Free Guide to Playing Online Casinos

About the Guide toc

 

Thank you for downloading the Winning at the Slots free guide to playing online casinos.

In the guide you’ll find over 50 recommended online casinos, casino software reviews and the best way of setting up your online casino account so you can easily withdraw your winnings.

The Expanded Edition of the Winning at the Slots eBook includes online bonus video slot game reviews, individual game tips and advice, a tip for playing bonus rounds, a tip for playing with a small bankroll as well as the complete Winning at the Slots Guide for land-based casinos.

Always visit the Winning at the Slots Web Site for the most current online casino promotions, new slot game reviews, new online casino additions, free slot games and new slot tips.

At the top and bottom of each section is a toc link, click it to return to the table of contents.

 

PLAYING ONLINE CASINOS

About the Guide
Introduction
Advantages
Disadvantages
Online Casinos at a Glance
Download vs. Flash
Getting Started
Geographical Location
Best Time to Play
Understanding Credits
Pay-lines, Pay Tables and Wagering

Online Casino Pay Back Percentage

CASINO SOFTWARE REVIEWED General Overview
CryptoLogic

Microgaming Viper
Random Logic
Party Partners
Odds on Gaming

RECOMMENDED ONLINE CASINOS Casino Logos (cover)
General Overview

Casino Families
Bet USA Sports

Casino Rewards
Jackpot Factory Group Casino Coins
Casino-on-Net
Partner Logic

Party Partners
Slotland
Wagerprofits

Wagershare

ONLINE CASINO TIPS Before you Signup
Playing for Real Money Other Banking Methods Games that Pay

Disclaimer
Limited Liability

Introduction toc

If you’ve played the free AOL Pogo ^tm games or Yahoo games then you’ll have a good idea of what playing online bonus video slots and other casino games is like. For one, they run much smoother, have larger screens and better graphics and sound effects than the AOL Pogo ^tm games or Yahoo games.

With approximately 2,300 online casinos on the Internet and gross revenues now exceeding 6 billion playing online casino games is extremely popular and never been safer. As the author of Winning at the Slots I want you to win and when you do, easily claim your winnings.

If you plan on playing any online casinos, I recommend using the online casino sites listed here or any of those recommended on the Winning at the Slots web site. Most have been listed on the Winning at the Slots web site for well over two years and I personally talked to them, verified their reputation, played their slot games and checked their software for payback accuracy, usability, compatibility and player support and always received my winnings.

Weather you play for entertainment or to make a few extra bucks you’ll find the online games everything the land-based slots are and the online slot games have a higher pay back percentage than most state land-based casinos. toc

Advantages toc

Playing online bonus video slots has advantages and disadvantages. For one, you can take a break anytime to eat, use the restroom, have a smoke or even walk the dog and know your bankroll and machine will still be there untouched, when you get back. Your favorite games will always be available. There can be no mechanical failures like land-based casinos can have.

Like the land-based casinos your accumulated winnings, player comp points and game history are constantly being recorded and updated by the main computer system so if you lose electrical power or your computer fails there is no loss of critical data.

With online casinos you can leave anytime you want. If you drove a great distance there is no long ride home. If you went with someone else that drove then you don’t have to wait until they are ready to leave and there is no traveling in bad weather.

Most times you can just withdraw your winnings without having to produce an id or fill out forms like land-based casinos require when you win a certain amount. Also your bankroll instantly moves with you when you change games.

A big advantage of online games is you can “test play” the game before using real money, can’t do that in land-based casinos, unless of course it’s a promo toc

 

Disadvantages toc

One disadvantage with online casinos is it may take a while to get paid, especially by check or bank draft. The “Online Casino Tips” section details the best ways of getting paid so it won’t take longer than a few days. However, many of the casinos are now offering an instant pay feature.

For the most part you can’t change machines only games, except for Casino-onNet’s game software, which let’s you switch machines.

Another drawback to playing online is your bankroll, depending on how much you deposited, is usually in one machine or game so it is easy to become complacent and just keep playing the same game.

Since the online casinos are just a few mouse clicks away it is easy to get hooked on the online games so a little discipline is required.

 

Online Casinos at a Glance toc

When visiting an online casino’s home page there are a few things you can look for right off the bat to see if it is worth playing. The ways of contacting the casino should be clearly listed. Look for 24/7 toll free phone numbers, email and live chat support.

The methods of depositing funds should be clearly visible and are usually listed with logos or names from several known vendors. The terms and conditions for both banking and promos should be clearly visible.

The casino should indicate they are licensed, (online casinos pay thousands for licensing) and display a logo or link that their games have been tested for fairness and accuracy by a testing lab or independent auditor and also indicate what software powers their games. Some other logos indicate that they belong to certain gaming councils and organizations that monitor online gaming.

Other indicators to look for are a privacy policy link, the flag icons that indicate what languages the casino supports, an about us link and a Webmaster affiliate link.

I also look at the copyright to see how long they have been online. As a matter I’m always a little concerned with any web site that hasn’t updated their copyright notice in years. It can be a clue that the Webmaster has abandoned the site. All the casinos recommended in this guide meet or exceed these criteria.

Download vs. Flash toc

Many of the casinos offer a Flash version that does not require a full download. However, some small files have to be downloaded but this is done quickly. These files are temporary and usually get deleted when you close your browser whereas a full download installs the casino permanently until you physically uninstall it.

The casino display screen is smaller in the flash version and the selection of games is limited. If you decide to use the flash version I suggest you use Internet Explorer as your browser and set any pop up blocking software or toolbars to allow pop ups or you may have some problems. If your browser does not support flash you’ll get a message stating so.

If you already have an id and password you can use it, whether you are a real money player or demo player.

I prefer playing games in the download version as it has the full suite of games and some casino software like that used in All Slots, Spin Palace, Inter-Casino, Captain Cooks and Mummy’s Gold allow switching from full screen mode to partial screen mode via a menu.

The downloaded version ran excellent in both full and partial screen modes on a Pentium II 400mhz, running Windows 98 on a 56k-modem dialup connection via AOL, which I deliberately chose for testing purposes, as did the flash version.

If you have an old (5 years or more) system I recommend playing the download version in partial screen mode or the flash version to speed things up a bit. If you have a newer system, which I imagine almost everyone does, you can play the download version in full screen mode or the flash version.

It’s easy to download a full version of a casino. Just follow these simple instructions. To download the full version of a casino, go to the home page of the casino of choice, (most people get there by clicking on one of the casino links available throughout this guide or those recommended on the Winning at the Slots web site).

The Casino’s home page will have a download link clearly visible or even ask you if you want to download it. Click on the casino download link or select “OK” to start downloading the casino.

Usually an installer program file downloads first. This installer file is approximately 80k to 100k in size and downloads in a minute or two even on dial up.

Depending on the browser, a dialog box will pop up and ask to save the file or open the file. I suggest using Internet Explorer as your browser and select open if you can. If you select save the file, remember what directory it was saved in and the name of the file. The file name usually has the casino’s name in it. You’ll have to navigate to that directory and double click on the installer to start the installation.

As a note, on some older systems, like the one I used, after I downloaded and saved the installer then double clicked on it to install it, I got an error message for some casinos and with some other non-casino related installer programs as well. If you get an error message that says WININET.DLL file was not complied for a CPU that is compatible with this version of windows just go back to the casino and click on the download link again, this time select open instead of save and it will download and install.

Strike It Lucky is a flash based casino and you get a $20 sign-up bonus on your first purchase of $40 or as an option to downloading a full casino or a flash version and games at Slotland Casino are html based and load very quickly.

The Winning at the Slots web site has 40 free slot games from Spin Palace you can play without downloading. toc

 

Getting Started toc

It’s easy to start playing the online casino games. Here is a general outline of the steps involved. However, I suggest you follow the steps detailed in “Online Casino Tips section.

1: Pick a casino to join
2: Download the casino software
3: Register as a real money player or demo player
4: Deposit real money with a credit or debit card or use the free credits
5: Start playing a game, download additional games

Geographical Location toc

Aside from other factors, where the casino server is located can make a difference on how well the online casino performs. The casino closest to your location will usually perform best. Picking a casino closest to you makes it easier for them to mail your winnings if you chose that option. In the Recommended Online Casinos section I list the casino’s location, pay out percentage and some details on each recommended casino.

Best Time to Play toc

When you buy a new car you usually take for a test spin. Wouldn’t it be great if you could visit a land-based casino and ask the floor personal to load the machine with a bunch of free coins or credits so you can test out some games before using real money?

One of the land-based casinos I visit pay really well at the beginning of the month. One day I was playing next to a cashier on her day off and she said to me “they seem to give away money at the beginning of the month”. Thinking about what she said, I realized that many of my big wins occurred at the start of the month so any casino trips to this particular casino are now in the beginning of the month.

When you play can make a big difference. For instance, if you live close to a landbased casino and play often, after a while you start to recognize what days and what hours during the day or night the slots pay out best just like the cashier said.

With the online slots it’s even better. You can narrow it down to specific days and hours of the day or night without using real money. You can even get to the point where you know exactly when a specific online casino pays best.

This is one of the real benefits of playing the online casinos. You can play a game with unlimited free credits for as long as you like. As a matter of fact I recommend you play a game in play mode at different wager amounts to get a feel for it before playing for real money.

Here is a tip I use to help me win. When time permits, I play a particular game in play mode at several differe