An understanding of the relevance of free casino chips must be put into its proper context: are the offers of the free chips coming from honest online casinos?The first online casinos opened 10 years ago, and now there are hundreds that can be found online. Estimates vary as to the number of people who gamble online, but recent estimates suggest that a figure of around seven million worldwide would not be too far out. Taking that into account, and with a further estimate of more than $12 billion spent in online casinos alone (not including physical land-based casinos), offers of free casino chips may understandably be seen as something of a drop in the ocean.Add to that the question of whether or not these free chips are being offered by honest online casinos, and we enter an area worth some study or serious research.Firstly, let us consider what these free casino chips are really worth to the individual online casino player. Free casino chips are of four main types:No Deposit Bonus. This is simply free money. Honest online casinos will offer free casino chips with no strings attached, simply to attract people to play at their virtual tables. There will sometimes be minor strings attached. For example, the casino may ask for credit card details up front. Always read the terms.Matching Deposit Bonus. This is where the house will match your deposit. Often this is done in multiples. For example, a 200% bonus will mean that if you were to deposit $100 then the casino would add $200 in free casino chips to your account. Very nice! Especially useful for new players starting out.Uncashable Bonus. This is the so-called ‘sticky’ bonus. This can never be cashed, but its usefulness lies in that fact that it stays in your account and enables you to use the bonus account to ‘leverage’ higher wagers. These free casino chips stay latent in your account simply to allow you to do things which you otherwise could not.Loyalty Bonus. This is exactly as it sounds. All honest online casinos, and offline ones too, want to keep hold of their good returning customers, and will offer loyalty bonuses, including free casino chips, as a result.Remember that online casinos can afford to do this because they simply do not have the overhead that their brick and mortar land-based counterparts have. Equally, there is no excuse for an online casino NOT to be honest for exactly the same reason. They can offer free casino chips AND be an honest online casino in circumstances where their physical equivalents would find the financial burden impossible.So how do we go about identifying which are the honest online casinos and which are not? Well, a lot has changed since the earliest online casinos set up shop in their offshore locations in 1996. Self-regulation (at best dubious) led to accreditation of bodies like ECOGRA (E-Commerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance). Look out also for evidence of good customer care, positive feedback from online casino forum members and decent helpline facilities. The more honest online casinos will offer (will actively boast) 24 hour live chat and live email support as well as toll-free telephone help. Does it have a mailing list you can join to keep in contact with the latest tournaments and special offers? Trust lies at the heart of any subscription process (or people would not subscribe) so that in itself is a good indicator of an honest online casino.Transparency of accounting systems is another good indicator of honest online casinos. When testimonials are published make sure that it is from more than a set of initials, and make sure they have a state or country. Free casino chips may be ‘virtual’ in concept, but they are used by real people!But the best indicator of an honest online casino is by personal recommendation. This also includes affiliation of such casinos into trusted casino websites and portals. If an offer of free casino chips [http://www.gamble-on-the-internet.com/free-casino-chips-and-honest-online-casinos.htm] is made by an online casino on such a site then it can probably be trusted.
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What to Expect From an Online Casino Experience
The online gambling business worldwide is huge, with revenues in the tens of billions of dollars per year, and this is despite the fact that there are legal technicalities that prevent online casinos operating in the United States. Of course, this doesn’t stop Americans from online wagering, and they join the millions of others around the globe who enjoy the excitement of online gambling. If you’ve been thinking about trying online betting, here are a few things you need to know to keep the experience positive and enjoyable.You should check out any gambling site thoroughly before signing up or committing any of your money. This is just smart business. There are web portals available today that amass together top online casinos in one site so that you can check out several of them easily.If you’re an American, check that the casino you want to play at accepts American players, as most of the big name casinos online do. Changes to U.S. legislation in 2006 made it more difficult for Americans to transfer money to and from online casinos, but many internet casinos have worked out legal ways of doing this and welcome American players.Check out your money transfer options with any casino you want to use. There are a number of e-wallet services, as well as prepaid cards, wire transfers, and other methods you can use for setting up your account on an internet casino. The fees for these services vary, so it’s a good idea to do a little comparison shopping before choosing.Read up on reviews of online casinos before signing up. Forums are full of personal anecdotes, with some negative and some positive. When you read forums, go with the overall consensus rather than one or two outrageously positive or outrageously negative forum posts (which may have been written by someone with an ax to grind).Choose an internet casino with a generous sign-up bonus. There’s simply no reason not to. Always read the site’s terms and conditions for claiming bonuses. There are wagering requirements, and some games, like roulette, where you can hedge bets, often don’t count toward your bonus wagering requirements.Also make note of how long the bonuses are good for. If you miss the window of opportunity to claim your bonus, it’s gone. Make sure the casino you choose uses one of the top recognized software platforms, like Microgaming or Playtech, and that its payouts are independently audited.If you enjoy skill-based games like poker, it’s a good idea to take advantage of casino sites’ free poker games for awhile to get a feel for the online version of the game, which tends to be much faster paced than poker is in person. Only once you’re used to the feel of the game should you start playing with real money.Most sites allow you to “practice” without committing any money with all their games, including slots, where chance rather than skill rules. You’re wise to take advantage of these freebies before playing for real. It’s easy to do your homework before signing with an online casino, and taking that bit of extra time will help ensure that you have a positive and enjoyable online gaming experience.