With the growth of the internet, computers, and video games, it shouldn’t be a surprise that gambling has moved to the internet. It is now a popular way for people to play their favorite casino game without having to worry about getting to the nearest casino, finding a place to stay, and getting other things they need. Online gambling lets you play in a casino from the comfort of your own home.
People are moving their gambling online because it’s easier, but you shouldn’t just go online and put your money in any casino. Before you give someone your money, it’s important to look into them for several things.
But how do you look into online casinos? What should you look for?
One thing you should find out about an online casino is whether or not it is regulated. Being regulated means that they have to follow certain rules when running their business. If these rules are broken and customers feel cheated or unhappy, the country in charge of the rules will take the casino’s license away. Knowing if a casino is regulated or not can help you choose where to play by getting rid of the ones that aren’t regulated.
Check out the customer service as well. Find out how you can get in touch with them. You can even give yourself a test. Ask the customer service staff a simple question—you could even ask who regulates them—to see how they handle it and how quickly they respond. This is a good test to take if you ever have questions about your account or the money you’ve put in it. Their answer should come quickly and in a very professional way. Some customer service teams offer live chat, which customers like a lot.
And since we’re talking about deposits, you should look into how the online casinos accept money from players. You should choose one that lets you deposit money in the way you like best. For example, if you want to put money into your account with a credit card, you should make sure that the brand of credit card is accepted there. It will keep you from getting angry if you find out later that your card won’t work. Before you get ready to play, always check first.
For your good, the Welcome Bonuses that online casinos offer to new players are another popular reason to play there. Check out what you’ll get as a new player. But don’t just look at the amount of the bonus; make sure you also look at what you have to do to get the bonus amount. Many offers come with requirements for how much you have to play before you can cash out any of the bonus money.
Does this sound like a lot of things to look for? There is a pretty easy way to find all of this information, which is good news. This can be done by reading about online casinos.
These reviews are written by people outside of the casino, not by the casino itself. They will have information about the governing body, the customer service staff, and the requirements for the Welcome Bonuses.
How online casinos came to be
When we stop for a while and look around, it always makes us feel small. Just a few decades ago, half of the things we take for granted now were just dreams and hopes. As an example, think about online casinos. How many people wake up, turn on their computers, log in to an online casino, and play all day?
People had to go all the way to Las Vegas to play at a casino. They would go a long way just to play one game of blackjack or baccarat. You have to be amazed at how people were able to make this happen.
When it all started…
Online casinos started to pop up around the middle of the 1990s, but no one is sure who opened the first one. Many people think it is “InterCasino,” an online casino that has been around since 1996. Some people, though, think it was the “Gaming Club,” which opened in October 1995.
It’s not unlikely that this is true, since the site’s owner, Microgaming, was also the first company to make software for online gambling. Antigua and Barbuda passed a law called the “Free Trade and Processing Act” that gave the green light to these new online casinos. This made it possible for online casinos to open in that country without having to worry about being sued.
Even though the online casinos were in the Caribbean, most of their customers lived in other parts of the world. And because of how the internet works, this made all users vulnerable to being taken advantage of.
In 1996, because of this, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission was set up. They controlled how people and casinos played games online and gave online gambling sites licenses to do so. They want to make sure that online gambling is fair and open to everyone. The Kahnawake Gaming Commission is based in Canada, and both casinos and people who use them still get great service from them.
By the end of the 1990s, online casinos had been around for a long time. But there were a lot of problems with connectivity, and the action, in general, was slow because there wasn’t enough bandwidth. This problem wasn’t solved until after the turn of the century. But by then, there were new problems for online casinos.
UIGEA
When talking about the history of online casinos, you can’t skip over the legal mess that happened in 2005. Antigua and the US were in a fight over online gambling that took place across borders.
The World Trade Organization decided to side with Antigua, so the US passed the UIGEA. This was added to their Safe Port Act at the last minute. The act made it very hard for online gambling sites to serve people in the US, so many of them just stopped serving people from the US.
Even now, this law is still being talked about, especially since it hurt not only online casinos but also US players. The legal situation is different now, though, because the European Union seems to support the online gambling industry.
There are even rumors that the US might make some changes. No matter what, it looks like Online Casinos not only have a rich history, but also a great future.