Online casinos are one of the fastest growing industries. Playing slot machine games or table games online has become a popular activity for a wider audience than ever before. Freed from the constraints of having to go to a casino, people who never had the interest or time to give gambling a chance are finally feeling like they have a place in the online gambling world.
Internet reviews have made it easier to find businesses we can trust. Reading reviews for any brick and mortar business is second nature for many of us, but sometimes we forget that there are reviews for internet businesses as well, or we assume that since it’s online it must be well regulated and legitimate. However, if you wouldn’t trust a random mechanic to fix your engine, why should you trust a random online casino to give you fair odds?
There are online casinos that offer an amazing experience that is as close to being in Monte Carlo or Las Vegas as most people will ever get. Not all online casinos are the same. Sadly, like with any rapidly growing industry, there will be those who try to take advantage of others. This list isn’t going to name and shame, but it will provide you with several reasons why you should always consult reviews before you play.
The good…
Even if you’ve found an online casino that seems trustworthy and has all the games that you want, reading positive reviews is very reassuring. It lets you know that you aren’t just being suckered in by a great interface and a cool theme. Every positive review from another happy gambler shows you that you’ve made a good choice and that your money is in safe hands.
Reviews are also a great way to find out what bonuses and incentives each online casino offers. Welcome bonuses are a huge part of the industry and some are much better than others. Reading reviews can point you towards the online casino that has the incentives that appeal most to you. This could be anything from free spins and deposit matching to a loyalty program that offers increasingly good rewards.
Casino reviews can help you find out which online casinos are licensed in your country or region. With so many online casinos licensed out of Malta, Curaçao or the United Kingdom, it can sometimes be difficult to know whether or not a specific casino will be legal for you to play at. Reviews will be able to tell you where each casino is licensed and where it is playable.
The bad…
For every great online casino, there is one that was quickly thrown together. It might look good but not work very well. Or maybe it has a good range of slot machine games but doesn’t offer any table games. These issues aren’t necessarily scams, they just show a lack of care and can put your data and your funds at risk.
One criticism that comes up in many casino reviews is whether or not the interface is formatted for desktop, mobile or both. If you mainly play games on your phone, perhaps while commuting, not having a functioning mobile interface would be a major issue.
Another issue that often comes up is delays in the withdrawal process. This can be due to inadequate infrastructure, an underprepared system, poorly trained staff or a combination of all three. These delays can make it seem like your money is lost forever, which is very concerning even if the problem is eventually fixed.
…and the ugly
Some issues with online casinos aren’t due to faulty infrastructure or poorly trained customer service staff, some are actually scams that will take advantage of any customer who comes their way. These online casinos are typically shut down fairly quickly by the licensing bodies or local governments, but they can still do a lot of damage before they are discovered and shut down.
This can include stealing your personal information or denying you access to your funds. When they prevent customers from accessing the money in their accounts, the fraud is usually discovered very quickly because people raise the issue with their governments immediately. Stealing personal information is a much sneakier crime. It generally goes unnoticed until it is used later and by then it can be difficult to track down where and when the data theft happened.
Reading reviews can make you aware of these issues or at the very least show you the red flags that other users have noticed about these scam casinos. Reviews like this allow members of the online gambling community to keep one another safe.