After spending nearly a decade in the gambling industry, here are some of my experiences that I believe all fellow players can learn from. In this blog, I’m going to share with you some valuable information regarding online casinos, particularly the aspects worth paying attention to if you want a safe and pleasurable gaming experience. Feel free to skip to any particular section which grabs your attention. And if there’s something you would like to know that I haven’t covered here, do leave a comment below.
Benefits of Using a Poker Deal Maker or FinderBackground Check: How it all began!
It was back in the early 2010s when I first came across online gambling. The concept appeared exciting right from the start as I have always enjoyed visiting brick and mortar land-based casinos back in my country. As a university student, I didn’t have much spare cash but used to love playing low stake table games such as Blackjack and baccarat whenever I got the chance to visit a casino.
One day while searching for Blackjack strategy tips online, I stumbled upon an article about how the game's house edge is much lower if you play with optimal strategy. Alongside the article, there was an animated Blackjack game where you were up against the dealer. Naturally, being a student, I loved free stuff and ended up playing that game for hours together.
After a while, I grew curious about how this game was different from what I would find at a regular . That is when I did some research on the subject and found out that it was indeed a casino game. I still remember feeling slightly disappointed because I had already broken my bank! However, the curiosity had been sparked, and I started reading more and more about online casinos.
I spent the next year or so playing at a few online casinos without really knowing how the industry worked. It wasn’t until a couple of years later, during my Master’s degree, that I decided to write my dissertation on the online casino domain. This was the beginning of my career in iGaming, and I have been working in this field ever since. I have occupied various positions within different casino affiliate sites and also worked briefly for an iGaming SEO agency before starting my own business in 2017.
Looking back, it makes me laugh a little thinking about how clueless I was in those initial years. I don’t think I was alone, though; most online casino players are not very experienced or knowledgeable about how things work. Either they play casinos purely for entertainment or have researched the technical bits and try to apply strategies for games such as Blackjack, Roulette, etc. Most players are never bothered about what goes behind the scene and are happy as long as they receive their withdrawal in time. However, over these eight odd years, I have come across several unpleasant situations that made me realise there’s more to online gambling than just playing games and having fun.
mgm casinos in louisianaGambling Industry is Not Regulated Worldwide
This is perhaps one of the key takeaways from my experience in the gambling industry. Contrary to popular belief, online gambling is not legal worldwide, and there are no globally applicable laws for online casinos either. Each country has its own legislation (or absence thereof) regarding online gambling. To complicate matters further, offshore casinos are not bound by any national law unless that nation has enacted laws that prohibit its enforcement.
So, does that mean online casinos can dupe you, and you have nowhere to complain? No, not necessarily. Firstly, starting an offshore business is not easy, and respective authorities make sure that the people involved are not misusing the system. Secondly, a good reputation follows you wherever you go in the world of iGaming. Word of mouth travels fast, and if an online casino has been scamming people, trust me; you will hear about it sooner or later.
That said, there have been instances of rogue casinos cheating players and simply vanishing with their money. It could be due to many reasons – financial problems, corrupt directors, hackers, or even a legal issue. As a player, you may not always know the reason, but you end up suffering if the casino decides to close shop overnight. So, how can you stay safe from such casinos? Well, prevention is better than cure, and in the case of online gambling, you need to be careful right from the word go. Any online casino that asks you to pay to play games, be wary!
For instance, some websites offer white-labelled casino games, and the operator pays them a licence fee. The website owner then adds his/her profit margin and offers the casino games to players. Needless to say, it is the website owner who takes the risk here, and if anything goes south, it is his/her customers who suffer. On the other hand, a reputed casino affiliate website helps you find the best online casinos and assist in finding the right casino, but none will ask you to pay or play games through them.
In short, if an online casino looks too good to be true, there are high chances that it probably is! Always choose a casino after doing proper research. Read reviews, check blacklists, and ask around. You can also refer to our list of to get you started.
play casino games for funTrust Is Not Always Good
As humans, we tend to trust others easily. Of course, this is not true in every case, but generally speaking, we assume that people mean well until we have reasons to believe otherwise. This quality of ours can be both a boon and a bane when it comes to online casinos. From the customer’s point of view, trust is everything when it comes to parting with your hard-earned cash.
However, from a business perspective, trust is a double-edged sword, especially in the online casino industry. Don’t get me wrong; I am not asking you to stop trusting people or become paranoid. All I am saying is that you must understand the nature of the online casino industry and why transparency is important.
Unlike physical assets such as car, house, furniture, etc., you cannot assess the value of intangible products such as software programmes. An online casino is essentially a piece of software, and you cannot judge its credibility until you deposit and withdraw money, play the games, and see the results firsthand.
Now, imagine you have just developed casino gaming software. Being an experienced coder, you know how sound your product is, and therefore, you decide to set up an online casino using your software. Since you have created something of value, you expect other people to use it and maybe even pay for it. Are you going to let everyone test your software for free?, obviously not! This is where the concept of playing at comes into the picture.
Operators typically offer attractive bonuses, also known as welcome offers or first deposits, to entice new players. These promotions usually include a 100% match bonus on the first deposit up to a specific amount. For example, if you make your first deposit of $50 at an online casino, the operator will also add $50 to your account, thus effectively giving you $100 to play with. Please note that there are wagering requirements associated with such bonuses, which I will explain in the next section.
To keep things simple, let’s consider an scenario where the operator doesn’t accept any more deposits and simply runs away with the money. Even if there are no withdrawals, there would have been more money going out in the form of welcome bonuses than what the operator would have received through the first deposits. In other words, allowing players to play for free increases the financial risk for the operator.
Welcome Bonuses Come With T&C Attached
If you think all online casinos offer generous bonuses that can be withdrawn anytime, I am afraid you are mistaken. While it is true that most operators have welcome bonuses, they almost always come with terms and conditions attached. These are popularly referred to as ‘wagering requirements’, ‘playthrough requirement’, or ‘rollercoaster ride to madness’.
Jokes aside, understanding wagering requirements is crucial if you wish to withdraw any bonus amount won at the casino. Technically, a welcome bonus is credited to your bonus account, and you can use it once you have deposited and played with your own cash. Wagering requirements state how many times you must play through the combined amount of your deposit + bonus before you are eligible to withdraw the winnings.
Let’s take a look at a common type of welcome offer – a 100% match bonus up to $100. This means that if you deposit $100, the casino will also add another $100 to your account, thus giving you a total of $200 to play with. However, there is a catch. Let’s say the wagering requirements for this bonus are 30x. Now, you must multiply the total bonus amount ($100) by 30, which gives you $3,000.
This means you must place wagers totalling $3,000 before you can withdraw any winnings you might have made while playing with your bonus money. Please note that both the deposit amount and the wager/bet amounts contribute towards completing the wagering requirements. Also, there is usually a maximum bet/wager amount that contributes towards completing the playthrough criteria. Anything bet above that gets forfeited if you are playing with bonus money.
The wagering requirements can vary anywhere between 10x to 70x, and in some cases, there are no wagering requirements at all. However, such bonuses are relatively small and meant for players who only want to play high-risk games such as slot machines. It is essential to read the terms and conditions carefully and understand whether the bonus is suitable for the kinds of games you wish to play. If you are planning to play live casino games such as Blackjack, Baccarat, Roulette, or poker, it is best to look for bonuses that have a low wagering requirement and a long validity period.
Another thing to remember here is that different games contribute differently towards completing the wagering requirements. For instance, slot machine games typically contribute 100%, whereas table games like Blackjack and video poker may only contribute 20%. Jackpot games also come with a limit on the maximum amount you can win. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the fine print before claiming a bonus.
Best Online Poker Sites Ranked - PokerListingsPersonally, I do not claim welcome bonuses anymore as I prefer to play live casino games with a low house edge. Moreover, I have been playing casino games for nearly a decade now, and bonuses no longer excite me the way they did in my early days. However, I have utilised quite a few bonuses in the past, some of which proved to be useful learning experiences.
In fact, one bonus taught me more about the subject than I ever wanted to know. Back in the day when I was still getting used to online casinos, I signed up for a welcome offer that seemed too good to refuse. The operator was offering a whopping $3,000 bonus with a 70x playthrough requirement. Now, if you do the math, you will realise that in order to complete the wagering requirements, you will have to place a total of $210,000 worth of bets!
Of course, no one in their right mind is going to spend $210,000 trying out a new online casino. But guess what? Many players actually believed that they only needed to make $210,000 worth of bets. They failed to realise that they would also have to win that much if they wanted to convert even a tiny portion of the bonus amount. Yes, there is a slight possibility that you might end up winning big, but the odds are clearly stacked against you when you consider the numbers.
Anyway, long story short, I tried my best to complete the wagering requirements but ended up losing all my deposit amount as well as the bonus. At that time, I was upset, but looking back, I am glad that experience taught me a valuable lesson. I realised that no matter how attractive a bonus may seem, I must always read the terms and conditions carefully before accepting it.
Best Live Online Poker Tournaments to Join During QuarantineIn conclusion, welcome bonuses can be beneficial if you understand the terms and conditions. Always remember there is no such thing as a free lunch, and if it looks too good to be true, it probably is!
Gambling is Not Necessarily About Winning
This realisation probably took the longest to sink in. When I first started playing table games like Blackjack and Baccarat, I assumed that if I applied basic strategy and bet optimum amounts, I would win most of the time. Well, it did not take me too long to figure out that this was far from the truth. I was winning occasionally, but that was mostly due to the Martin Sommerfeldt Quotient (MSQ).
For those who are not aware, MSQ refers to making the wrong decision while playing a table game, mainly due to hesitation or Daytime TV shows like Wheel of Fortune, where contestants are routinely asked to guess answers ending with ‘-ing’. If you have not seen this before, a search on YouTube should help. Suffice to say; it cost me a lot of money back in the day!
Coming back, once I got my MSQ under control, I started paying more attention to the dealers. I noticed that no matter how much I bet or what strategy I followed, the results were random, and I couldn’t influence them in any way. Sure, I could win a few hands in a row, but that didn’t mean I had finally cracked the code. It was just lady luck playing her cards (pun unintended).
Over a period of time, I began to appreciate the fact that casinos allow players like me to participate on equal terms. It doesn’t matter if you are a billionaire or a college student; everyone has the same chance of winning or losing a casino game. In fact, I have seen some ridiculous things happening at the tables, which go on to prove that gambling is not about skill, experience, or wealth. It is purely based on luck, and anyone who tells you otherwise is probably trying to sell you something.
There is an old German proverb, “Nobody loses money; you just part with it for a while.” Although humorous, there is a grain of truth in these words. Nobody can guarantee you’ll win money from playing at a casino because nobody can predict the outcome of a random event. If someone claims otherwise, they are either a genius or a liar, and I leave it up to you to decode the paradox.
Gambling Can Be Extremely Frustrating
When I first started playing casino games, I used to get extremely frustrated if I lost a hand. Looking back, I realise it was more about losing money than the game itself. You see, I enjoyed playing Blackjack, but I wanted to win money by playing Blackjack. There is a subtle difference between the two, and it is essential to understand it before you start gambling online.
Fun Gambling Games That Don't Involve Poker or BlackjackCasino games are designed to provide entertainment along with a chance to win money. Unlike sports betting, where you bet on the probable outcome of a sporting event, casino games rely entirely on luck. I know many football fans who enjoy placing bets on their favourite team's matches. For them, watching the game and supporting their team is the main source of entertainment. Winning or losing the bet is merely an additional perk, albeit a financially rewarding one.
However, not everyone sharing your name enjoys supporting the same team. Your friend might absolutely hate the idea of sitting through a football match, leaving aside placing a bet on the opposing team. Similarly, not everyone shares the same taste when it comes to casino games. One person might enjoy spinning the reels of a fruit machine, while another prefers playing a round of Poker.
At the end of the day, it is the thrill of uncertainty that keeps us hooked to casino games. We don’t know whether we are going to win or lose, and that’s what excites us. However, this very feature of casino games can turn out to be frustrating for many players. Just like a roulette wheel can bring a smile to your face and fill it with joy, it has the potential to crush it into pieces and reduce you to tears.
As I mentioned earlier, there are no guarantees of winning at a casino. Even if you use an optimal strategy and stick to low house edge games, there is no assurance that you will emerge victorious. Sometimes, no matter how much you bet, you just cannot seem to win. This can be incredibly frustrating and lead to emotional distress.
List of Arizona Gambling Apps 2023 - Best AZ Online Casino AppsPersonally, I have had periods when nothing seemed to go my way at the tables. I remember a time when I played hundreds of hands of Blackjack in a single session without a single win. Every card the dealer turned over seemed to be a face card, and I was stuck on a seventeen most of the time. My partner was playing alongside me and enjoying tremendous luck. He kept teasing me, calling me names and suggesting that I should probably take a break. But I was determined to win, no matter what. Eventually, I lost my patience, called it a day, and went to bed fuming with anger.
Next morning, I logged onto the same casino and decided to play a different table. Within half an hour, I had won back everything I had lost the previous day and walked away. Looking back, I realise how absurd my behaviour had been. Chasing losses is a bad practice and can lead to compulsive gambling. I have been lucky enough to escape such situations, but I have heard horror stories about people losing their homes, families, and even their lives due to gambling addiction.
In conclusion, gambling can be extremely frustrating, and one must understand the psychological impact it can have. It is essential to treat it as a form of entertainment and not a sure shot way to make quick bucks. If you ever find yourself chasing losses, I would suggest taking a break and clearing your head. Gambling should be fun, and there is no shame in accepting defeat gracefully.
There Is No Free Lunch, Including No Deposit Bonuses
Ask any seasoned gambler, and they will tell you that there is no such thing as a free lunch. Yet, we continue to be lured by incredible offers and unbelievable deals, especially when it comes to no deposit bonuses. For the uninitiated, no deposit bonuses are promotional offers provided by online casinos that allow players to play certain games without needing to make a deposit. Sounds great, right? Well, it can be, but there’s always a catch.
No deposit bonuses are typically intended for new players to entice them to sign up at a casino. They are a great way to try out new games or revisit old favourites without risking your own money. However, there are usually some strings attached. These bonuses often come with strict terms and conditions, including wagering requirements, game restrictions, and expiry dates.
Awesome No Deposit Promo Codes You Can Use Right NowWagering requirements for no deposit bonuses are usually higher compared to welcome bonuses. This is because the casino has not received any money from the player and, hence, cannot afford to give away large sums of money without setting some ground rules. Additionally, the types of games you can play with a no deposit bonus are often restricted. For instance, the operator may allow you to play slot machine games but bar you from participating in table games or live dealer games.
Furthermore, there is usually a limit on the amount you can win with a no deposit bonus. Let’s say you manage to fulfil the wagering requirements and end up with a balance of $100 in your account. But the terms and conditions state that you can withdraw no more than $50 in winnings from a no deposit bonus. In such a scenario, your account will be credited with $50, and the remaining amount will be set to zero.
Finally, no deposit bonuses usually come with an expiry date. This means you must utilise the bonus and complete the wagering requirements within a specific period, usually ranging from a few days to a month. Failing to meet the playthrough criteria before the validity period ends will result in the forfeiture of the bonus and any winnings derived therefrom.
Don’t get me wrong; I am not saying that no deposit bonuses are a bad idea. In fact, I have won some money and a fair share of nonsense using these promotional offers. However, it is essential to read the terms and conditions carefully before claiming a no deposit bonus. Understand what is expected of you and whether it aligns with your goals. If you are new to online casinos, no deposit bonuses can be a great way to familiarise yourself with the games and the platform. But never risk more than you can afford to lose.
In fact, I treat no deposit bonuses as a way to test out new casinos. Before claiming the bonus, I thoroughly evaluate the casino’s security, licensing, and payment methods. I also check the variety of games available and their compatibility with different devices. If the casino passes my initial checks, I go ahead and claim the no deposit bonus. If I win, great! if I lose, it was only a few bucks anyway.
Online Gambling Options If Your State Doesn't Have Legal BettingIn conclusion, no deposit bonuses are a marketing tool used by online casinos to attract new players. While they can be a nice added extra, one should not rely solely on these promotions to make money. As the saying goes, there is no such thing as a free lunch, and anyone who claims otherwise is probably running a casino!
Compulsive Gambling Is a Real Problem
Gambling addiction, also known as compulsive gambling, is a complex mental health disorder characterised by the inability to control urges to gamble, despite negative consequences. It affects people from all walks of life, irrespective of their age, gender, race, or socioeconomic status. Although rare, I have personally witnessed the devastating effects of gambling addiction, and it has made me realise the importance of responsible gambling.
Compulsive gambling is not limited to casinos; it can happen at sports betting sites, bingo halls, horse racing tracks, or even while playing video games. It is not about how much you gamble but why you gamble. People with gambling addiction often have underlying psychological issues, such as anxiety, depression, stress, or substance abuse disorders. Gambling becomes a way to cope with these issues, providing temporary relief and a sense of control.
However, the high associated with gambling is short-lived, and soon the individual finds themselves chasing losses, Chances are, they may even resort to illegal activities such as theft, fraud, or embezzlement to fund their addiction. Relationships suffer, and they may push away their loved ones, leading to social isolation and feelings of guilt and shame.
Gambling addiction is a progressive disease and can lead to suicidal ideations if left untreated. According to statistics, individuals struggling with gambling addiction are at a higher risk of self-harm and suicide. The anonymity offered by online gambling platforms has further compounded the problem, making it difficult to identify and treat affected individuals.
It is essential to recognise the signs of gambling addiction and seek help at the earliest. Denial is a common symptom, and affected individuals may refuse to admit that they have a problem. Family and friends play a critical role in identifying the symptoms and encouraging the affected person to seek professional help. Therapy, support groups, and medication can aid in the recovery process.
Responsible gambling education is vital to prevent gambling addiction. Online casinos have a duty of care towards their players and should provide resources for responsible gambling. This includes self-exclusion options, deposit limits, reality checks, and links to organisations that specialise in treating gambling addiction.
In conclusion, gambling addiction is a serious problem that affects many people worldwide. It is not a character flaw or a lack of willpower but a mental health disorder that requires treatment and compassion. As individuals who enjoy gambling, it is our responsibility to promote responsible gambling practices and support affected persons in seeking help. Remember, the thrill of gambling should be enjoyable and not a source of pain and suffering. If you or someone you know is struggling with gambling addiction, please reach out for help.
Top Free Slots with Free Spins and Bonus Games - Play Online_Allow me to conclude the post with a famous quote by Chuck Blazer, a convicted felon and former executive of FIFA and