The Top Real Money Casinos
The gambling world has seen a massive influx of punters and gambling enthusiasts since the first online casino launched in 1994. Gambling is more accessible than ever, with its latest forays into mobile, VR, and AR pushing the envelope even further. However, real money gambling involves real money, which can quickly become nerve-racking. We have, therefore, prepared this extensive guide that will help you ease into the world of online casino gambling and help you find the best online real-money casinos.
Understanding Real Money Casinos
The best way to think about real money casinos is to picture them as conventional brick-and-mortar casinos, whose cashiers and games are digitalized. However, online casinos offer more than regular casinos, especially in terms of game variety and potential bonuses. While a land-based casino is limited by its floorspace, an online casino has an unlimited amount of space. While land-based casinos offer free drinks, online ones give you bonus funds and free spins. Note that these come with wagering requirements and other nuances that we will cover shortly.
Understanding Real Money Bonuses
Real money bonuses or promotions are digital gifts that convert into casino funds or tokens that can be used for various games. There are several types of bonuses, including welcome, no deposit, deposit, reload or refill, cashback, free spin, VIP, loyalty, and event-based ones.
Most bonuses can be claimed on your chosen casino site, with an entire section being dedicated to them. Some bonuses will reach you via email or newsletter, in which case they will usually be in code form. These codes need to be used when depositing or registering. There are also link-based bonuses, which are claimed by simply following a link. Note that OCR features both code and link-based bonuses, so you have loads of flexibility.
The main issue with real money bonuses is that few punters read their terms and conditions. The latter are usually marked by wagering requirements and eligible games. A welcome bonus might match your funds up to US$ 100, with wagering requirements equaling 5x and being locked to poker. This means that you will receive US$ 100 from the casino if you deposit US$ 100, but you will have to wager US$ 500 and do so on poker for the winnings to clear. Withdrawing sooner might result in you losing the bonus funds or having your account flagged.
Note that we have an entire guide dedicated to real money bonuses, so consult it if you wish to explore their nuances, benefits, and pitfalls.
Understanding Real Money Casino Games
The two main issues that punters encounter when playing real money casino games are not understanding RTP and RNGs. These essentially decide how your gaming session will go, and not understanding them can lead to ruined gaming.
RTP refers to the Return to Player percentage, which is essentially an amount of wagered funds that punters can expect to get back in the long run. A great example would be a slot game with an RTP of 96%. If punters wager US$ 100, they will get $96 back in winnings. Note that this is based on an enormous sample, so you are unlikely to experience the full force of RTP.
Another critical factor of RTP is the fact that high RTP games with low volatility pay out more frequently but take the form of smaller wins. While low RTP games usually pay out enormous wins incredibly infrequently. A prime example of the latter would be progressive jackpot games.
RNGs or random number generators are the other major issue, with some punters thinking that they are rigged. Random number generators at licensed, regulated, and audited venues are completely unbiased and fair number generators that decide the outcome of spins and wagers. Note that live casino games feature real-life dealers, cards, and tables, so you need not worry about RNGs in those cases.
Understanding Real Money Casino Game Variants
The best online casinos for real money feature enormous game libraries whose titles feature slots, poker, roulette, blackjack, baccarat, craps, bingo, keno, game shows, and other riveting installments. These come in a variety of themes with countless amazing features. What is more, there are even dedicated live and VR games. Note that we have guides exploring all of these genres in detail.
Understanding Real Money Casino Payment Options
Your online casino financial transactions should always be fast, secure, and reliable. The top online casinos feature cutting-edge payment solutions that expand on traditional ones. You can expect to find credit card, debit card, prepaid card, e-wallet, crypto, and bank transfer transactions.
What is more, SSL and TLS should be in place to protect your financial information as it is being shared with the casino’s server or a dedicated middleware from the respective payment solicitor.
Understanding Licenses and Third-party Audits
We at OnlineCasinoReports do not even look at an online casino if it does not hold licenses and feature third-party audits. The reason is simple, safety. Licenses are issued by regulatory bodies whose entire business is checking online gaming venues for compliance with local laws and regulations. Third-party audits are essentially investigations conducted by industry-leading auditing agencies, which check the RNG, payouts, security, lawfulness, and other key features of an online casino or its respective titles.