Most top online casinos today take the players point of view into account, they offer winning strategies and systems as well as ‘practice for free’ options. There are no download, no deposit games that can be played in demo mode, and some casinos are even starting to offer a whole suite of real play games in no-download formats.

Top casinos online offer a fair, secure, reliable service, they are chosen for their good reputation, and players trust them to provide a high standard of customer service. But what about bonuses – are they just a gimmick to attract new sign-ups?

There are many types of bonus on offer when we play at top online casinos, so, it pays to know more than just a little something about them. For example some sites offer one hour of free play, while others may offer a few pounds or dollars of ‘no-deposit’ funds.  Many of the top sites don’t even offer either of these no-deposit bonuses and will attract players quite easily with, 100% 200% or even more as a cash-match, sign-up bonus money account, and this is when it starts costing ‘Real Money”.

We are talking about wagering requirements, and this is where the top sites take the players point of view into account. Sites without much of a reputation can really take their players for a rough ride. On the other hand, casino websites with big reputations tend to be much kinder with wagering requirements. Take for example William Hill casino, they offer bigger jackpots, better bonuses and even better wagering requirements. This site clearly defines what they want from the player, and there is a 20 x wagering requirement on the first deposit bonus.

On the other hand, casino websites we have seen that are less well known, want anything from 30, 40, 50, and we have even seen 100 x wagering requirements before bonuses are released or withdrawals of winnings can be made.   

Bonus terms and conditions often don’t only include wagering requirements, and there are other elements to be considered also. The top online casinos make these known, but at less than reliable sites, these elements are hard to find. The player needs to calculate the cost of the bonus by taking into account:

• Wagering requirements
• Game contributing percentage and whether a game qualifies
• The house edge of the game.

We will go into these factors in a little more detail in a later article. But for now suffice it to say that knowledge of these factors is important before choosing an online casino. The top online casinos take these factors very much into consideration by operating with transparency, while the websites lower down the scale, appear to be a little more ‘tricksy’ about it.

No deposit casinos are a special feature that we only find when we play online. Basically this means that the player does not need to make a deposit first to play, and may try the site before they buy. There are various ways in which no deposit casinos work and some will offer a certain amount of free spins or time, while others offer a cash value for the new member to get started playing.

For example, the Gaming Club, which is a Microgaming site, offers 30 free spins on the download game ‘Madhatters’ or the no-download game, or Flash version of the Osbournes. But no other games may be played on this bonus.  Mummys Gold Casino is also Microgaming and they give potential new members  1 Hour plus $/£/€/C$500 Free to play. Winnings from this promotion may be transferred to a real money account, but there are some terms and conditions which understandably need to be met in order to claim any winnings. The player needs to place 100 or more bets on any game as well as deposit $50+.

Getting something for nothing is great fun, but it pays to remember that the more well-known a site is, the less they give away for free. This is chiefly due to the fact that these sites are not so tricky about how they draw in their customer base. In other words they are more above board. All no deposit casinos come with terms and conditions that must be met for the player to get the full value.

Even though the no deposit bonus has been common practice from as far back as online gambling first began, and were used as marketing leverage, they have become a standard practice for many sites. Yes…they are still used as marketing leverage, but if you don’t have anything to lose and you might win…well…what have you got to lose? Players now expect to receive these bonuses when they play at certain sites, and despite the fact that there was talk of phasing them out many years ago, this has actually yet to happen. We certainly believe that websites which need an edge over the big brands online will hang onto their no deposit casinos policy, tooth and nail.

Although the most common bonus is the cash match welcome bonus, this cannot be said to be a no deposit bonus. The player must register for an account and make a deposit to receive the cash match, where as with the no deposit bonus, no deposit at all is supposed to be required. It is a powerful attractor for many players, but do be careful when you play, because wagering requirements must be met, so, always read terms and conditions and make sure you agree with these. In the long term this avoids any disappointments for the player.

Although legislation and regulation are still pending with regards casinos for USA players, this does not prevent players in this country from accessing offshore web-based casinos and playing online. No matter how legal or illegal an activity this might be for gamers from this country – it is still not entirely clear – despite a DoJ opinion regarding the legality of online casinos and other forms of online gaming. The only thing the opinion has truly made clear is the fact that online sports betting is not allowed.

 Basically the publicly traded companies such as 888.com and Party Gaming excited the US marketplace after taking legal advice, and following the promulgation of the Unlawful Internet  Gambling enforcement Act back in 2006. This Act is linked to an obscure Wire Act dating back to 1960, and has left both gamers and operators alike, stuck in a no-man’s-land of grey areas.

However, some independent brands have ignored both UIGEA, the Wire Act and the US DoJ, and have continued to ply their trade. Players have continued to frequent these websites, although some casino websites are still exiting this marketplace, most are doing this to better position themselves for when the issuance of legal licensing is written into law – if this ever takes place?! If you are a player from the USA and wish to play these games online, then the risk is available there for you to take.

It is still a bit of a risky business as these website are not governed by US law, so player protection is basically non-existent. Although fortunately, some of the software brands that offer these games in the US of A are reliable brands; operating from reliable licensing jurisdiction; these are few and far between.

Recommended lists of casinos for USA players can be found online, and as the legal status of this industry is currently undergoing change, some sites are available in some states. Whereas websites on IGT and Microgaming software do not operate in the USA under any circumstances at this point in time;  Real Time Gaming has sites operating to a USA – facing marketplace, as do a few other software brands. You will find websites such as; Club USA, Lucky Red, Aladdin’s Gold, Manhattan Slots, Sloto’Cash, Royal Ace Casino, and quite a few more.

Online poker legislation is yet again on the cards in the USA, this gives hope for online casinos to piggy-back on the coattails of a game which is as American as apple pie. The pending casinos for USA player legislation supposedly will repeal the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, so it has to take place at Federal level and currently the only laws repealing this Act are at State level. Federal level always takes precedence over the ‘State’, so, still a great deal has to change.

There are a ton of fabulous software providers that design games for both the online and land- based casino industry. So, for example an online casino game from Microgaming will be available in certain live casinos that subscribe to this software, as well as at casinos online. In the majority of cases a game is sooner available online than it is in a land casino, so online gamers get the pick of the crop first.

While we are talking about the pick of the crop, we must again mention the Net Entertainment online casino game. This gaming brand is absolutely the cream of the crop in my opinion, but that is only my opinion, you would have to try these games out for yourself. They are absolutely top-notch, and I have always been biased that their game brands are much better than Microgaming.

Net Entertainment is a premium supplier of digitally distributed gaming systems, based in Gibraltar and Sweden, and like all Scandinavian industry, these games are pure perfection.

Find games such as Gonzo’s Quest which was their first Platinum video slot, and has become a mark of their success. More recently we find Robin Hood Switching Riches, with its host of brand new features, and the truly dynamic Jack and the Beanstalk. These are games that any online slots lover would be out of their mind not to play. Pure product perfection is the words that spring to mind.

The success of a casino operation is dependent on various factors, but one of the most important is the quality of the online casino game. It is the tenet of this software provider to only deliver the best. While Microgaming has an aggressive rollout of very well developed games; Net Entertainment is not in a huge hurry to get their games out to the public, and therefore take the time necessary to make sure they are something special.

Even their PJP networked games are works of art, as are the prizes they offer. In the past less than six months, over €18 million has been paid out to two extremely lucky progressive jackpot prize winners. One prize was over €11 million!!

It has been their quest since the very beginning to provide the best and most exciting games in the biz, and significant investments are continuously made in research and development to make sure that this takes place. They ensure that they deliver the latest in finely tuned online casino game technology and adhere to a strict release schedule.

Watch out for this software developer, I have been watching them carefully for a couple of years and have not been let down once yet. I still think there will be huge things to come for Net Entertainment. They understand that games development is a science – it requires skill, insight based on assay and extensive experience.  This brand has more than 45 years experience in the live casino industry, and 15 years more of online operations behind them, so, you just keep watching this space.

What is perhaps most notable about playing online casino games, is the fact that players who love a gamble, can indulge in their favourite games. They can play these games any time of the day or night, 365, and they can play them for free, for as little as a penny a pop, or even for high rolling wagers. Just about everyone likes taking a gamble …it is a universal pastime, with no one culture, not having a list of games they indulge with a flutter. Advanced technology has brought any and every gambling game known to man, into the convenience and comfort of our living rooms. Now we may even play casino online games wherever we go with the advancement of mobile gambling.

The British online gambling industry has fast advanced into massive demand, for a product which appears to be recession-proof, and now hosts a sophisticated audience. This is the epitome of the online gambling industry, where the world is sitting up, taking notice and emulating industry leading concepts. It is paradoxical in fact that the UK is leading the way, while the USA falls further behind by the day. This is not for want of trying, millions of US gamers across the board, from poker players to Pachinko, want these games online. The government however is at loss of how to control it sufficiently well to allow online gambling inside their borders. The scary thing is that in the land of the ‘free’, these are a series of games which residents are simply not free to play.

While it is fine for a US resident to purchase prescription drugs (without prescription) online and pay with their credits cards, they are not allowed to swipe their card in an attempt to bag a prize playing bingo. One of the softest gambling games known to man! This ‘banning’ of online gambling is in an attempt to ‘protect the public’ I ask you with tears in my eyes – does it not matter where the Viagra and even worse comes from? But a game of online poker for money is a criminal offence – something Joe Public cannot be trusted to spend his ‘own’ hard earned money on.

UK players who gamble at casino online games, do so under the protection of a regulated market; this also offers them the option to continue to pursue their faith in their favourite brands. While US players who are tempted (and many are) have to play with illegal brands; many which may not be above board. So, in the UK we have super choices and the country with one of the most massive choices in consumerism, has very little choice at all. There is no coin toss needed to see who has it better – the US or the UK? This massive ‘Superpower’ is going to find itself, hanging onto Britain’s red-coat-tails, if and when they ever legalize casino online games.

It has been touch and go for years for some of the best online casinos in the world; what with the American market looking so exciting to operators, and yet it not really being legal to offer these games. Operators argued that UIGEA contained too many grey areas and this is how they justified continuing to accept US players. Bodog is just such a site, but how they escaped US Department of Justice notice, since this authority closed down PokerStars, FullTilt and other gambling sites in the US; I really don’t?!

These sites were closed for business after their domains were seized by the DoJ on the 15th April. Gambling operators and fans alike, have dubbed this day ‘Black Friday’. So far it does not seem as though the best online casinos were affect, but the best poker sites certainly were and now one of the last men standing is getting out of the game. Bodog Europe is a very well-known online brand, and a modicum of their notoriety is garnered by the fact that they still accept US players. Up until now these real money gamblers have not been considered persona non grata. From the end of 2011 however this will change and no longer will any players from this country be allowed to use their accounts. At least they have been given time to close accounts and withdraw funds, unlike member of Full Tilt, Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet. Bodog has also taken out a brand new license and been granted this by the UK Gambling Commission, and this is unusual in itself, as most operators choose to license offshore to escape the massive tax implications of running a gambling operation in the UK. But that is another story entirely.

Another implication for US players is – they will have to be extremely careful where they play, if they do. It could give rise to a spate of new charlatans coming online, in an attempt to part hard working Americans from their gambling money. Americans want to be able to gamble online, but the Government can’t see the woods for the trees and believe that they know better what residents should be allowed to partake of in the ‘land of the free’. Aaron Burr once said that freedom of speech in the USA was only as free as the politician they are allowed to repeat?!

Anyway – that all said and done, Bodog is on their way to concentrate completely on the UK and European market and US players are losing one of the last best online casinos – at least until these operations go legal, if this ever takes place.

There is a brand new game of poker, and to play it you really need to be able to flex your poker muscles. It encompasses a variety of skills and poker strategies, as well as knowledge of rules across a cross-section of poker games. The game is known as Poker Legs and if you want to find your poker legs, there is a great place to learn many variations of poker; this is to play online poker games. The expected value and degree of knowledge progresses much fast for players of online poker games, than it can ever do in the live poker realm.

Poker legs is a blast to play, it is being played from local pubs to casinos in Vegas, and it’s only a matter of time, till it becomes available online. The global poker craze is still sweeping the globe, and it never takes very long for a new game to take-up online. This is a game of poker for players with balls, regardless of gender. It is the ultimate gamblers game, and we have even heard it called ‘degenerate’, so, true to form it is taking the world by storm! The stakes can be very low, but as the betting continues in frame after frame; these prize pots can mount up into massive amounts of money.

The aim of this game is to collect three “legs”, because apparently three is better than two, especially when you’ve been drinking. There is a specific way to collect the legs while the tension mounts, as round after round and frame after frame of the game takes place. A new game kicks off with Round 1 and 2-card Hold em; where no flop is played, and a two card poker hand is the deal, we all know this is not easy. Round 2 is 3-card low and the next Round is 5-card Holdem. The final round is a 2-7 lowball game; meanwhile during the rounds, there are very specific rules to be adhered to. Bear in mind three legs still need to be collected.

This is a very brief and cobbled together outline of the game, but one can see right away that it is vital to know various poker game strategies. As we said before, the fastest way to pick up on these strategies is to play online poker games. If you receive an invite to play Poker Legs, the biggest favor your could do yourself, it to start playing poker online right away, this will put you a step ahead of the pack (hopefully), which ultimately may mean being in a better position to collect legs and win the prize pot. The game has all kinds of features such as collecting discounts for legs, and is a thrill a minute to play. Let your hair down too, and find out who has the biggest balls. It highly recommended to only play this game amongst very good friends – with 7 players tops.

Anything for nothing is a bargain according to my old mum, in a way she is right, but we also have to remember that everything comes at a price. Online Casino Bonuses, may mean free chips, spins or money for the newly registered member, as well as existing players – but again, the rule of thumb is, everything comes at a price. Always read the small print.

In this instance the small print is Terms and Conditions, and every good online casino, makes these conditions clearly known to members. It is the sites which don’t make the T’s & C’s of their online casinos bonuses clear…that we really need to steer clear of. If we know what we are in for, we may opt in for bonuses or not, so, that the decision to take-up a bonus or not, also becomes an educated decision.

All casinos online offer bonuses as part of their marketing plan. They budget for these in their cash flow and this factors into the prizes paid out, as well as a whole lot of other conditions. It is for this very reason that the casino which offers the lowest bonuses, also offer the biggest prizes, and the best wagering requirements. Bonuses may consist of all of these factors, any/or various combinations:

? No deposit bonus
? First deposit bonus
? Ongoing deposit bonus
? Bonuses for using alternative payment methods
? Bonuses for taking part in promotion
? Friend referral bonuses
? Birthday bonuses
? VIP bonuses

Taking advantage of online casino bonuses means in essence – value for money. While this is true in the most part, we need to know what we are doing when we claim these free gift, and this is why it is so important to understand wagering requirements and how these work. Terms and conditions tell us what the wagering requirement is, and it is from this information and our budget that we determine how much money to deposit. For example; €/£/$10 is generally the minimum deposit and the maximum can go up to the thousands. The bigger and better-name a site, the more likely it is to be that bonus amounts are capped. In this instance; wagering requirements are either non existent or extremely fair.

On a scale of 1 – 10, we would say “no wagering requirements” is excellent, while 10 x is “good”, 20 x is “fair” and anything above that is simply outrageous. We do however see some sites which offer 50 or even 100 x wagering requirements. Why any sensible person would want to join any site with such ridiculous terms is completely beyond our comprehension. Making a small deposit and claiming a small bonus, means players who are not millionaires can get conditions met much more efficiently.

One thing you are not going to get when you walk through the doors of a live casino – is a bunch of free chips, thrust into your sticky little, spend-thrifty paws. Play at no deposit casinos online and they can’t give you enough free chips, and we are not talking about the deep-fried kind, the sort that comes with battered fish! We are talking casino chips here and these are worth real money. Virtually every virtual casino hands a certain amount to every new member, as they take their first tentative steps through the doors.

For example, 888casino.com; they are one of the best no deposit casinos. They let you try before you buy, but not every online casino does this. What all other sites do, do however, is, give you free casino chips when you make a first deposit. There are definitely industry standards when it comes to handing out free chips. The absolute minimum is 100% and this is on varying amounts. There is a pattern we see which generally works hand-in-hand with brand faith, and the biggest brands never hand out the biggest bonuses. There is a very good reason for this, and it pays for the online casino player to catch onto the reason early.

Here is the thing about giving free bonuses at online casinos – they offer these as incentives, and every incentive comes at a price. In the case of bonuses, the price is wagering requirements. Wagering requirements are a multiple of the first deposit plus the bonus. This is the very reason why the best brands keep bonuses low. It enables the player to take advantage of the offer without getting their knickers in a knot. One can understand why a players knickers would get in a knot, when they aren’t able to make a withdrawal or cash in their bonuses until they have spent a million pounds/dollars first. OK, so, maybe not a million, but we are talking big bucks.

Look at this for an example – a casino offers a small bonus of up to maximum of £50 in a 100% cash match to welcome the new member. Their wagering requirements are 20 x deposit + bonus to clear funds/winnings from the account in the case of a withdrawal. This means if the player deposits £50 and receives a £50 bonus, they have to wager a total of £50 + £50 = £100 x 20 = £2 000 to clear their funds. When we look at it from this point of view, those free chips might start to lose their free appeal.

It is for this reason we always maintain, that when it comes to making first deposits at online casinos, biggest is never best. To coin a phrase – if it looks too good to be true – it very definitely generally is. We have seen anything like up to 50 or even 100 x wagering requirements on maximum deposits of anything up to thousands of pound/dollars. With numbers like this – we are talking really big bucks!

In 2006, the United States Government passed a law we now call UIGEA. This is the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act, and short of actually making online gambling in this country clearly illegal, it totally confuses matters. The Act is tagged onto an obscure Wire Act – dated 1961? – which is relevant to the transfer of funds over the airwaves or something. It essentially makes things really difficult regarding credit card payments and also e-wallet transactions.

Financial institutions are penalized severely for allowing online gambling transactions to take place. Then a swoop on the four major US online poker sites took place on the 15th April 2011, this was the ultimate death knell for most online gambling in the US. There are very few site who wish to go to the trouble to offer games to US players any longer, and even BODOG has pulled out of the US industry as of the end of this year.

Any US online casinos still left operating are taking a very big chance – who knows when they might not also have their domains seized. It is drastically unfair, against World free trade principles, and completely paradoxical that the United States of America considers itself to be a government whose people are living in “the land of the free”. To all intents and purposes online gambling laws in this country are to protect people from themselves, or to be completely brutal – from their own stupidity. Honestly it is all just about money, and about this government wanting ‘total’ control.

Back in the 1930′s Ayn Rand said “We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion: the stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases, while the citizens may act only by permission; which is the stage of the darkest periods of human history, the stage of rule by brute force”, and UIGEA is only one example of this type of control.

While the rest of the civilized world has realized online gambling is here to stay, the US Government is being manipulated by money, or should I say – their lack of ability to manipulate this industry’s money. But let me get off my soap box.

Suffice it to say that US online casinos don’t have it good as far as free trade is concerned. Online payment processing companies are struggling to find more loop-holes and the DoJ is closing in on all big operators. Any US player wanting to gamble online is then also now taking a risk. When a mainstream industry is made illegal in this way, there are always bootleggers out there trying to make a fast buck. This means no regulation, and no recourse for any US online gamer who is willing to take even more of a risk. Sadly even online casino listings which promote US sites, are – in good conscience – dropping long-time clients as fast as hot-cakes. Essentially folks, if you gamble online in the US, you are taking a really big chance.