Over the course of the past two decades, the way that people wager on poker, blackjack and their favourite sports has altered dramatically. Long gone are the days of getting in your car and travelling to out of town casinos to spin the roulette wheel, or visiting an actual betting shop to place a bet on your team to win.
Whilst signing up to an online sportsbook or joining an online casino aren’t quite as daunting as the alternative of visiting physical premises, there are still things about both that can be off-putting to first-timers.
Whilst there’s nothing wrong with a sports wager, our primary concern in this article is removing the obstacles that all too often prevent beginners from signing up for an online casino. If that sounds like something you’d benefit from learning about, read on…
Understanding the Basics
Providers
The online casino industry is absolutely thriving right now, not just here in the United States, but all across the world. Naturally then, there is no shortage of providers who are looking to grab their share of the market.
Whilst variety and choice are often a good thing for customers, they also increase the risk of accidentally opting for a poor or unreliable provider. To avoid doing that, follow these tips:
Shop Around: If you were going to buy home insurance, you’d likely use a comparison website to find the best deal.
Joining an online casino is no different, there are plenty of deals and offers out there and the best way to spot them is by using a comparison website of which there are plenty (many of which may be specific to your location.)
Read Reviews: Whenever you’re embarking on a decision that will most likely result in you spending a large sum of money, such as buying home insurance or joining an online casino, it’s imperative that you gauge the views of people who have spent their money on the product beforehand.
So before you make that first deposit, read what customers have to say about that particular online casino – good and bad.
(Read as many reviews as you can before signing up for an online casino.)
Check out Features: Every casino lover is different, and so is every casino, so you want to make sure you and your provider are a good match before you make that first deposit.
If you want to play predominantly slots, make sure you pick a provider that specializes in those games and has a big selection available. Likewise, if you want to play poker, pick a site that has a good poker operation.
The Nitty-Gritty
Picking a provider is the easy part, and in truth, something that people don’t particularly tend to worry about. Two things that do tend to put people off joining an online casino are the age identification process and deposits.
Beginner’s often think that both will be complicated and take up lots of time, but that’s not the case at all. The age verification process is quick and easy and typically involves you entering your details as normal and simply uploading a picture of your ID.
Once you’ve done that, your ID will be verified, which typically takes a matter of minutes, and then you’ll be free to make your first deposit, which is also incredibly easy and straightforward. Most players tend to make deposits in exact same way that they would make online purchases – by entering their card details.
However if you want to be fancy, you can make deposits in the following ways:
- With cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin
- Via bank transfer (this does take longer than other methods)
- Using a digital wallet such as PayPal or Apple Pay
Whatever way you choose to pay, the key thing is to ensure beforehand that you’ve done the relevant checks on the provider (reading customer reviews, using comparison sites) to make sure that they are going to take good care of your money.
Setting Limits
The final piece of advice that we can give to first-time online casino users is to set limits on how much you are going to wager. The vast majority of responsible providers have tools on their sites or apps that allow you to put into place a weekly deposit limit. Use these tools.
Casino gambling is incredibly fun and just like everything else that is fun, it’s super easy to get carried away and lose track of your spending. Deposit limits help you to stop this from happening and in turn, prolong your fun.
