Getting Started in Online Gambling
Getting Started in Online Gambling
by Pam Henk
So you fancy a flutter online, but you have a few concerns
right? That's perfectly understandable, particularly with the
huge choice of online casinos and gambling sites out there. You
may also have a few concerns about the safety of your personal
information and credit card details. Again that's perfectly
understandable, particularly with some of the scare stories in
the press about internet fraudsters. Hopefully then, this
article will help to allay some of your concerns and help you
get started in this fun and profitable pastime.
Is it Safe?
This is probably the most common concern expressed by potential
online gamblers. The answer is most definitely yes, provided you
choose a reputable and established online gambling site. Look
for software provided by one of the major casino software
providers such as Microgaming, RTG (RealTimeGaming), Playtech,
Boss Media, Cryptologic/Wagerlogic, Parlay Entertainment,
iGlobal Media, Grand Virtual and Odds On. These software
providers rigorously test their software to ensure that it is
safe and hack proof, and ensure that your personal information
is rigorously encrypted and safe. Any banking information is
inputted over a secure connection, meaning a hacker will never
be able to access your data. Because of the rigorous security
measures in place, entering your banking information is just as
safe as banking online with your normal bank. There are also
several other excellent casinos who are not powered by the above
software, but who are equally trustworthy. Look for a secure
connection when entering personal information, this may be
denoted by a little padlock icon in the corner of your screen,
if you are in a normal browser window a secure connection url
will show up as https: the s denotes that the connection is
secure.
I don't want a casino to know my credit card info, are there any
other ways to make a deposit? Yes there are many other ways
other than credit card to make a deposit. One of the most
popular is Neteller - http://www.neteller.com which is an online
wallet specially designed for online gambling. When you sign up
for a neteller account, you receive an account number, a secure
Id and a password. The secure ID acts like a pin number, you
will not be able to use your account without it. You can deposit
funds in your neteller account by credit card, debit card or
bank transfer and you can withdraw your funds via a special free
debit card issued by neteller. Thus you can not only deposit at
casinos but also withdraw your funds. There are many other ways
to make deposits without using a credit card, Paypark,
Click2Pay, Ecocard, Moneybookers, Ukash, to name a few. For more
details on banking deposit methods see the extensive article at
http://www.prizewin.co.uk/deposit.html which covers alternate
depositing methods in detail.
How do I withdraw my winnings? Your winnings can be paid via
many methods depending on the particular casino - you can choose
which you prefer. One of the fastest is via Neteller, which if
you sign up for the free neteller debit card then you can
withdraw your winnings instantly.
So Is It Necessary to have one of these Neteller accounts? No
not at all, there are many other ways to make deposits and
receive your winnings.
I have Paypal can I use that? Unfortunately, when Ebay acquired
Paypal, they banned all gambling transactions. However there are
many other alternatives which work just like Paypal who do
accept online gambling
How do I actually sign up at a casino? There are two types of
casino - browser based or flash, and download software. The
downloadable versions tend to have the best graphics and variety
of games, they are generally about a 5mb download, and then you
download whichever games you wish to play. If disk space is
limited or if you don't want software permanently installed on
your PC then you can choose an instant casino or flash version.
Many casinos let you choose between downloadable and instant
play versions.
But I've never played at a casino before; I don't understand
some of the games. All casinos have a built in help file which
show you the rules and how to play the game. In some casinos you
can actually set the auto play button to play the game for you
ensuring you play to perfect strategy. Also you can play the
game for fun before you start to play for real money so you can
learn how to play without risking your cash
How do I know the games are fair? If a casino has been around a
while the chances are its games are fair - after all it wouldn't
stay in business very long otherwise!! All the big software
manufacturers rigorously test their software for randomness and
fairness and many publish their payout percentages on their
sites. These are usually audited by external auditors, so you
can be assured that these are accurate. In addition you can
request play logs, these are provided for you automatically on
Microgaming and Playtech casinos, so you can check your hand
history and winnings/losses.
But I'm worried I will get addicted The vast majority of people
who play online play recreationally and never develop a problem,
but for a few people gambling may become an addiction. This has
often spurred vehemous attempts by anti gambling campaigners to
ban online casinos. However to put things into perspective, more
people abuse alcohol than gambling yet no-one is campaigned to
get alcohol banned. Like anything, if you play sensibly, know
your limits and never spend more than you can afford, then
gambling shouldn't become a problem. If you or someone you know
has a problem, please seek help from agencies such as gamblers
anonymous
I see a lot of casinos offering bonuses and special offers - how
do I know if im getting a good deal? Like any industry, the
casino industry is competitive and in order to compete, many
casinos offer special offers and bonuses. It can be confusing
for the new player to navigate their way around these offers -
and of course there is no obligation on the part of the player
to accept these bonuses - if there are added automatically when
you make a deposit you can always request that any bonus is
removed from your account before you begin to play. However many
players like bonuses as they give them a bit extra value for
their money, although you should be aware that there are always
terms and conditions attached to bonus monies. Always check the
rules regarding the bonus on the casino website before you play,
if necessary take a screen shot by pressing CTRL + PRTSC, so you
can refer to them later. There are two different types of
bonuses - no deposit bonuses which require no purchase to be
made and deposit bonuses which are depending on your making a
purchase at the casino. These may be in the form of a percentage
of your deposit, or a fixed sum, and may be sticky or not - a
sticky bonus stays in your account and cannot be withdrawn
although you can withdraw your winnings from it. No deposit
bonuses are the casinos way of giving out free samples - kind of
like a try before you buy, but because these are costly for the
casinos you will find many restrictions regarding games you can
play and how much you can cashout from them.
So you've addressed my concerns -let's go Good luck and happy
gambling!
Pam Henk is the owner of online casino information sites
http://www.prizewin.co.uk and
http://www.casino-bonus-search.com, You may use this article
freely provided you retain the link to the authors sites. http://www.prizewin.co.uk