and Kahnawake Gaming Commission. But whatever difficulties you may find always remember – you must never give up! Most of the rogues count exactly on that, but once you show enough determination, you will receive your money sooner or later!




RULE №2 –FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF CAREFULLY WITH THE CASINO TERMS AND CONDITIONS!

So, you have pointed you interest to a certain online casino, already have checked it and luckily its name was not among any of the negative listings you have managed to discover. It means that the casino is safe and it is time for the next step – reading the so called Terms&Conditions of the casino! Absolutely all of the gambling websites, providing any kind of gambling activity to its customer, possess such section, even the rogues, whom we were talking about in the previous rule. Otherwise they are just being closed, and it happens rapidly! Remember – you must read these Terms&Conditions, before joining the casino, not afterwards, because there is no way to register in a casino, without accepting its terms, and once they are accepted there is no way back and you must obey them, no matter you like them or not! Please, pay very serious attention to this part of your time, dedicated to a research of any online casino – doing it will spare you a lot of troubles and unpleasant emotions in the near future!
Usually these terms can be found in the bottom of each casino website or in the navigation bar and looks like Terms & Conditions, Terms and Conditions, T & C, Ts & Cs, Terms, Terms of use, User Agreement. Of course, many other variants are possible, but the chance to meet such is very minimal, but even though, you already know what to look for, right?!
So, what actually mean all these Terms&Conditions? Basically, it can be described as an agreement between you and the casino, by which are regulated the relationships of the both sides from the moment they sign it, which on the other hand is considered to be set, when you create an account in that casino! Or in other words, from the moment you click the button “Create Account”, you declare the acceptance of all the casino Terms&Conditions!
Unfortunately, the majority of online casino customers did not pay enough attention to this very important moment! Most of them ticked that box (“I accept casino T&C”) without even noticed its existence and importance! But they are terribly wrong and usually realize that soon after! Because they have just signed a total acceptance of every single word in a contract, consisting from several thousands to several tens of thousands words, and believe me, each of these words is important! To be honest, I have never read any of these contracts form the first to the last letter, but I can certainly tell you, where to point your attention, so that you will be absolutely calm from any possible future troubles, due to misunderstanding of the casino terms and conditions:
Always check if the country, stated in your documents of identity, is not listed in the restricted territories - this automatically mean, that you cannot play in the casino, and even if you already managed to register an account there, it will be closed usually a few hours later! (Example: 99% of all the casinos, powered by Playtech software, did not accept players from Afghanistan, Bulgaria, China, Cuba, Cyprus, Estonia, France, Hong Kong, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Serbia, Sudan, The Philippines, Turkey and USA.)
Look for the conditions of getting and wagering of any offered casino bonuses and promotions! (Example: Most of the casinos, powered by Real Time Gaming platform, offer match deposit promotions to their customer form 200 to 400% with 30-35 times WR - wagering requirements, or in other words if you deposit for the first time let’s say 200$ and get 300% match bonus with 35 times WR, it means that you will have to wager(to make bets worth) 35x(200+600)=28000!)
Look for the explanation of the term “bonus abuse” and consider whether you might be treated as person, accused of such activities! (Example: According to most of the casinos T&Cs, creating multiple accounts with purpose of redeeming bonuses is considered as a “bonus abuse” and leads to immediate accounts closure and void of all the winnings in your balances)
Pay extra attention to the financial details like fees for withdrawing or depositing, minimal and maximal limit for withdrawing and depositing in any period, what are the required documents in order to be verified your personal identity, how long is the withdrawing time and so on. (Example: Some casinos need 1-2 days to process a withdrawal to a Skrill( previously Moneybookers) account, including the pending period, but some need 2 days just for the pending period and another 3-4 days to process the withdrawal!)
Look under what jurisdiction is licensed and regulated the casino gambling activity? They usual locations are Gibraltar, Malta, Cyprus, Kahnawake, England, Wales, Curacao, Costa Rica. (Example: The last too places are considered to be home of the most known rogue casinos, so pay more attention in such case, while Malta and Gibraltar shelters 99.99% of the top 50 casinos nowadays!)
Look for the rules when dealing with personal details like in what way are they secured, for how long they are kept, who has an access to them and can they be destroyed? (Example: Many of the online casinos claim that they provide higher security standards, but only a few of them point exactly what measures are taken in order to ensure such high level of security!)

I can guarantee, that once you are familiar with all the above terms and conditions, your stay at any casino will be secured and full of positive emotions, especially if you win something! Anyway, do not be lazy, it is your money, involved in this, and if you do not care, someone else is going to enjoy them, right!?
I wish most of the online casinos have their Terms&Conditions translated to 10-15 languages at least, but unfortunately if you are not speaking English, German or French, I suppose it will not be an easy task! I strongly recommend you to find someone, who is able to translate some of the basic terms at least – otherwise you are risking too much! Another way is to seek help in any of the major gambling portals, like Askgamblers.com for example, where you can find forum sections, completely translated into Italian, Swedish.
And at the end – never register or deposit in any casino, unless you are familiar with any of the above mentioned details! In the best case you will lose 15-20 minutes, but in the worst – will lose a lot of money and nerves! And you do not want that, right?




RULE №3 – CHECK THE FINANCIAL MATTERS VERY CAREFULLY!

So, finally we came to the most important part of the game, called online gambling – the money! I don’t believe anyone of you was dealing with gambling with the thought he/she will lose, right?! On the contrary, the idea and the goal of our playing in the online casinos is that we will win, and as much we manage to win, as better it will be! On the other hand, the casino is also taking the financial matters very seriously and that is the main reason why they are so detailed reviewed and explained on their websites! I strongly recommend you, for your own safety, to try to find all the necessary time to familiarize yourself with all the details, concerning banking in any casino, you intend to play, before making any deposits there!

Where to find those banking details?
Again like the Terms&Conditions, the link to the Banking tab is situated in a quite notable place of the casino website and in most of the cases should be named as Banking, Cashier, Finances or something like this! Although there are several other possibilities of naming this kind of terms, I am quite sure, it won’t be a problem for any of you to find it! And of course, you can always seek for more help by the casino support, which should be perfectly prepared with such kind of information!

What kind of information am I supposed to find and learn from the Banking section?
All the available methods for depositing and withdrawing funds Example: The average online casino with good reputation would be offering at least 10-15 or even more alternatives of how to deposit and withdraw finds from it, including, but not limited to the use of a credit card, a debit card, a direct bank transfer(wire transfer), a regular mail check and an e-wallets. The most common methods are Visa credit and debit cards, Master Card credit and debit cards(please note, that Master Card is restricted form the ability to be used for making gambling deposits in many countries), Visa Electron credit and debit cards, a wire transfer, ACH transfer (for the US players), a check, Skrill( previously Moneybookers), NETELLER, Click2Pay and others. I am always trying to use my e-wallets, where possible, for both deposits and withdrawals, because the time, needed for the casino to execute these operations is shorter!
Fees for depositing and withdrawing funds Example: Nowadays, it is a rare case to be charged with anything for a deposit transaction, but if you chanced on such a casino, please, be advised, that a fee above 2% is considered to be beyond the average standards and you should take your participation in it into a consideration! When we talk about withdrawal fees, than it is a much more common case and still a great number of the online casinos will charge you! Especially, if you decide to use a regular mail check, than be prepared to pay at least 30$, sometimes 50$ and in very rare cases - even more! My worst experience is connected with a fee of 15$ plus 1,5% of the total withdrawal amount, which in my case was 1500$, or totally 37.5%$ fee! And that for a credit card withdrawal! So, it is up to you to avoid such unpleasant issues by reading with a great attention all the financial terms and conditions, before you start to deposit in any casino! Well, it must be noticed that in the last couple of years the number of online casinos not charging at all, or charging just minimal fees, has increased dramatically and that process will continue in the near future without a doubt!
How the technology of depositing and withdrawing funds actually works? Example: Let’s imagine you have deposited 100$ using a credit card, you managed to won 500 and finally initiated a withdrawal of 500$ to one of your e-wallets. In 99% of the cases, the result will be your withdrawal canceled and the funds returned to your balance! Why? The answer is simple – all(or at least 99% of them) online casinos use one and the same technology for depositing and withdrawing funds and one of its basic rules is to withdraw, using the same method as for depositing! Or in other words, if you have deposited via credit card, than you are allowed to withdraw at least the amount of the deposited sum back to your credit card before using any other methods! In our case it means that you must issue a 100$ withdrawal back to your credit card first and just after that the rest 400$ will be available for an e-wallet withdrawal.
What time is needed for depositing and withdrawing funds? Example: Well, here is the place, where most of the players are caught unprepared! As for the deposits, than almost everything is clear – the transfer of the funds happens immediately, except when using bank transfer, where the delay can be a day or two. But when we talk about withdrawals, the things stand very different! To be most convenient for all of you to get the idea of how a single withdrawal is happening, I will split the time needed for the arrival of your money from the casino into your bank account or pocket into three! The first part is called a “pending period” or a “pending status”. During this time you are allowed to reverse back the hole amount you requested to withdraw or just a part of it. The second part is called a “processing period”, “time for processing” or just “processing” – this is the time needed from the casino representatives to examine your withdrawal request, your personal details and to take all the security measures, required for the correct and safe cash out and when the final decision of approval or cancelation of the transaction is taken! Pay attention that your first withdrawal is supposed to be the one that might be processed a little bit slower, because this is the time when a personal identification is required! Luckily, it is a single check and all other withdrawals should be processed much faster! And the third part is the international transaction itself, when your withdrawal leaves the casino bank account, travels to your bank and finally arrives into your pocket! Here is the most suitable place for an example table, which will help you to get used with the average standards, concerning withdrawal times nowadays:

| Withdrawal method | Pending period | Processing time | International transaction |
| E-wallets | 2 hours - 3 days | 1 hour - 2 days | 1-24 hours |
| Credit/Debit cards | 1- 3 days | 1- 5 days | 3 - 10 days |
| Bank/wire transfer | 1- 3 days | 1- 5 days | 5 - 10 days |
| Check | 1- 3 days | 1- 5 days | 15 - 45 days |

* please note, that all timeframes are in business days
 
It is obvious e-wallets are the fastest way to get your money, and it is not a surprise at all, that the number of players using such accounts is increasing constantly in the last few years!
What are the required documents, in order to prove your personal identification? Example: After the initiation of your first withdrawal (sometimes even straight after the registration) you will be asked from the casino security department, usually by an e-mail, to provide some types of documentation, in order to be verified your identity and to be a 100% sure that there will not be any mistake with the recipient name! This type of documentations includes (but might be not only limited to) a scanned from the both sides copy of your driver’s license or ID, a scanned from the both sides copy of the used credit/debit card for depositing and a copy of a resent utility bill (not older than 3 months) or maybe a copy of your bank statement, proving that you have deposited from this account in particular! What is the point of requiring all these papers? Simple – by this documents, the casino is absolutely convinced, that you are the exact person, who has registered and issued the withdrawal and what is more important, that your money will go to the correct place, not to someone else! This is a single, one-time procedure, but has a crucial impact over your casino stay – even a single, one letter difference between the documents and the details, you have provided, during the registration process can turns into a long and painful soap opera, usually with a devastating result for the player! So, please, when you fill the registration form be very, very careful, check everything twice – the name spelling in English, the address spelling in English, the e-mail and so on. I repeat once again – even one mistaken letter and you may say goodbye to your withdrawal! And to those of you, who might think, that the casino can be deceived by providing wrong and misleading personal information, I will say only this – do not even try, all you will get is an immediate account closure and your winnings void!
And at the end some advices when dealing with the documents copies – try to make them as clear as possible and always hide the middle 6-8 numbers on the front and the security code on the back side of the credit/debit card! In fact, this can be used as a casino reputation test – absolutely each reputable casino will advice you to hide those numbers, when requesting documentation!
What are the minimal and maximum amounts for depositing and withdrawing funds? Example: Usually this aspect will not bother you much, but… imagine you hit a jackpot (I wish you with all my heart to feel that indescribable shiver!) worth a few hundred thousands! Yes, I guess, these terms will be the most important for you. Anyway, with or without a jackpot, you must be well prepared when dealing with any kind of limits. The maximum deposits limit is the only kind of limit, we are allowed to change and it usually takes up to 24 hours to update. As for the withdrawals limit, we are only allowed to agree and not supposed to be able to check anything. It is very important to familiarize yourself with both minimal and maximum limits for withdrawing! A good example of a bad casino policy, concerning withdrawals, is to set the minimal amount, available for cash out to 100 credits, despite of the fact that more than 75% of the gambling customers deposit and withdraw less than a hundred dollars! So, once again, compare your opportunities with the given casino limits and do not rush – take everything into a serious consideration if you do not want to lose money!
I hope now you already know why this part of a casino research is so important! It is crucial to be well familiar with all the above financial details of any casino you intend to join! The more you know about this aspect of your relationship with the casino, the more pleasant will be your stay there and nothing will darken your joy, when comes the pay back time! And that is time for celebrations, right?!




RULE №4 –TEST THE SUPPORT!


The support or the help, which is provided from an online casino to its customers is crucial for the success! Sometimes the amount of this success can be measured with tens of millions per year or a quick and inglorious bankrupt, so it is more than obvious how important is the quality of service actually!
As many ways you are offered to get help, as better for you!
As quicker your problems are solved, as better for you!
As more kind and genial the casino support is, as better for you!
The incredible competition in the online gambling business recently has increased the importance of this aspect of relationships between a casino and its customers to a very high level! The race for attracting even a single player is furious and providing quick and reliable support has become a key detail – as better and faster your support is, as many new customers you will get! Sometimes, you can even come upon messages in the casino websites like “If we will not answer in ten minutes, you get 10 euro!” for example, and it really makes me feel great from the fact that I am not supposed to wait hours, just to receive a single answer! Not to mention what a tickle to your gambling sole is to be called a “Sir’ or a “Madame”!

Where to look for this help?
No matter whether using a website to play in a casino or a downloadable software, you should always look for a link or a button called Help, Contact Us, Support, Live Help, Live Support, Live Chat or something like this in order to get help.

In what ways you are supposed to get help?
Well, the most common ways for getting help in almost every online casino are - by live support, by telephone, by e-mail and by reading the FAQ (Frequently Asked Question) section!
I have used the telephone for such purposes only a few times, because my country is never among the free toll country lists and was rather surprised in an unpleasant way after that, when the bills started to arrive! Be very careful when using this type of support, especially when you reside outside North America and Western Europe – there is a serious possibility to be charged a lot of money for any phone conversation from your telephone company, despite of the fact that on the casino website was written that the given number is free toll worldwide and you were not expected to pay for it even a dime! In most of the cases this unpleasant issues are not up to your casino, but to your operator!
Using the FAQ section will be just perfect in order to find solutions for any basic problem, but I doubt it will help you much if that problem is more complicated! Anyway, some casinos offer to their customers FAQ sections, which can be described only by the word “masterpiece” – extremely well built and full of useful, quality information!
The support via e-mail is used mostly and is provided by every single online casino across the entire planet! It is completely free, rather convenient but has one key disadvantage – it is slow! Most of the casino support teams will answer your question, submitted by an e-mail, in less than 24 hours, but imagine your issue is connected with a huge withdrawal – I doubt you will wait for such long time! It is in the nature of every gambler to look always for the shortest road and in my humble opinion it is just a matter of time before this kind of support will be fully replaced by the live chat entirely!
And so we came to the fastest way to resolve any problem – by using the live support! This kind of support is the most preferred method of communication by the customers, but unfortunately is not provided by all the casinos! And what is worst, actually many casinos claim for having such type of help, but most of the time it is offline! And it is up to you to decide can this support be called “live” or something else! Anyway, be very careful when dealing with the live chat support! First – always look at the start of the website address, when the live chat window is opened, if it begins with “https”, than everything is ok and your security is guaranteed, but if it is only “http”, I suggest you to try another method of communication! Second - try to provide the casino representatives with as detailed explanation of the problem you have as possible, this will help them resolve the issue much faster! Third – you are supposed to be asked for some personal details just for a confirmation in the beginning of each chat session. If not – try to find another method, because this means that not all the required security actions has been taken in order to keep your precious information safe and you are risking too much! Fourth – try to behave as kind as possible with the casino representatives! They are also human beings, have their own good and bad days, just like us and I am absolutely convinced, are doing the their best in the 99,9999% of the cases!

What to do, if I you not satisfied from the quality of the support?
Typically, the reason for this kind of misunderstandings is often some tiny, boring details and they are resolved very quickly! But sometimes, usually when arranging a withdrawal, the situation might become really serious and you can find yourself in the middle of a complicated conflict with the casino support squad! In such situation you must remain calm and to try to contact straight to the casino manager as soon as possible and provide him with all the information, regarding the issue, without hiding or lying for anything! Often this action will bring you an immediate answer and your problem will be solved in no time! If the manager can’t help you or doesn’t want to, than you can always look for help in any of the major gambling portals. A perfect example of such opportunity is to use the unique complaint system offered here, at Askgamblers.com exactly for coping with that kind of situations! You will be surprised form the fact, that miracles do happen in fact!

Despite of the way, you will look for a help in any online casino, just remember, that you deserve excellent attitude and perfect quality of service! You have the exclusive right to seek support for anything, you decide might be an interest for you and no one of the casino representatives is not supposed to have the ability of refusing to help you! The customer is always right, especially when he is paying for that pleasure!

Always try to test the support before you decide to join any casino and to deposit there! If it turns out that you have to sit down and wait 2-3 days for a single e-mail answer or the live support is often offline, well, I suppose it is better to look for another place to play and invest your money perhaps! You cannot expect anything positive from a casino, making millions every year, and not trying to provide its customers with the best possible quality of service!




RULE №5 – UNDERSTANDING THE BONUSES!

Well, this is the most pleasant part of the hard task, called “how to choose an online casino”! What a great feeling to see how your casino balance doubles, sometimes triples and even may quadruples the initial deposit amount! Cool, deposit just a hundred and play with two, three or even four hundred credits! The only problem here is that the joy may become a grief in no time, if you are not familiar enough with the technology of giving, accepting and dealing with bonuses!

So, if you have followed my previous four rules and managed to concentrate your attention on 10-15 online casinos, meeting all the criteria, mentioned above, I am afraid, here is the moment of the truth – the final decision! And it will not be easy at all – believe me! The chance to come upon two online casinos, using one and the same bonus policy is minimal. Actually, it is the bonus policy, what makes the difference between the casinos! And to navigate safely and correct through this marvelous, but sometimes also insidious ocean of offering without being armed with solid preliminary information and meaning of basic bonus rules and terms, without knowing in details the mechanism of giving, taking and fulfilling all the bonus conditions is almost an impossible task! So, what I strongly suggest you, is to try to learn and remember as much as possible from the next few pages!

For your convenience I will try to split the bonus/promotion types up to groups and will explain each of the group as detailed as possible and to use some examples from my personal experience! So, the main bonus/promotion types are:
Welcome bonuses; No deposit bonuses; Free play bonuses; Free spins bonuses; High roller bonuses; Reload bonuses; Loyalty programs; Cash-back, Happy Hour bonuses, Try New Games bonuses and others. And here follow some basic terms, concerning bonuses/promotions I will use for the explanations:
Wagering Requirements//Play-through – it means, how many times you must wager the amount of the given bonus in order to make it available for cashing out. Or in other words, if you were given 100 credits as a bonus with wagering requirements of 30 times, it means that you must place bets worth 3000 credits in order to fulfill those requirements. Cashable/Not sticky – it means the amount of the bonus can be cashed out, after the play-through is once met. Not cashable/Sticky - it means the amount of the bonus cannot be cashed out, even after the wagering requirements are met, it only helps you to make as many additional spins as possible. Once the wagering requirements are met and you decide to initiate a withdrawal, the sum of the bonus is deducted from your balance! So, here we go, with the most tempting of all the types of promotions – the welcome bonus! Welcome bonuses are so widely spread across the entire online gambling world nowadays, that it will not be far from the truth if I say, they already have become mandatory element of each online casino! In short – the welcome bonus is an amount of credits, equal to definite percent of your initial, successful deposit in the casino, which is calculated and credited to your balance automatically in 99,99% of the cases. This percent may vary but usually the limits are within 50 to 200%, or in other words, if you have deposited 100 credits, the bonus you will get is between 50 and 200 credits, depending on the exact percentage. The most frequent case is a welcome bonus of a 100% up to 100 credits upon your initial deposit. Sometimes you may meet a casino with smaller welcome bonus of 50% or even less. It is up to you whether join such casino or not, but to be honest, such facts always make me feel as if I have just came upon an old grandpa with miserly look on his face and often a more profound examination of the casino bonus policy proves these feelings! Be very careful however, if you come across offers above 400% - that should be an immediate signal of potential problems for you, it is just too good to be truth! Also pay attention whether your welcome bonus is cashable and what are its wagering requirements. The casino practice is as follows:
When the welcome bonus is between 50 – 200%, it is cashable, i.e. it can be cashed out, and the wagering requirements are from 10 to 30 times the sum, equal to the deposit plus the bonus amount. Example: if your initial deposit is 100$ and you get 100% welcome bonus up to 100 credits with 25 times play-through of the combined amount, it means that you have to wager at least 25*(100+100)=5000 in order to fulfill your bonus wagering requirements! Please notice that, if you have already accepted the bonus (no matter what type of bonus) and have placed even a single bet, you already do not have the opportunity to refuse the accepted bonus, nor to initiate a withdrawal of funds, even your own funds, until all wagering requirements are met! This moment is always a little bit delicate and must be very well thought out! On one hand, the more credits you have in the account, the more bets you can make and the chance to win is bigger. On the other hand, if you decide not to take an advantage of the bonuses, offered by the casino, you will have to rely only on your own funds to play with, but in return you will be able to dispose with them as you wish and what is more important, when you wish! Forgive me, but I will not give you a definite advice for the simple reason that I myself am not very consistent in that kind of situation! It depends on how much money, time and patience I have in dispose, but overall I am always ready to take a welcome bonus offer of let’s say 100-200% match, cashable and with play-through 20-25 times the amount of the bonus plus the deposit! When the welcome offer is within the frames of 200 to 400%, than it means it is not cashable, i.e. it cannot be cashed out, and the wagering requirements are between 10 to 20 times the combined value of the deposit plus the bonus amount. Many players prefer this type of offer, though, the bonus can not be cashed out, because the funds available for the game seriously swell, and along with that and their chances for higher profits! The next type of bonuses is the group of so called No-Deposit bonuses. This is a great opportunity to try the online casino in a real environment, with real money, without being forced to spend even a dime from your own pocket! Usually the typical No-deposit bonus is a small amount available to the player without the need for any deposit in the range of 5 to 50 credits with wagering requirements between 50 to 100 times the bonus amount. Quite often no - deposit bonus is accompanied by the condition for maximum profit that can be generated from these free game credits. I think the probability of a big strike, taking advantage of this type of bonus is minimal, but who would refuse a free lunch?

So, we reached the Free play bonuses. Usually this type of bonus works as follows: the player has an amount between 500 to 1500 credits at his disposal and a limited time, between 30 and 60 minutes in which to try to win as much as possible. When the given time is over, you are allowed to keep a certain amount of the potential winnings, usually between 100 and 200 credits, but only in return of a small deposit in your casino account. If you decide that these conditions suits you, than deposit and get your winnings from the free game account, which has the status of bonus subject to certain conditions and wagering requirements, similar to those of the welcome bonus. According to me, using the free play bonuses is a terrific opportunity to start a casino adventure, because you only deposit 20 to 40 credits and get 400 to 500% match bonus – ***** of a good percentage, don’t you think?!

The Free spins promotions are also very popular nowadays. The name of that type of bonus says everything, but in short, it means that the casino rewards you with a number of free spins (usually between 10 and 50) in certain game (usually one of the newest slots) and you are allowed to keep all the winnings, generated by those free spins. Of course, the winnings are subject to certain wagering requirements, which must be met before you will be able to withdraw them. In most of the cases the free spins are given as an additional bonus to the welcome one or any other but unfortunately are set to be played at the minimal possible bet and the chance to hit something big is limited! Anyway, once they are free and I don’t see anything to complain of and always enjoy them!

Let’s talk now about my favorite bonus – the High Roller bonus! This is a bonus, given only to players who bet large amounts and in most of the cases it is with much better conditions, comparing all the other promotions! Some time ago I accidentally came across to a statistics, devoted to the online casino business between 2005 and 2010. I was extremely surprised by the fact that over 75% of all deposits made in the period were for amounts under $ 100 and then I found a rational explanation for the fact why this type of bonuses are with better wagering requirements. It is also a common practice the player, who is about to deposit larger, serious sum to negotiate the rates and conditions of the bonus, he would receive! Keep this in mind and if you are a client with solid opportunities for deposits over 2000 - 3000 dollars, believe me, there will not be even a single casino, which will let such an ability to pass by and you will be literally bombarded with offers, which of which greater! My advice is if you have similar means always negotiate with at least 2-3 casinos simultaneously, so that it will be absolutely sure you will ultimately get the best possible conditions in exchange of your money! And remember, the customer is always right, especially when he/she is ready to deposit a four-figure amount!

The Reload bonus is an amount equal to the percentage of the deposit within 20 to 50% in most of the cases, with terms, close and very often even identical with those of Welcome bonus. It is used by the casino management for the purpose of encouraging their customer to deposit more often and is not a bad offer at all, especially if you experience some lack of green papers in your pocket!

As for the so called Loyalty programs it is very simple - play and whether you lose or win, for every 10 credits, placed in bets, you get 1 point and after reaching a certain number of points you have the right to replace them for an amount in cash at a ratio of 100 points = 1 credit. If you decide to make a few quick calculations you will reach very soon to the fact that for getting 10 credits, you are supposed to exchange 1000 points, and for achieving this number of points you have to place bets worth 1000*10=10000 credits, i.e. with these programs the casino turns back 0.1% of all bets, you have made! On top of that, those credits you are going to get in exchange of the accumulated points are subject to some wagering requirements! Well, forgive me for not being extremely exalted with this type of promotions! I think the casinos have a lot to do in this aspect and there is an enormous place for an improvement!

I do not think to dwell in details on other types of bonuses, because you already have enough knowledge and information about how to explore them for yourself! Just a few words about the cash-back bonus! The existence of such a bonus for me has always been a great signal for online casino that offers it! Even if the cash-back is only 10% of your losses from the previous week, when a customer still wounded by the suffered disappointments, sees them on your account on Monday or Tuesday next week, it seems he/she is able to forget everything faster and easier! And ready to get back in the game, what is extremely important, right?





Well, I think that now, already armed with all the knowledge so far, you are in a state of complete readiness not only to make yourself the most correct choice of an online casino to entertain in, but to avoid the vast majority of unpleasant emotions, caused by the ignorance or the misunderstanding of everything connected with the huge machine called online gambling! Be brave but never unreasonable! And always ask if you do not feel secure enough in something, because this game is played with money – your money! Wish you luck!

ValDes

Hello
 
 
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I doubt he did it, BlueBird! Breaching ANY of all those rules, which come along with promotions and bonuses means you are in serious trouble, you know.

Hi folks!

This thread is dedicated to all of us, who have troubles in resisting the desire to reverse our withdrawals! I will share my own experience on that subject, but it would be just great if you post your own methods of coping with that problem!

And so, how to resist on reversing a cashout?
The easiest way is the simplest one and it is to choose to play in casinos, which do not have any pending periods! No pending periods means, no chance of reversing a withdrawal at all, so perhaps it is the best possible solution. Well, unfortunately, most of the casinos actually do have pending periods, so most of the time it won’t be much of a help to you. Another good solution is to contact the casino support and kindly request for the so called “withdrawal flush”, which basically means that the amount, you have cashed out will not be available for reversing any longer! This is the best possible solution in my opinion, but it is still not so wide spread across the world of online gambling! The good news is that it is gathering speed already and soon, maybe in a couple of years, it will be a must for every single reputable online casino! The best possible way to resist on reversing a withdrawal is to endure mentally! I know, I know, it is the hardest way of all, but believe me, it’s also the sweetest one! Sometimes I resist, sometimes not, but the battle with my own mind is always an exciting exercise! At the end, everything, concerning gambling is a matter of self discipline and control! And if you resist on your own temptations, than you deserve to be called a really good gambler! Recently I have discovered another method to control my reversals and it is called “the AskGamblers.com forum”! Yeap, every time I felt uncertain in resisting my own temptations, I came here and post my concerns! You will be amazed by how much help you will get by the other members, most of whom has already been in your shoes! 5. Try to think about what you will use the money for, maybe a stickie note on your monitor! - added by klarissa

6. Play your favourite slots and games just for fun, here at the AskGamblers.com website, while waiting for the end of the pending period! - added by BlueBird, inspired by Luciana

7. The best way to cope with that sort of problems (and all kind of gambling problems btw) is to learn to control yourself and your gambling habits in particular! Everything in gambling is a matter of self discipline - including to reverse or not your winnings! - added by SlotoHolic

8. I think the best way to cope with that problem is to win one of those huge Microgaming or NetEnt progressives and quit gambling once and for all! Simple and clear, dont you think? - added by The.Dark.Knight

9.
 
10. Added by lcymod.
 
 
11. Added by klopklop
 
12. Added by bigdk88
   
Well, I hope, it will help you dear friends! And please, if you feel the desire to reverse a withdrawal is overwhelming you, this thread will always be your shelter!

P.S.: For the absolute beginners: To "reverse a withdrawal" means to cancel your request for withdrawing funds from an online casino. It is available only if the request is made during the so called "pending period", when you are given the opportunity to reconsider about the withdrawal and to reverse back to your balance a part or the hole amount of the requested cashout.

Last update: 12 May 2014

Casino licensing, regulation and certification – are they really so important?

Made by the request of SlotoHolic

I admit that generally think a lot, before giving a definite answer to any question, but in this case, it’s not that complicated at all! So if I have to respond immediately to what all the fuss is really about and are the licensing and certification of an online casino really so important to us, then the likely response is only one - yes, yes and yes again! In fact, only recently, I realized that if we look at this aspect of the relationships between a casino and a player from the point of time, we will certainly find that this is probably the most dynamically changing value. But for all this after a while, and now let us go back almost 20 years ago. And so ...

Alongside with the rapid growth of the internet technologies in the middle 90s, came the unlimited business opportunities to offer customers something completely new and totally innovatively – the ability for the people to entertain without the need of leaving their own homes! And that includes the gambling, of course! So, basically, the birth of the online casinos can be described by a simple mathematical equality – new technologies + Internet + gambling = online casino! Well, this mathematical equality could be really simple, but what had happened in the next couple of years was unbelievable! From just a few online casinos in 1995, the number of online operators in the 1999, offering their clients all kind of gambling, has increased to several hundreds! Almost every month, more and more new players appeared on the market and soon it was crystal clear that this business has a huge potential. But not everything was going so smoothly. Wherever there is fire, there’s a smoke too, so very soon appeared the first players, stung by online casinos refusing to pay them for one reason or another. Increasingly casino customers fall victim to various scams like ID data theft and credit card fraud or just being treated in a rude and disrespectful way! Pretty soon became apparent that the market for online gambling is too free and desperately needs a serious adjustment. All licensing jurisdictions gradually increased their requirements for issuing a license to the online operators, and soon after came the first of the so-called "third party watchdog organizations", whose main role was basically to monitor how the casino takes care of the privacy and security of the owed personal data, for the accurate and timely payment of winnings and for the integrity and quality of the gambling software, and all other aspects of the relationship casino - player!

The first country to allow an online gambling casino to deploy its servers in its territory was the small Caribbean island of Antigua and Barbuda in the distant 1994. This became possible by the adoption of the Free Trade and Processing Zone Act from the local Government and only a few years later, the country has huge revenue, up to almost a third of the gross national product, and hundreds and eventually thousands of new jobs. In the same year was founded the largest company producing online gambling software - Microgaming, which even at the present dominates the market without a doubt, both in terms of quality and quantity of games offered, as well as the security and integrity of its software! In 1995 began to work what is believed to be the first online casino - Internet Casinos Inc. (also known as ICI). The casino offers its customers only 18 online games, but also an access to the National Indian Lottery. The uneventful existence of the online casinos, estimated in annual revenues in tens of billions of dollars, lasted until about mid-September 2006, when in response to the attacks of 9/11 and in an attempt to reduce the ability of terrorist groups to launder money through online gambling, the US Senate passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act 2006 (UIGEA). This act prohibits the financial institutions to accept any money transfers to online casinos by players and virtually removed from the equation more than 20 million US customers! In less than a year, the number of ceased to exist gambling operators and organizations approached the number of 2300! This is the largest decline in the short, but full of dramatic events, history of online gambling until and even now, the consequences of which can not yet be removed. Yes, it is true that millions of Americans currently play online, but it is on the edge of the law and, therefore, it is this group of players, which are most often the victims of unscrupulous casino practices. Which brings us back to our topic and namely what exactly we are talking about, when it comes to casino licensing, regulation and certification?

In general, to be confident that an online casino is honest, trustworthy and works in a transparent and credible manner, it must owe a certain set of qualities and characteristics, which to prove both to their clients and especially to the responsible organizations is a complicated and delicate process! This process consists of several stages, and failing with even one of them automatically means almost certain failure of the whole project. So, I guess you wouldn’t be very surprised, if I tell you that only a small portion of the existing online casinos have successfully completed 100% of all stages, which, of course, is the main reason that some names in this business are incredibly successful, while others simply come and go in a short time! So how it all begin...

Forefront in creating a fair and honest online casino takes the choice of the so-called "licensing jurisdiction". Or should this term have to be explained in simple words - this is the place, where the casino lands its servers and where all gaming and financial transactions are made to and from. In other words, to operate the casino needs a license that allows him to perform all the above operations. This license is called "gaming license". But in order to operate an online casino, however, it needs suitable software, which must also be licensed. Usually, each of the gambling software providers have deals or arrangements with one or more licensing jurisdictions, giving them the exclusive rights to own a so called "Master License" or to have access to the ability to getting you a gaming license. In most cases, a gaming license is required from the licensing jurisdiction you are based in order to take wagers on the internet. Some governments do not require a gaming license, while others (like Antigua, Gibraltar, Malta, Isle of Man and Costa Rica) do. And since the negative attitude of the majority of governments around the world regarding any kind of gambling is not a big secret, it should not surprise us at all, that most licensing jurisdiction are actually small countries, often called offshore zones, which owe all the necessary attributes for doing a successful gambling business - liberal laws and a huge appetite for investments! At present, these jurisdictions are more than 70, but the majority of the valid casino licenses are concentrated in only a few of them – Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Alderney, Costa Rica, Netherland Antilles(Curacao), Gibraltar, Malta, Isle of Man, Cyprus, United Kingdom, Panama, Kahnawake(Canada) and Vanuatu. Some believe that those countries hold almost 90% of all issued casino licenses at the moment!
Anyway, now it’s time for some questions and answers, regarding the licenses with examples:

Q: How much does it costs a casino(gaming) license?
A: It depends. It may vary from a predefined annual amount up to a small share of all net profits or generated revenues.
Example: Currently if you are planning to obtain a casino license from Antigua and Barbuda, then you are supposed to pay $75 000 per annum for landing there your primary server alongside with paying all the required taxes, such as 3% of the net wins, luckily capped at the amount of $50 000 per month! In Gibraltar there’s no start-up fee, but only a £2000 annual fee for maintaining the license and online casinos are taxed at 1% of the gross product with a cap of £425,000 per annum.
Q: How much does it costs you a gambling software license?
A: There is so many variations on that matter, that it’s simple impossible to summarize, but as a whole yes, it will cost you something. And in most of the cases it will cost you a lot!
Example: Usually the gambling software provider charges a software licensing fee. Most also take a percentage of the take for each month's revenues of the casino as well. In some cases a part of your agreement with the provider will be to use only his hardware and network equipment, or to use some predefined marketing strategies, specially designed for you casino. At the end, you will be a lucky casino manager to end the month with at least 30-40% of the net wins! J

Q: Do all of these licensing jurisdictions are equally exacting and rigorous?
A: No, not at all. Unfortunately there’s a huge difference between the quality and quantity of the applied minimum standards! As more rigorous and exacting the licensing jurisdiction is, as lower is the number of players complaints and issues! And conversely – the more liberal the requirements for issuing a license are, the more players get some run around, slow payments and bad attitude!
Example:
Strict jurisdictions – Gibraltar, Isle of Man, Alderney, Australia, UK;
Not so rigorous – Malta, Vanuatu, Kahnawake, Cyprus;
Liberal – Curacao, Antigua and Barbuda, Panama, Costa Rica.

Q: Can I seek for a help from those licensing regulatory bodies in case I have an issue with a casino, holding a license, issued by them?
A: Yes, you can! But actually only a very small number of players know that all of the licensing organization in any of the licensing jurisdictions is supposed not only to issue a license and get the money but also to regulate the casino activities and to take adequate measures in case it’s proven the operator is acting unfair and fraudulent against its own customers!
Example: Each one of the listed licensing jurisdictions above has its own specially designed organization, which owes the exclusive rights to give or take a casino license. Moreover, those organizations are supposed to help you in case you have troubles with one of their issuers! So, I will try to list some of the major players in the licensing market worldwide, as well as to provide you with their Internet addresses, where you can ask for assistance!



Alderney Gambling Control Commission
www.gamblingcontrol.org

Australian Gambling and Racing Commission
http://www.gamblinga...ing.act.gov.au/

Antigua and Barbuda Directorate of Offshore Gaming
www.antiguagaming.gov.ag

Costa Rica Commerce, Industry and Economy Ministry
www.meic.go.cr

Gibraltar Ministry of Finance Gambling Division
www.gibraltar.goc.gi/internet-gaming

Malta Lotteries and Gaming Authority
www.lga.org.mt

United Kingdom Gambling Commission
www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk

Isle of Man Gambling Supervision
www.gov.im/gambling

Cyprus Ministry of Finance
www.mof.gov.cy

Kahnawake Gaming Commission
www.gamingcommission.ca

Curacao Internet Gaming Association /Netherland Antilles/
www.ciga.an

Panama Ministry of Economy and Finance
www.mef.gob.pa/Portal/Dir-Junta.html

Vanuatu Interactive Gaming Consultants Ltd
http://www.igc.vu


And so, we've got already a valid license for our casino that gives us the right to accept bets, managed by secure and appropriate software and everything, regarding our casino project should be perfectly legal and fair. But... Yes, something is missing in the big picture and that is the guarantee that the casino will operate in a transparent, trustful and honest way to its clients. What if the software has been manipulated in favor of the operator? Or a casino just refuses to pay profits without any reason, or his staff is behaving rude and inappropriate with clients? Who will ensure that our casino will operate in a completely legal, honest and open manner? Yes, one could reasonably guess that this is a matter and duty for the very licensing organization or the software provider, or all of them combined. But hey, let's face it openly - they all have a benefit from a working casino and I deeply doubt, anyone has a substantial interest in preventing normal operation with constant checks and additional problems, right?
Here is where the main role is played by the so-called independent "gambling watchdog” organizations. What are their main tasks? Firstly, to appreciate a casino or gambling software in an objective and impartial manner! Second - to use a transparent, fair and qualitative methodology on which to perform the necessary analysis and to summarize the results. And third - to give the necessary support to all players who have reasonable doubts about the randomness/fairness of certain software or have a problem with a casino! I think now you all understand why the possession of a certificate from such an organization is unbelievable occasion for pride for any casino or a software vendor! And therefore not surprisingly, the majority of online casinos (or at least those, who still owes a certificate) always have these organizations logo prominently positioned on their web pages, showing all current and future customers that this place is a safe shelter for them and for their monies!
But even with this type of organizations not everything has evolved in the easiest way! Over the years, some of them have been charged for not so fairly and objectively evaluating certain online casinos, while others for openly manipulated the results and not in favor of the players, of course. The good news is that in this business reputation is everything and this led to exclusion from the market of many companies, in whose impartiality exist even small doubts! To get to this point, where the entire market for independent audit and certification of the online gambling industry is dominated by just a few names among which stand out clearly those of eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA), Interactive Gaming Council (IGC) , Gambling Commission (GC), Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) and iTech Labs. Let me tell you now a little bit more about each one of them.
eCOGRA – eCOGRA, which stands for e-Commerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance, is a non-profit organisation based in the United Kingdom. It was found on April 14, 2003 by two of the leading companies, involved in the online gambling – Microgaming Software Systems Ltd and Virtual Holdings Ltd, owner of the famous Casino-on-Net and 888 in a later stage. eCOGRA was a huge success almost from the start, but no one was even dreaming that it will become not only the best in its field but almost a legendary institution! Nowadays, being certified by eCOGRA is a must for every reputable online operator and gambling software provider, but it’s still only a dream for the majority of the online casinos, due to the highest possible standards required! But that’s not all – thousands and thousands of players get a precious help by this organization each year! Personally, when I see the eCOGRA logo on any casino website, that’s more than enough to know that the operator is honest and trustworthy. International Gambling Council – IGC was originally found in 1996 in the United States but move to Vancouver, Canada in March, 2000. It is a non – profit organization, established to provide a forum for interested parties to address issues and advance common interests in the global interactive gaming industry, to establish fair and responsible trade guidelines and practices that enhance consumer confidence in interactive gaming products and services, and to serve as the industry’s public policy advocate and information clearinghouse. Today IGC has become a synonym of trust and respect, when talking about gambling certification! Gambling Commission – The UK Gambling Commission was established under the Gambling Act 2005 and assumed full powers in 2007, regulating various gambling activities, such as bingo, casinos, slot machines, etc. The Commission's stated aims are "to keep crime out of gambling, to ensure that gambling is conducted fairly and openly, and to protect children and vulnerable people". The Commission is a non-departmental public body and issues licenses to gambling operators, can levy fines and revoke licenses, and is tasked with investigating and prosecuting illegal gambling. Gaming Laboratories International – GLI provides gaming devices and systems testing worldwide. With 13 offices working with more than 450 jurisdictions, GLI also serves as an independent consultant to governments on the development of rules and regulations and technical specifications relating to casino gaming. GLI also provides complete independent testing and certification services for all types of gaming systems and equipment, including gaming devices in casinos, protocol analysis and certification, amusement games, bingo and keno devices, progressive systems/signs, tote systems at pari-mutuel facilities, and many others. iTech Labs – Originally founded back in 2000, the company is dealing with testing online gambling systems. Their clients include some of the largest in the online gaming industry. Integrity, accountability and a commitment to protect player's interests are their guiding principles. iTech Labs consultants have tested and certified all types of games on a wide range of online gaming platforms during past 12+ years and the staff has been at the forefront of development of Australian Internet gaming standards, now used in various forms by regulators worldwide. Now let’s see a few questions and answers, so that all of you get the whole picture.

Q: My casino is powered by one of the biggest gambling platforms, but did not list even a single certificate on its website. Is it safe to play there?
A: Perhaps it could be a safe place after all, but more often the lack of any certificate for quality is simply a sign of future troubles and lots of nerves, when the withdrawal time has come! My experience with such type of casinos is categorical – less certificates always mean more trouble and vice versa, so take your notes folks! Usually, I always trust to online casinos, owing an eCOGRA or TST certificate and never have been disappointed so far.


Q: My casino claims to owe one or few certificates and even listed them on its website, but none of the links work? Is it safe to play there?
A: This is an old advertising trick, which unfortunately has spread widely across many online casinos recently. Although it might be just some kind of a mistake – perhaps the casino IT department has forgotten to make the rights links?! In such cases there’s only one solution. If you want to be sure that no one is playing you fool, than simply ask the support to send you a link, or an e-mail, which proves for the aforementioned certificates! If they send you the requested proves, that’s cool, if not – run from that casino as fast as you can!

Q: Although my casino owes some quality certificates, I got a problem with it. Can I submit an official complaint to one or more of the organizations issued those certificates?
A: Yes, you can! You have the right to bother the issuing organization about any matters, which you consider is not complying with the listed certificates. But let me tell you something straight! Dealing with this kind of serious organizations, like the aforementioned ones is not a joke at all, my dear friends! You are supposed to provide your complaint with very solid arguments and a complete discretion, otherwise you risk to be ignored from the very beginning! I have used this option only once a few years ago, when I submit a complaint to eCOGRA from a Microgaming powered casino, claiming its RNG (Random Number Generator) was faulty. Frankly speaking, I lost, although I was quite confident in my point of view (backed with some proofs, of course)! Simply the guys from eCOGRA literally smashed me down with real logs from the Microgaming servers, making me look like a fool! Anyway, if you think you are right, never surrender or give up! But you should also know when to say a simple “Sorry, guys, I was wrong!”



APPENDIX A – List of current licensing jurisdictions

Africa – Comoros, Mauritius, Seychelles, Tanzania;

Australia – Australia, New Zealand;

Asia – Hong Kong (China), Macau (China), Maharashtra State (India), Hutt River Province, Nepal. Norfolk Island, Philippines, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Taiwan, Vanuatu, Vietnam;

Caribbean – Antigua and Barbuda, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, Curacao (Netherland Antilles), St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent, Virgin Islands

Europe – Alderney, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Island, Ireland, Isle of Man, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Malta, Monaco, Norway, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands, UK;

Mediterranean - Cyprus, Israel;

Americas – Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Canada, Kahnawake (Canada), some US States – New Jersey, Nevada, Oregon, California, Louisiana, Washington, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, Chile, Brazil;


APPENDIX B – List of current gambling watchdog organizations and labs

eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance - eCOGRA

Interactive Gaming Coucil - IGC

The Gambling Commission

Online Players Association

Gambling Supervision Commission

SafeBet

The Offshore Gaming Association

Gaming Laboratories International - GLI

iTech Labs

Hello friends!

This is a guide, dedicated to all fans of online casinos and which I hope to help you save a huge part of any unpleasant emotions, associated with withdrawals of your profits from a casino. Receiving the winnings is supposed to be the most pleasant time for you and not for the world should be overshadowed by any obstacles, misunderstandings and conflicts! Unfortunately, my experience shows that this otherwise so sweet and long-awaited moment, very often turns into a terrible nightmare, able not only to spoil the good mood and lofty spirit, but also bring substantial material losses, not to mention the amount of wasted nerves and negative energy! To be completely honest, I've also been in similar situations, especially early in my career as a humble lover of slot games. And just because of the fact, that I was already on the fence, I would like to share with you some of my experience, which I hope will save you a great deal of negative emotions and allows you to enjoy the true, unadulterated thrill of gambling!

Another reason to write this guide is that, unfortunately, very limited number of people and gambling portals are trying to be more comprehensive and insightful when it comes to explaining how to withdraw your money from a casino smoothly! If you are looking for information about the process of depositing, trust me, you will be literally overwhelmed by such, but if it comes to withdrawing...its not that easy, I’m afraid! Most of them are limited only to indicate in short the technology and methods used for cashing out, but the intricacies of this very sensitive process as if always remain unspoken or passed over in silence all the way! I am far from thinking, this is done intentionally, but anyway when the facts speak, even the gods are silent! And those facts are telling, that the vast majority of the submitted formal and informal complaints are related to withdrawal of funds! So what does it mean? I think it means that this matter is not spoken enough, details of the withdrawal are not well explained by the casinos themselves and their affiliates, not to mention the terribly complicated terminology and fraught with difficulty understandable casino terms and conditions!

Finally, I would like to say that this is not a classic step-by-step guide, but rather a guide devoted to tips and examples on how to avoid potential trouble! It is designed for beginners and for those of you, with still insufficient experience in dealing with an online casino!

Well, time to talk on this topic more openly! No banned subjects, no complicated words, no subterfuge on sensitive topics! The truth and only the truth, at least that one, which I believe wholeheartedly!

Let's start with the first one than! And it is that in most cases, when the player finally reaches the sublime moment of withdrawal, he just has no idea when, by whom and what to expect! This is a phenomenon, I just have no logical explanation for, but in any case, the fact that the vast majority of users of online casinos entrust their money to an organization, for whose rules and manner of operation they have only superficial and vague idea, is simply shocking! If you have any doubts about this issue, I will recommend you digging around a little bit in the forums of any of the major gaming portals or across their sections dealing with customer’s complaints, and than you will make sure, the lack of basic knowledge about the technology of withdrawing is quite often the very basis of the specific problem!

Ok, but how to prevent ourselves from that kind of troubles?

There is only one way - through knowledge! Good knowledge of all details, even the smallest associated with the technology of withdrawing funds from an online casino is the only way to get quality and trouble free service in exchange for your money! Moreover - the possession of such knowledge would certainly give you the opportunity not only to quickly get your profits, but also to predict successfully future problems and to avoid them! And this is truly priceless! I know it's not easy for an ordinary customer of the casino to investigate in depth all the conditions, details and minor setbacks, especially if he/she does not speak and understood well at least one of the most popular languages, ​​to digest all the information, to make necessary conclusions and to be able to take the most important – the decision namely, “Hey, is this casino will actually pay me everything and on time?”. Well, I guess that here exactly is my role - to attempt to recreate this process, using simple and easy to understand words and lots of examples, of course!

So enough with the generalities, let us examine in detail what we need to know to get money easily.


I. Investigate the casino

By investigation, I mean not only to determine whether the casino, in which you intend to play is reliable in terms of reputation, but to try to find out more about the existence of any problems, connected with the payment of profits, late payments, cases of confiscated winnings, etc. If you find such data, it is crucial to understand in what way and for how long the casino in question, coped with solving such cases, do they satisfied the claims of the player and if not, do they pointed any strong arguments for such a decision, do they maintained the good manner and attitude and so on. All these details are extremely important, because of one very simple reason - tomorrow you are the one, who can be involved in such a problem and if already have some idea what to expect as a reaction from the casino, then your chances for a successful outcome from such a situation would be quite good!
And since even the best are not insured against mistakes, I would like to give you an example from my own experience with one of the top-notch and well-known casino operators in the industry - 32Red. Almost from the start of my investigation of this casino group (32Red, Nedplay, Dash and Golden Lounge), I was impressed with the fact, that despite the presence of problematic situations, the players themselves, involved in these situations, shared more than good reviews, concerning the received assistance from representatives of the question group and confirmed of getting speedy and fair resolution of their problems! Only a few months ago I was able to convince that from first hand. The situation was as follows - in the spring of 2012 I requested a self-exclusion from the 32Red casino, not because of suffering from any gambling problems, but because I always try to maintain the accounts, in casinos that do not play in, closed for security reasons! Anyway, in June, I came across an offer for Nedplay casino, which I saw here - in AskGamblers.com and decided to try it. Of course, first I contacted the live chat and wanted to know whether I can play at this casino, and to use its promotion, since I already had an account and I took the advantage of promotions in his older sister casino - 32Red. I was given a green light, registered, got a bonus, played a lot and eventually managed to win several hundred dollars. I initiated a withdrawal and began to wait for my money with a silly smile on my face, since this was the first significant winning from months! But soon, just a few hours later, my hopes for quick and easy withdrawing evaporated. I was informed, that due to the requested self-exclusion from 32Red casino, I am not allowed to play in any of the casinos in this group, my account in Nedplay was closed, my winnings were voided and the initial deposit was refunded back to my Skrill! Immediately got in touch with their support and asked to speak with one of the managers, but all I managed to get was some polite excuses for their misunderstanding, and outright refusal to receive my winnings. Well, being not one of those who give up easily, my attempts to get what is mine continued, including through the use of a mediator from a large casino portal. Very soon one of the managers of the 32Red casino group contacted me, I managed to prove that nowhere in the self-exclusion form is mentioned that the exclusion of 32Red casino means an exclusion of all casinos in the group, he agreed with me, my account was reopened, my profit was paid, received a bunch of apologies for mistakes, admitted by the casino and got assurances that the conditions will be supplemented to avoid such misunderstandings in the future! Here's what I call a true professionalism! This is the right way, a reputation is build and protected in this business with such a fierce competition! Certainly, 32Red casino is not the only company with good reputation, fortunately there are still dozens of them! The important thing is not to be lazy and rely on someone else to do your work, explore everything, trust only the proven reliability of sources of information and always seek the best for your money! Believe me, this investment of time and analysis will reward you many times!


II. Terms and conditions of the withdrawal.

The withdrawal terms and conditions are not least important, compared to the general casino rules and conditions, since they are often an integral part of them, but most frequently are described separately, which actually is not done by accident, but with a purpose! And it is that, both the casino and the players are fully aware of what is most important for both parties and on what aspect should be paid more seriously attention! Even a glimpse of these rules could reveal a lot about what to expect from the casino, regarding its attitude to your money! If these rules and conditions are obscure and hard to find across the casino website, if they are described by only a few sentences, if they are full of restrictions on players and too liberal to the terms and obligations of the casino bank, I’m afraid than, that you should not assign particularly high hopes for such gambling operator! On the other hand, if everything related to withdrawal, such as time limits, required documentation and methods is clear, precise and fully defined, if the casino is committed unequivocally to specific time frames, if all this information is easily accessible and placed prominently enough in the site, well, that already speaks volume that you are dealing with a reliable operator, which should give you calmness and what is most importantly - the confidence that your money is safe and that you will not be deceived! It is easy to find all this, as mentioned above and it shouldn’t hinder you at all. So far, so good, but the more complicated and delicate problem is how to understand if all these terms are actually reasonable and affordable enough from your point of view, and where exactly you can expect the occurrence of possible misunderstandings and unpleasant surprises to come from! So let's get started!

Bonuses
You'll be surprised just how many of the problems, associated with casino withdrawals are connected in one way or another with the usage of some type of bonuses! I do not have exact statistics, but certainly at least half of these cases are due to their misunderstanding or misuse. It is therefore essential that you are fully aware of the technology of supplying, obtaining and enforcing the terms of any bonus or promotion you accepted! Because in general, a withdrawal of funds is a result of your game-play in the casino, and it often incorporates the use of various promotions and bonuses in it, right? Well, guess what happen with your withdrawal, if you didn’t fulfilled even the slightest of all the promotional terms and conditions? Do you think the casino will pay you? Of course not! I strongly recommend to those of you, having gaps in their knowledge about the bonuses to read very carefully Rule № 5 of this guide. Even the slightest ambiguity on this issue can bring you trouble, so don’t try to save time and effort. Only once you are a 101% familiar with the matter, you may hope for a smooth withdrawing, if any bonus is involved! Always check whether you have fulfilled all the wagering requirements of the promotions and bonuses, you have used before pressing the “Withdraw” button, otherwise you risk to say goodbye to your profits forever! Be careful if you adhere to the limitations associated with the type of authorized games and the maximum bet allowed - the violation of any of these rules actually will negate any cash-out, because such will surely be denied! And it will be denied with good reason - ignorance or misunderstanding cannot be a reason for anyone, not to mention the casino, not to honor its own rules! I know that sounds pretty serious, but when we talk about money - sometimes thousands, even tens of thousands, no one can afford to be simply flippant! At least this is my philosophy!

Pending periods


Unfortunately, these so-called "pending periods" are still an integral part of the process of withdrawing money from casinos. In general, this is a period of time, during which your money will stay frozen quietly somewhere in the depths of the casino server and none of the casino representatives will do anything with them. Unlike them, however, players are given the opportunity for doing the so-called "withdrawal reversal", through which you could get back in balance, any or all funds withdrawn before. This option is available until the pending period is running. Well, you are people, smart enough and I think it is completely unnecessary to go into details on this subject, but the fact, this is probably the only aspect, regarding the process of a withdrawal, that has not been changed much over the last 4-5 years is enough eloquent. It seems, it's all a matter of understanding the psychology of the ordinary gambler and actually the online casinos know that very well!
Anyway, since we cannot change much about these pending periods, let me share at least what are the good and bad practices, regarding them. Of course, the best possible practice is the complete absence of any pending period! It seems to me, this is the most equitable in terms of players or at least provided that I've never had the opportunity to use a "pending deposit"?! If anyone among you has used such, please, I would like him to call me immediately and promise he would become a sensation! Another example of a good practice, regarding the pending periods is the ability for players to ask the casino support for a so-called "flushing a withdrawal", which basically means that your withdrawal will no longer be available for reversing. Most of the top casinos in the industry already offer this opportunity to its players, not to mention they’re already paying so quickly that there is no pending periods at all, let alone time to "flush"! On the other hand a great example of a bad casino practice in this respect is a pending period over 48 hours. In my opinion, even 48 hours are pretty much, but all over them is just a pure mockery with the patience and good manner of the player! So, take your notes!

Minimum and maximum withdrawal limits



This is another example of a sensitive issue, for which is surprisingly little talk about, bearing in mind the importance this matter! Probably many of you have not even noticed the existence of these limits, but trust me if you had the misfortune to choose the wrong casino and in the same time have the most appropriate luck to win much, very soon you will find out what I am talking about! Anyway, the normal minimum limits for a withdrawal are within 10 to 30 credits, while the maximum limits are in the range of 3000 – 10000 credits per transaction. There are also weekly and monthly limits, but my personal feeling and understanding is that everything under the 5000-10000 credits for weekly and at least 20000-30000 for monthly limit is extremely unfair to the players! I tried however to familiarize you with concrete examples of conditions that do not have anything in common with the reasonable balance between time and money, not to mention that work directly against the player’s interests!

„…A player is permitted to withdraw a maximum of $2500 USD of their winnings per month…”
„…The minimum withdrawal amount at the casino is $100…”
„…A maximum of $2000 (Two Thousand US Dollars) will be sent per week, all balances will be sent in increments of $2000 the following week(s)…”
„…The minimum withdrawal via Wire Transfer is $900…”




If you ever encounter similar or even close to these conditions, I will afford myself to give you only one advice – run from such a casino and never come back, because the troubles will not late!

Fees
To be completely honest and frank, I think that burdening players with any kind and type of fees is quite unfair to some extent! In one way or another, our banks do collect tribute from each transaction, electronic wallets too, but when I have to pay a fee for the casino seems a bit much. Anyway, thoughts of an ordinary gambler do not matter from what I’ve seen so far! So, you, dear players, must be aware that the probability of coming across a casino, asking you for a fee, although in lower amounts, when withdrawing funds is not wise to be ignored! An example of a good casino practice in respect of fees for withdrawal is the complete absence of such, but if you impose such, it should be certainly not exceeding the amount of the symbolic 2-3 credit for cashing out to a credit / debit card and 20 - 50 credits for payment by check. And it is mandatory, those fees to be announced on the website of the casino and within its general terms and conditions. However, if you encounter similar conditions as those I have enumerated below, be sure you are well prepared for doing a short sprint, cause you should run away fast again!

„…ACH transfers less than $500 are subject to a $10 fee …”
„…There is a flat fee of $35 dollars per wire…”
„…Players maintain sole responsibility for any and all processing fees on withdrawals…”

But the worst I’ve seen so far was back in 2009, when GoCasino was still alive. I was charged for а $1700 bank wire transfer exactly $87.50!!! No comment!

Withdrawals timeframe
The theme of the time, necessary for each casino to complete the process of cashing out, and with which it is formally bound by its own terms and conditions is extremely beneficial for doing some reflection, as well as a space for violent verbal debates and at least a ten thousand page soap opera script, that every major gambling forum could supply without any problems! So much has been spoken on this issue and unfortunately so little is done to protect the interests of us – the regular players! I would like to illustrate this last sentence with a small verbal game of questions and answers, if you allow me!

Q: What would happen to a player who violates even the smallest casino condition, even unintentionally, and asked to withdraw his/her profit?
A: The withdrawal will be denied, the player will be penalized!
Q: Are there any exceptions to this rule?
A: No, none! Even if one million players violated the rules all of them, down to the last one of those 1 million players will be punished strictly!
Q: What would happen to a casino if it does not pay, what it owes to the players, within the stated timeframes by the same casino and thus violates its own rules and conditions?
A: Absolutely nothing! On top of that, in the last year or so it is becoming more and more fashionable this kind of joke: "You may experience some delays in payment, but eventually you'll be paid!"
Q: Are there any exceptions to this rule?
A: No, none! Even if one million casino violated this rule, exactly 0, zero, nada from them will be punished!

No further comment from me on that! I leave you alone to make your own conclusions.
However, it is important for all of you to know the good and bad standards, regarding this matter, of course. A great example of some rapid and accordingly, favorable terms for the player, is this particular withdrawals timeframe table:



And here follow some appalling examples of how shocking can be the difference between the quality of service, offered by the casinos.

„…First time withdrawals and changes to payment instructions are subject to clearance by our Security Department. This can take between 5-10 business days….”
„…The casino’s finance department may take up to 10 business days to approve player withdrawals …”
„…All withdrawals that meet the cash-out requirements will be approved within 10-15 business days of the date the withdrawal was requested …”
„…withdrawal to your credit card will be processed after 2 days. Please note that your funds can take up to 10 business days to reach your Bank account. Should you be using a MasterCard, it is possible that you will receive your withdrawal after 20 business days …”

Verification process
The process of proving and confirming your identity in front of the casino security department is undoubtedly of great importance for both sides. Unfortunately, many of the players, especially those with less experience, quite often afford themselves to underestimate this matter and consequently have enormous difficulties! It is important to know that in general the player can not withdraw funds before the confirmation of his identity. Only a very few casinos will allow any payment, before your documents proving age, name and address, are checked carefully for matching the information submitted by you during the registration in 100%! But even if you find such casinos, when the amount you wish to withdraw, exceeds $500-1000, this procedure is started immediately! So, now way to run from that process – no verification, no withdrawals! I recommend you treating this matter very seriously, even starting it on your own, without waiting for the casino, because the sooner you go through the verification, the sooner you can cash out, and thus you would avoid unnecessary delays at a later stage. Keep in mind that except the top casinos, sometimes this procedure may take days, even weeks, not to mention if the amount, you wish to withdraw is greater! In addition, the tactics with multiple requirement, consideration and rejection of the documents, although everything with them is ok, is often used by less scrupulous casinos to delay your payment! So, what you should do in order to avoid problems with the verification process:
If you ever have even the slightest doubt that you will not pass this test, do not even think to register and play in any casino! All your personal information, like names, addresses, age, credit / debit cards, etc., must and will be thoroughly checked for accuracy and compliance of 100% - not 99%, not even 99.99% but 100% . Even one single wrong letter, no matter intentionally or unintentionally, and you can say goodbye to your money! This rule has no exception! Begin the process of verification immediately after registration, because it will save you valuable time, when withdrawing, especially for the first time, and will also deny the casino (especially if you come to the wrong one) the opportunity of fooling you, using one of its favorite methods to continue delaying your payments! All the documents, you will be required to send to the casino security department must be clear and readable. Because, if you find it difficult to read and understand that documents, imagine what could be for a regular casino employee, who is supposed to examine hundreds of documents a day! So what this person will do is probably to return them and instead of spending a few minutes and make better copies, you will lose a day or two to post new and to wait again your turn! If you are using any of the existing e-wallets for both depositing and withdrawing from a casino, do not send any information, regarding your credit or debit cards, even if you are strongly requested to do so. You do not owe any information about something that you do not use! Moreover, this is one of the favorite method, the rogue casinos are using, to collect this kind of sensitive information, which then only God knows in whose hands can end up! Some casinos offer their customers an embedded website interface through which to attach the necessary documents for verification. Without any doubt, this is a great solution, but check if the Internet address of the web interface in question begins with “https” - this is a reliable guarantee for the security of your data when transferring, which usually the regular “http” does not supply! Always look for how your personal information is kept and what measures the casino has taken to guard them from unauthorized access!
III. The “God clauses”

The reason I decided to pay a particular attention to this delicate matter in this context is that in the last 2-3 years more and more online casinos are allowing themselves to use these so-called "God clauses", especially when it comes to delayed, canceled or confiscated payments! So, what actually I am talking about? These “God clauses” are inserted in the terms and conditions of the majority of the online casinos and basically allow them to do whatever, whenever and however they want to! Here are some examples of such absolutely illegal nonsense!

„…The casino’s verdict vis – à – vis any wager or winnings dispute shall be conclusive and binding.…”
“…In the event of any dispute, all decisions made by the casino will be final.…”
“…In the case of a dispute, where the casino has reviewed the evidence and made a decision, the decisions of the casino are final…” and so on, and so on!

First I would like to assure you that no matter how much weight the casino is attaching to those pompous verbal misunderstandings, actually they do not mean anything in terms of the law! Neither you, nor the casino has the right to be both a party and a judge in the case of a conflict between you! So, very sorry but the final decisions of the casino are not final at all! Actually, they are often just the beginning of a long battle, in which the player is supposed to prove he is right. Those, who have the right to judge, who is right and who is not in a conflict and whose decisions are binding on both parties, are only the organizations relevant for giving a casino a license and/or are involved in its regulation!
Second, in terms of the law, these terms and conditions are almost on the verge of the law, not to say something else, because it is obvious they put one of the sides in a very dominant role! Not to mention that if indeed the last word of the casino was final, it would not exist so many organizations and gambling portals, engaged in mediation in conflict resolution between players and casinos!

Thirdly, I find it very degrading to the players, putting such clauses in any circumstances! However, the relationships between a casino and its customers are supposed to be just a simple example of business relationships, not a medieval serfdom! And I think it is time this mockery with the players to be stopped! And since this “God” matter is extremely unpleasant for me, I am finishing it right now, just will use the case to remind you, that more on how to resolve conflicts with a casino, you can read HERE!


Well, I think that this is all I wanted to share! I hope that once you have the information here, if you will able to reduce the conflict situations in respect of payment if not entirely, at least to the absolute minimum! However, the ingenuity of the casinos and the players sometimes, when it comes to mixing of yet another mess of money, time and many nerves, is truly remarkable!

Be brave but never unreasonable and remember that there is no room for mistakes in this business! Wish you luck, dear friends!

As I turn back in my memories, cannot remeber of having found a single place, where a regular gambler can actually find complete and consistent information on how exactly to defend his rights in any conflict with the online casino in which he/she plays! Everything I found was either too fragmented and unclear, or too short and concise! I am fully aware of the fact that such moments are extremely sensitive, but I also think that a player deserves the best! So I decided to sit down and share my personal experiences on the issue, moreover, unfortunately, in the recent months I had such battles on several occasions! And the most important is that I won every one of them! But how, you will maybe ask? Well, that's what we'll talk about in this practical guide!
 
And so, sooner or later, everyone who practices online gambling reaches a certain point, when he/she considers that his/hers rights and interests are infringed upon by a casino! In no case is necessarily a casino, you have a problem to be some kind of “rogue” or “scam” – it is entirely possible to get into a conflict situation even with the best in the industry! So, what can be these bottlenecks about?
Bonuses, promotions and everything connected with them, like wagering requirements, deadlines, eligibility, possible capabilities for cashing out, so called "bonus abuse" and others;
Deposits and withdrawals and everything connected with them, like refusing or delaying payment of the amounts, timing, feasibility and others;
Problems with the casino support;
Problems with the casino software platform;
Any other situations in which there is a disagreement between the casino, on the one hand and the client from the another.

Well, let's imagine that unfortunately you find yourself in such a conflict situation! At such moments it is extremely important that you are fully aware with both rights and obligations, you have accepted voluntary, upon the registration on any online casino! So, you are completely sure that you have no guilt and believe that your casino concerns with you cheating! How to act to protect your rights?
Try to remain calm and keep your mind cool no matter how much money, nerves and emotions are involved! If you can prevent yourself from being impulsive and from making thoughtless actions, I guarantee, you will win the battle in 90% of the cases! But if afford to be rude, disrespectful or even worse - to insult the representatives of the casino, which argue with, I'm afraid that your chances of success decrease dramatically! Every single word can and will be used against you, so very be carefully and think twice what and who you're talking! Again, do your best and behave yourself calm and with good manner to people on the other end - in most cases they are exposed to even more stress and tension by yourself!
Do not rush to publicize the problem, no matter how serious the situation really is! All casinos are very sensitive on this matter and if you make them to understand that you are discreet and give them another chance to correct what you consider is unjust, I am convinced that your chances of success increase significantly! Moreover - in the majority of the cases in which you will rely on outside help, you will notice that maintaining confidentiality is an explicit condition to get such!
Prior to interfere with anyone else in your problem, do try to resolve the case by your own! Try to get in touch with someone from the casino management team and explain everything clearly, accurately and honestly and if possible, support your thesis with all the proves you have like e-mails, chat transcriptions, bank statements, screenshots and etc. Try to show a strong and unshakable determination to seek for your rights – it will make the casino manager to take you seriously and do everything he can to solve the case! If you succeed – great, but if you do not - calm, the battle is just beginning!
Here now is just the right time when you should seek for a help from outside! Generally you have two options - to contact any of the official organizations that deal with licensing and regulation of online casinos or ask for help from any of the numerous websites and portals, dedicated to online gambling. Please note the fact, that no matter of the options you choose, you will be asked to cooperate fully, honestly and fairly when presenting the facts and circumstances that led to this conflict, and to respect for confidentiality and discretion! Do not try to cheating by saving important facts or events - sooner or later everything becomes crystal clear and if it turns out that you were not honest and trustworthy in sharing the problem, I can say that the only loser will be you with one hundred percent certainty!
I recommend that you first seek help from someone of the largest and most reputable websites and portals, dedicated to the lovers of online gambling! I guarantee that you will be pleasantly surprised by just how much the people there can help! A great example of such gaming portal is AskGamblers.com, offering to its members a unique complaint system, through which you are given the opportunity to resolve any kind of issues, by the mediation of the AskGamblers team completely for free! All you are required to do is to present your problem clearly, accurately and fairly and to read carefully the terms and conditions for publication of such a complaint! Typically, such complaints are resolved within a week or two, but may take longer, so be patient and let the people who deal with your case calmly to do their job! Be absolutely sure they will do everything that is possible to help and provided that it does not cost you a penny, I think it deserves respect!
If, despite everything you've done so far, the problem is still on the table and you remain absolutely convinced that your position in this case is correct, then I'm afraid it's time to interfere with the heavy artillery! And these are just the official, in many cases even controlled by the government, organizations which issued the license, thanks to which, a casino, you have a problem with, is operating! Absolutely all online casinos have such a license! So what you need to do is look for which of them has issued the license, by which operates your casino. Usually this kind of information is marked visibly on the website of the casino and should not hinder you much finding it. So you found the name of the organization, it is time for the next step - contacting and filing a formal complaint! This is the most serious action you can take against a casino and, therefore, you are expected to approach with a maximum dose of integrity and responsibility when describing the details of your problem! Try to be short, clear and precise! Express clearly and unambiguously your claims, try not to make unnecessary emotional comments and in no case allow yourself to insult! If you have an opportunity to present evidence, than do it - saving any effort on your part of the job, reduces the chances of success, so do not be lazy at the very crucial moment! Do not give publicity to the fact that you filed a formal complaint, until the investigation has ended - otherwise you risk your complaint being terminated immediately! Be patient, because the official procedures take longer time to finish! It usually takes at least 6 to 8 weeks, but can last up to 6 months! I know it's awfully hard to wait for such a long time, but these are the rules of the game, so they must be observed! Here I will try to list some of the major players in the licensing market worldwide, as well as to provide you with their Internet addresses, where you can ask for assistance from them!


Alderney Gambling Control Commission www.gamblingcontrol.org
 

Antigua and Barbuda Directorate of Offshore Gaming www.antiguagaming.gov.ag
 

Costa Rica Commerce, Industry and Economy Ministry www.meic.go.cr
 

Gibraltar Ministry of Finance Gambling Division http://www.gibraltar.gov.gi/remotegambling
 

Malta Lotteries and Gaming Authority www.lga.org.mt
 

United Kingdom Gambling Commission www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk
 

Isle of Man Gambling Supervision www.gov.im/gambling
 

Cyprus Ministry of Finance www.mof.gov.cy
 

Kahnawake Gaming Commission www.gamingcommission.ca
 

Curacao Internet Gaming Association /Netherland Antilles/ www.ciga.an
 

Panama Ministry of Economy and Finance www.mef.gob.pa/Portal/Dir-Junta.html
 
Other useful links:
Central Dispute System - for all players using Real Time Gaming software
eCOGRA Dispute Form - for all players in any casino, certified by this organization
 
 
Well, basically this is the most successful model, I have always tried to stick to when solving my casino problems and issues, no matter of the name and reputation of the casino! In fact, for all those nearly four years, in which I deal with online gambling, I have fought such battles only 9-10 times, but I am extremely proud of the fact that I have not lost any of them! Anyway, each case is different and has its own specifics, so a universal recipe for success is not yet invented! But I can help you with tips on how to choose an online casino so as to limit the unpleasant emotions to a bare minimum!
 
Be brave but never unreasonable! And remember that here, in AskGamblers.com, you will always be able to find someone to help you!
 
ValDes

My question is actually in two parts. And what I mean by "best online poker room," I'm asking about what is the best overall and which has the most credibility. 

1) From what I've read, PokerStars is the best, with Full Tilt coming in second. 

2) Is it worth playing online at all, considering the fact that a lot of people play using bots and other programs to give them a stronger advantage? 

The biggest concern I have about playing online is whether or not it will help improve my game, considering you obviously can't see the players faces or study their body language. I've been doing very well at poker rooms in Vegas this past year, but I don't live there and I'm not ready to quit my job and go professional until I at least make it to the final round of a major tournament. But it would be nice to be able to practice with other serious players when not in Vegas. 

I've been a bit technophobic when it comes to this sort of thing, but if it really does help improve one's game and strategy at brick-and-mortar tournaments, I suppose it's worth a shot.
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