A beginner’s guide to online casinos

Lockdown has been a funny old thing. Families have stuck together, whether they liked it or not, communities flourished, and the use of online materials, from gaming to working and socializing, increased massively. As the use of bandwidth surged, so did online gaming as it gave players from all across the world the chance to escape their living rooms and explore virtual worlds.

One industry that took a big hit was sports gambling because live sport was put on hold. However, betting on eSports and on online casino games boomed. Lockdown sure was weird!

From land to online

As soon as we were all instructed to stay in our homes, many industries felt the strain, like retailers, restaurants, and entertainment venues such as casinos. Those players who love slots and table games turned to somewhere safer to play - online casinos. Even now, with vaccine rollouts and lifting of restrictions, land-based casinos may not regain all of their previous customers.

You now might be thinking what the attraction is with online casinos – is it something you might like to try?

A simple route of discovery

We put this guide together to quickly and simply show you how to find the best online casinos, what to look out for and how to enjoy it to the max (do people still say that?). That way, it’ll make it easier for you to explore various game sites, knowing exactly the type of thing you’re looking for.

• Knowing what type of games you enjoy will make it a better experience when playing at an online casino 2024. If you think you’re going to be a fan of online slots, then it’s worth checking out a casino that has an abundance of these. Likewise, if you only want to take to the tables and try your hand at roulette or blackjack, look for online casinos which specialize in this. It’s also worth checking to see if they have live dealer games, too, as these are table games that are literally taking place live. So, you’ll be able to really immerse yourself in the experience. The good thing is that the majority of online casinos cater to all types of players so that it won’t be hard to find a game you like.

• Researching the casino is always important before deciding where to play. It doesn’t matter if the welcome bonus looks amazingly tempting or the bright lights and pretty colors make it an inviting place, do your research. Check out the site’s safety credentials, its gambling licenses, whether it’s certified by independent bodies like eCogra. You can even read reviews (but on legitimate sites) or join forums and ask away. It might take a bit of time, but it’s always good to play it safe.
• Make sure it’s mobile-friendly because even if you find an online casino that you love, then chances are you’re going to want to play it from different locations. And you’re not always going to lug a computer around with you. Most online casinos do work on mobile devices, but it’s always good to check; you never know they might even have an app version for you to download. Then you can play on the go from different places, and it gives you the flexibility if you just wanted to have a quick spin on the slots or a hand of blackjack before going back to the daily grind.
• Using the bonuses wisely will help you get the most bang for your buck. Welcome bonuses help introduce you to the online casino and give you more funds to play with. This is nice as using their money to help win on games is a lot better than using your own. Online casinos will continue to offer bonuses to existing customers, too, so enjoy some free offers.
• Trying games out for free is perhaps one of the most important things to utilize at online casinos. You can try out slots or table games in free play mode, which essentially lets you have unlimited funds to use on the game. You can’t win any real money, of course, but it’s a fantastic way to try out a game, identify how it works and how to use the features, and not spend any of your own money.

Online casinos have become a fun place to explore, especially during a series of global lockdowns. Even if land-based casinos are going to start opening their doors again soon, there’s a safe, virtual place to play online if you want to keep your distance.