The online casino industry today is incredibly diverse, with a huge number of different gaming providers and services out there. Naturally, it wasn’t always like this. While there have been online casino titles about as long as there’s been an internet on which to host them, the earliest iterations of this format were little to write home about. While they unquestionably represented a bold new step for table gaming, the technical limitations that only online casinos had to contend with meant that they offered something that compared poorly to what people could find in a brick-and-mortar venue.
This picture, however, began to change significantly as the industry entered the 21st century. Rising internet speeds, and improved local hardware came together to furnish online gamers with a slick, sleek and responsive gaming experience. It was also in the early 2000s that the so-called poker boom took off, a crossover moment for the whole iGaming industry that validated online casino gaming in the eyes of the public.
Nowadays, online casino gaming is the most popular type of real-money gaming in the world, with players and platforms represented in virtually every region around the globe. Whereas the worldwide physical casino industry has had to contend with stagnating growth, its digital counterpart has been at the forefront of mobile gaming since the early 2010s, translating to a CAGR of over 14% projected between now and the end of the decade.
Suffice to say, online casino gaming has come of age and now represents arguably the best way to play casino titles, thanks to on-demand play, real-time statistics, and the incredible variety or novel games on offer. However, with an estimated 20,000 online casinos out there today, it can be tricky to figure out which one is right for you. If you’re in this quandary, consider trying these three different ways to select an online casino to suit your needs.
What’s at Stake
Not all online casinos, much like physical casinos, are designed to cater to the average gamer. Some, so-called ‘high roller’ casinos are expressly configured for use by gamers who want to play with higher stakes and wager values. If this is you, then you may find greater benefit in seeking out such a casino, as it will give you the experience you’re looking for.
Likewise, if you’re a more casual gamer, you may prefer to avoid riskier betting levels in favor of a more accessible and relaxed platform. There are even a huge number of low-budget or penny casinos that serve up top tier gaming action at a fraction of the buy-in.
You’ve Got a Deal
The iGaming industry has come to leverage welcome bonuses, sign-up offers and other introductory deals as a core part of its promotional make-up, and with virtually every casino offering a range of competitive deals, it can be easy to assume that they’re all roughly as good as each other. However, it does pay to slow down and consider your options. With so many offers available, some shopping around can result in you finding a deal that may confer much greater value to you as an individual than the hundreds of others available. For example, a large number of deals are designed to cater to specific games.
A seasoned slots gaming aficionado would thus be much better served by selecting a deal on free spins such as those offered by industry mainstay CasinoBonusCA, than they would a deal that was focused entirely on a game they’ve little interest in, such as roulette or poker. In this way, shopping for deals can be a very effective way to pare down your options and help you make a selection you’ll value.
Platform and Region Specificity
Many online casinos offer a service that can be accessed through mobile apps, desktop clients, browsers and disparate operating systems like Windows, Mac and Linux, but all of them. In light of this it’s always good to double check that the casino you’re looking at signing up with offers the format you’d prefer. After all, there’s little point signing up to a Windows online desktop client casino if your intention is purely to play table games from your iPhone.
Similarly, check that the casino you’re looking at is available in your country or region – certain markets have restrictions that can be circumvented with VPNs, but it’s always advised to ensure you’re accessing supported and regulated casinos in the interest of safety and security.
