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Online Casinos Introduction: How to Get Started with Casinos
An online casino is a web site where you can gamble just as you would in a live one. You deposit money to the casino's account and they let you play for money using their software. Typical casino games are blackjack, slots and baccarat. Sportsbooks or betting sites, and poker rooms are also kinds of online casinos.
Now you've heard all the hype, you want to join. How? Easy! You just need a few things: money, hardware, software, and a way to take money to and from the casino. Let's look at them one after the other.
What You Need to Get Started…
Money.
Of course, money! Why would you gamble if you didn't have it? Just make sure you didn't steal anything, okay? And stealing includes "borrowing" money that's allotted to something else like food or the electricity bill. Read our article on money management and make sure you have a solid budget before going further.
System Requirements
When you go to an online casino, they will tell you what their hardware & software requirements are. Anything that's not Windows 3.1 is typically acceptable. But for the experience to be any good, get Windows XP or later or equivalent, with the latest security updates. Make sure you have a fast processor, a big hard disk and lots of memory. And make sure you far exceed the minimum specs given by the casino. For example, if they say "at least 128MB of RAM" then get at least 256MB. You don't need a high-speed internet connection, but it helps.
Casino Software
There are two kinds of casino software out there: web-based or downloadable. Web-based means you can play the casino games in your browser without installing anything. Flash and Java are used for programs like this. But they are often inferior in speed, quality and security capabilities. Downloadable programs provide better graphics, security and performance. The only problem is they can take a long while to download over a slow connection. Once you get it installed, it's worth it. The sound and visual effects are fabulous, and the speed is amazing.
Casino software is often free for you to try; that is, you can play with it for fun using play chips. It's a good idea to do this first so you can get a feel for the software and the casino itself before depositing your money. After a while, you'll get bored and want to do the real thing.
Deposits & Withdrawals
When you're ready to gamble for real, it's time to deposit money. Assuming you've picked a trustworthy site, go check their deposit options. They should accept a variety of payment methods including credit card, Neteller, bank draft, etc. Ask yourself these questions:
Is the option available in my country? How soon will money be deposited to the casino's account? Is withdrawal possible? What are the minimum and maximum withdrawal amounts? What are the fees?
Note: When withdrawing your winnings, you may be asked to fax your identification cards and do other things short of somersaulting for verification purposes. Also, for withdrawals, watch out—they'll be checking for cash bonus abuses and suspicious playing tactics on your part. More on bonus money and cheating later on.
Once your money is in, you can start gambling!