Online gambling hasn’t been around for too long – while the first online casinos started popping out in the 90s, the industry really started gaining traction in the 2000s, and really hasn’t stopped ever since. Right now, there’s dozens upon dozens of online casinos available in the UK alone, with thousands of players trying out their first online slot every year! But what are the essentials that you absolutely need to know before you dive in? It was hard for me to narrow it down to just 5 golden rules you need to follow, but at the end of the day, these are the most important things you need to look out for:
1. Beware Of Fakes!
This isn’t really that big of a problem, since A) the overwhelming majority of fake online casinos close down pretty quickly after launch, and B) they’re very easy to spot anyway, but considering just how much damage you can possibly sustain from falling victim to one, I still thought I’d make this rule No. 1. To stay safe, make sure to look in the footer of the casino for any banners signifying that it has been licensed. The Gambling Commission is your best friend here – if you don’t see its logo, stay away!
2. Do Your Research!
It’s vitally important that you do your research before you sign up for any online casino! Some casinos provide better bonuses for their live games, others have a better selection of slots. Each casino is different from the others in some way or another, so it’s in your best interest to discover how! Many of the differences are explained on this website, but it never hurts to do your own research.
3. Don’t Be Afraid Of New Things!
Okay, so maybe you primarily want to play slots, or you just want to play roulette. That’s fine! But have you considered just giving the other games a shot? I mean, most of them are free to play if you use practice mode or your demo account, so you’re literally not losing a thing other than 5-10 minutes of your time! Who knows, you might be able to find something that you enjoy as much, or even more, than what you originally liked?
4.Live Casino Is Your Friend!
As an extension of the previous rule, I can’t stress enough just how important live casino is! Some of the biggest wins that I’ve seen, the sums big enough to be reported on the news, have come from either slot jackpots or live roulette and blackjack. I’m not saying that you should transition exclusively to the live versions of these games, but playing them will give you a better chance of making it big than their AI-controlled counterparts.
5. Be Careful With Your Money!
I’ve left one of the most important rules for last – be extremely careful with your cash! Online casino is one of those things that try to hook you with the “just one more game” mentality. Always set a budget for what you want to spend on online casino for a particular month and don’t go above that, and no, you’re not allowed to use up some of next month’s budget! Always keep that budget as low as possible, under half of your total disposable income for the month, and if at all possible don’t spend all of it! Sure, you might make it big and return your investment and then some, but you must not assume that for a certainty when playing!