Navigating the vast universe of online casino gaming can be daunting. I remember when I first registered for online casino gaming in the 2000s—before smartphone and mobile apps ruled the industry—and, just like now, I was inundated with e-mails offering all sorts of deals.
Some of these promotions were excellent, some weren’t quite what was advertised, and some were dreadful. The dreadful ones were simply used as a marketing ploy to get you to register for a site before you were hit with all sorts of frustrating and limited terms and conditions.
My point is that many different types of casinos are out there, and incessant e-mail marketing can cloud your judgment, especially early on in your casino journey. I have learned from this early experience, and I’ll not sign up for most of these casinos.
The ones I do use, I will often unsubscribe from to save my inbox getting clogged up. Over this period, the top online casinos have crystallized at the top of the sector. While experts don’t often agree on much, this is the consensus throughout the industry, particularly amongst Western casinos. So, a top online casino in New Zealand will likely bear the same attributes as one in the UK. A top one in Australia will tick the same boxes as one in the US, and so on.
Attributes to consider
Speaking broadly, the top casinos and their shared characteristics will often tick several, or perhaps all, of these boxes. This isn’t the litmus test, but once you have explored more platforms and had a gander at what’s on offer, you’ll see that the better providers tick more of these boxes than the subpar platforms.
A vast selection and choice of games—hundreds of slots, dozens of live tables, niche casino games, virtuals, etc. Many will drift into sports betting, too, if they have a big enough brand.
A solid security reputation—including no adverse press, past breaches, or security incidents—and a stellar reputation amongst the rest of the iGaming community.
Customer service quality. So, does the site have several customer service avenues, including phone numbers, e-mail, and live chat, or do they just have a form you fill out and then wait to hear back from two business days later?
An emphasis on responsible gambling.
A highly rated mobile app and positive reviews on iOS or Android stores—ideally both.
This isn’t an exhaustive list; these are just a few that immediately spring to mind. Experts reviewing a casino site often go through all these points before dissecting the site’s finer elements.
In the modern era, business networking, particularly on mobile devices, has ensured that the top gaming software providers have established close ties with the top software providers—another crucial component. If a casino site has strong connections to industry-proven names, it shows that it has garnered the respect of those who live and breathe the industry.
Quality of promotions and bonuses
A multi-billion-dollar market that continues posting such strong projected growth figures will attract a wave of new businesses looking to get in on the action. Specific markets within iGaming have experienced such rapid growth that they impact how people invest.
While it is harder for newer casinos to gain the same traction as the more established names that have been growing over the last 25 years, this doesn’t mean there isn’t room for them.
Promotions and bonuses are the most proven way for casinos, especially new ones, to grow their brand and increase their visibility. If you’re shopping around and looking for the ideal casino, using welcome bonuses and promotions is a good way to get an idea of the casino. You can dissect the finer elements of the bonus to see how it shapes up against other bonuses from their competitors. You can also browse the company’s site and play its games while utilizing the promotion to gain insight into its platform.
Preference
With such a wide range of choices, it’s crucial to understand what online casino suits your gaming preference. For example, some sites and mobile apps focus solely on slot games; they have thousands in their library and won’t focus on other casino games, like live tables, virtual poker, etc., they will just have an encyclopedia of slot games to flick through.
Other sites will adopt a similar approach to different casino games. For example, they will have live poker tables, or some will only have live table games such as roulette and blackjack with a live dealer but won’t offer slots.
Some of the more prominent names in the sector will offer extensive selections in both casino gaming and sports betting—so it all depends on the type of gambling you most enjoy.
Responsible gambling
We briefly touched on this earlier, but the sites that strongly emphasize the importance of responsible gambling protocol show another attribute of a top casino. However, we do appreciate that many gamblers can stay within the confines of limits they set themselves.
Still, for those gamblers who are straying into problem territory and need a bit more guidance or assistance on how to curb their gambling or how to stop completely, the online casino they use must provide them with the tools and information to do this quickly and effectively. We know this might not be at the top of your agenda. Still, a website with clear signposts to responsible gambling tools and the information needed to contact problem gambling charities shows they’re a casino with a good customer ethos.
Final thoughts
Once you have come to terms with the top attributes of online casinos and the components they all have in common, you’ll have given yourself a flexible foundation from which to launch your research.
Plenty of casinos out there meet the grade as competent platforms. As long as they do not cut corners regarding customer security and responsible gambling and have a good reputation on social media, within the gambling fraternity, and from expert reviewers, finding the ideal casino that best suits your gambling style shouldn’t be too much of a challenge.
