How to choose an online casino safely - a beginner's guide from ValDes!

[ValDes]

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

[isaac]

holy cow this is a lot of good stuff!!! really glad you've found how to find good casinos and not get jipped like so many of us do. you should be given an award for this.

[Luciana]

Wow ValDes what's this?

 

Looks like a Holy Bible for gamblers! I'm impressed! But didn't expect less from you!

[ValDes]

Thanks for the kind words!

Lu, i think now it is your turn to make this thread sticky or something, just in order to be more accessible for all the members here!

Or maybe it is just the right time to start the project, we have talked about some time ago - the beginner's corner or something like that! I got so many other ideas!

[Black Diamond]

Incredible work that everyone should read before they gamble online. I agree it would be nice to have a place dedicated to this and maybe split up all that information into various threads?

[agustindepp]

There are really wonderful tips are given here. I love to play online casino games and I have never expected that I can get these types of beautiful tips in start.

[Greg]

The part about reading the terms is so important, i so wish someone had something like this before I started playing. i know better now but i had to learn the hard way a few times.

[Luciana]

Pinned and 5 star-ed

[ValDes]

Thanks for the kind words again!

 

Pinned and 5 star-ed

Thanks, Lu! Now it will be a lot easier for all members to see it and read it, of course!

[Marco]

LOL never noticed that emote before. Really meaty guide but I've skimmed it a bit and agree with everything in there, really handy resource!

[The.Dark.Knight]

Never seen anything like this before! Incredible!

ValDes - you are my hero, man! Can I use you as a personal advisor?

LOL, if there were academic titles, concerning online casino business, you would definitely get a "Casino Professor":)

 

P.S.: Do you have that in Bulgarian also? Please send it to me - I will spread it. Please. PLease:)

[ValDes]

LOL, if there were academic titles, concerning online casino business, you would definitely get a "Casino Professor" :)

 

 

I didn't laughed so much lately! Just imagine Prof. ValDes - doctor of casino sciences! :lol:

 

P.S.: Do you have that in Bulgarian also? Please send it to me - I will spread it. Please. PLease:)

 

Don't want to be too curious but are you going to have it just for your own or you intend to post it somewhere?

[The.Dark.Knight]

I will post it in some Bulgarian gambling forums if you dont mind.

[SlotoHolic]

Wow, now that's a piece of really really good stuff! Cool, man!

 

Do you have any guide how to make slots more generous?

[ValDes]

 

Do you have any guide how to make slots more generous?

 

How I wish I had such!!!!!

[Ala_B]

ValDes, are you sure, you're not some kind of casino representative?

Anyway, that is probably the best, casinos dedicated guide, I have ever read! Thank you!

[ruth19Mendez]

I enjoyed reading your article ValDes!!

[ValDes]

ValDes, are you sure, you're not some kind of casino representative?

Anyway, that is probably the best, casinos dedicated guide, I have ever read! Thank you!

 

No, BlueBird, I am not! Still! And thanks for the rose - smells wonderful!

 

I enjoyed reading your article ValDes!!

I am glad you like it!

[blackjackria]

Great post. I love it.

[SlotoHolic]

Wish I took a lot more attention to your rule number 2! Had some serious troubles last week with a casino, won;t mention names, which voided my winnings with the accusation I have breached their terms and conditions regarding bonuses! Maube they were right, but with so many things to know and remember, sometimes we just dont have enough time to play!

[ValDes]

Hahaha! Indeed, SlotoHolic!

But the deal is a deal and we all have to stick to it, including the casinos. So, not so many options. I'm afraid! BTW, I have answered your question in another thread.

[SlotoHolic]

Hahaha! Indeed, SlotoHolic!

But the deal is a deal and we all have to stick to it, including the casinos. So, not so many options. I'm afraid! BTW, I have answered your question in another thread.

 

Thanks man, I saw your answer.

[duglas1978]

thanks for this article Valdes I think you have to change your name like "Admin of World Casino" and also "Professor Valdes" hahaha......thanks again....

[ValDes]

thanks for this article Valdes I think you have to change your name like "Admin of World Casino" and also "Professor Valdes" hahaha......thanks again....

 

You are most welcome duglas!

Take a look at the other guides too, you won't regret, I promise!

[ValDes]

Today I spent a few hours, reading some of the published complaints recently, here in the AskGamblers.com website. And from what I've seen, I'm completely shocked!

From both the insolence of some casinos and the absolute lack of basic knowledge of the players on the casino terms! Unbelievable!