There're several thousand online casinos in the world today - is it possible to find in this multitude the one which best for you? The answer is yes. There's only a handful of companies out there who provide professional casino software. Various online casino owners purchase the software, but the look and feel, payment methods and bonus structure remain mostly unchanged and depends on the software used. Thus, you will often hear phrases like "Microgaming casinos", "Playtech casinos", "Cryptologic casinos", etc. Some online casinos use their own, or "proprietary", software, but you have to be extra careful with those!

Some casinos will not accept ("blacklist") gamblers from certain countries, due to high level of fraud, so check your country is not blacklisted before you sign up.

Once you've decided on casino/software, follow these simple rules to minimise risking your money:

• Try out their customer support system. If can't find contact telephone numbers or there's no 24 hour technical support, find another casino!
• Look at the domain name. Unusual, long-winded and complicated names with a lot of hyphens usually indicate that this a new or amateur business. Avoid.
• Check the licence. An online casino may legally operate without it, but a few good established casinos will have it, even if to boost customers' confidence and their sense of security.
• Does casino offer 'free chips' or free trial games? This is a good way to try out casino software without risking your own money.
• Do your homework and find as many user reviews as you can.

Josh Reilly
casinohive.com
http://www.casinohive.com