Online Casino FAQ

Updated: September 27, 2026

When players first start thinking about playing in an online casino, they usually have a lot of questions. This page is designed to answer many of them so you don't have to search all over the Internet to find them.

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions we hear about online casinos. We have done our best to answer all of these questions as comprehensively as possible. If you can't find an answer to a question you may have that isn't on this page, please feel free to contact us and we will try to get back to you as soon as possible.

Are Online Casinos Safe?

The vast majority of online casinos are safe, but just like the vast majority of people in the world are safe, there are a few bad apples. The good news is that there are ways to find safe online casinos and make your gaming experience as safe as possible.

You've already taken the biggest step towards finding safe online casinos by visiting this website and finding the casinos listed here. Here are a few more things to keep in mind when looking for safe online casinos.

• Software used for games
• Group behind the casino
• How long they have been in business
• Search for player complaints;

• I always look at the software that the casino uses to run their games. While all casino software providers have been new at one time or another, it makes me feel better if they use a trusted platform. Real Time Gaming, Microgaming, Playtech and Rival are just a few that I have played with. For more in depth reading on online casino software providers, you can check out our in depth article on the subject
• The next thing I look at is who the group behind the casinos is. Some online casinos are transparent about this and are owned by large public companies, others are not. If they are not, I don't rule them out, but it is another piece of the puzzle
• Next, I look to see how long they have been offering online casino games. The longer they have been in business the better, but again this is not the only factor to consider. I try to get an overall picture of the online casino and their business practices
• You can also search online for player complaints, but even these can be misleading. When all else fails, I usually go with a recommendation from someone or a website that I trust;

One big step you can take to make your online gaming experience safe is how you fund your online real money play. I suggest that you set up a separate bank account that you use only for online gambling.

Keep it completely separate from your other bank accounts and only deposit the amount of money you are willing to risk. This way, you have limited your exposure to a comfortable level no matter what happens.

Are Online Casino Games Fair?

As long as you are playing in a casino that is safe (see the first question above), the casino games are fair. Casinos offer games that have a built-in advantage for the house. All they have to do is get people to play for real money and keep people from cheating in order to make a consistent profit.

A well-run casino is very profitable and would be foolish to try to cheat. Why take the risk of being shut down when all they have to do is offer the exact games and odds they say they do to make money?

Most online casinos also have their random number generators verified by an outside entity. A Random Number Generator is the engine that works behind the scenes in the casino software to make the games fair.

For example, the Random Number Generator is responsible for shuffling and dealing the decks of cards for table games and stopping the reels of the slot machines. When the computer shuffles a deck of cards, it basically assigns a number to each of the cards. For simplicity's sake, let's say they are numbered from 1 to 52. The software then randomly selects those 52 numbers and places them in a specific order from top to bottom. When the top card of the deck is needed, the software sees which number is at the top and then displays the card assigned to that number.

What Is a Casino Bonus?

Most online casinos offer bonuses to encourage new players to try their casino games. There are different types of bonuses, but the most common ones offer a percentage match on your deposit up to a certain amount.

For example, a bonus may say 100% up to $300 on your first deposit. This means that the casino will match your deposit dollar for dollar up to $300. So if you deposit $300, the casino will give you another $300 to play with. If you deposit $100, they will give you another $100 to play with.

This sounds great, and in some ways it is, but there are always restrictions and conditions attached to any bonus. You may be required to play a certain amount before you can withdraw any money from the casino, and you may only be able to play certain games.

The casino may also deduct the bonus amount from your balance before processing a withdrawal. The only way to know what is required is to read the terms and conditions of the bonus.

Other types of casino bonuses include free chip offers and free spin offers. A free spin offer is a set number of free spins on a particular slot machine or on any of a number of slot machines. A free chip is simply free money to play with.

These types of bonuses usually have the same types of restrictions and conditions as the other types of bonuses, but may also include a maximum amount that can be withdrawn. Again, read the terms and conditions so you know exactly what you are doing.

our in-depth article on casino bonuses here

How Do Online and Local Casinos Compare?

While there are many similarities between online casinos and your local land casino, there are also many differences. You can enjoy almost all of the same casino games, although the exact brand of slot machines will be different, and you can play for real money.

• The ability to play any of the games offered for free
• the ability to play in the comfort of your own home
• mobile applications so you can play directly from your smartphone or tablet;

• Sounds, smells and local casino comps offered
• free drinks
• human interaction;

While you can play craps at an online casino, it just doesn’t feel the same.

Of course, there are some people who don't like all the crowds and noise, so they may find the online version more to their liking. Also, there are no free drinks in online play, no matter how much you play.

The other big difference is how the money is handled. At your local casino, you can buy chips at the cashier's cage or sometimes at the table where you are playing. When it is time to leave, you simply take your chips to the cashier and they exchange them for cash.

The process is a little more complicated when you start moving money in and out of online casinos. I have included more details on this below in a question about deposits and withdrawals.

Do Online Casinos Have Player’s Clubs?

Just about every casino you visit locally or on a trip to places like Las Vegas or Atlantic City has some sort of player or VIP club. You will usually earn points and/or comps for all of your play.

This is an excellent marketing tool for the casinos because they can track your play and offer special perks to get you to play more. They see who their biggest players are and try to figure out how to get them to come back more often.

Many online casinos have these types of clubs, but they are not as common as they are in land based casinos. Some online casinos that have them automatically enroll all their players in the club, but at many you have to apply for membership.

The best thing to do is to see if the online casino you want to play at has a club and find out how to join before you make a deposit. If you don't see any information, contact the casino's support team.

Are Online Casinos Legal?

This is the question that seems to get the most attention from new players. I believe this is due to many of the inaccuracies and outright lies that are spread by the press. Of course there are places in the world where online gambling is illegal, but most of the places that the popular media says it is don't actually have specific laws against online gambling.

The United States is a perfect example.

You'll often find information stating that online gambling is illegal in the United States. The fact is that there is no federal law against online gambling. There is a federal law that deals with banking institutions transferring money to and from online gambling establishments, but that law doesn't even bother to define what online gambling is.

The real answer to the question is too complicated to answer on a single page. Also, laws change, so a page with laws from all over the world would be out of date soon after it was published. Of course, you are responsible for finding out if you can gamble online legally, so you should research the specific laws where you live.

Again, using the United States as an example, I am not aware of anyone who has been charged with a crime for gambling online. There have been a few people charged with taking bets over the phone, but there is a specific law against that and it has nothing to do with playing at an online casino.

I am not a legal expert, and you cannot use this information as legal advice, but I feel safe playing online as long as no one has been charged with a crime for doing so in my country.

Can I Count Cards at Online Blackjack?

Most Blackjack players have at least heard that it is possible to gain an edge against the casino by learning how to count cards. Of course, learning how to count cards is a lot of work, so most players don't even try.

But then they find out about playing blackjack online and realize that it would be much easier to count while playing online or even find a program that does it for them.

While it has been mathematically proven that you can gain an advantage against the house by counting cards and varying the size of your bets in live blackjack games, counting cards does you no good when playing online. The cards are essentially shuffled by the online software after each hand.

In live play, the casino doesn't shuffle after each hand because it takes too much time, but in online play it happens instantly so there are no lost hands. As a side note, there are some land-based casinos that are now using continuous shuffle machines for their Blackjack games, but it's still not a widespread practice.

article on card counting here

How Do I Get Money In and Out of an Online Casino?

The first thing to remember when asking a question like this is that online casinos don't make money unless their players can get money into the casino. Because the gambling market is worth billions and billions, they have people working full time on ways to help customers make deposits.

There are many ways to make casino deposits and additional methods are being developed every day.

Popular deposit methods are:

Credit and debit cards

and you can use eChecks and bank wires to send money directly from your bank to the casino.

Other options include Western Union and e-wallets like:

An e-wallet is a virtual account that adds an extra layer of security between your bank and the online gambling establishments where you play. If you have a PayPal account or know how it works, you know how an e-wallet account works.

The deposit methods available to you will vary depending on where you live. Certain deposit methods are available in certain countries and not in others. The cashier section of the casino where you wish to play will give you more details on which methods you can use.

When it comes to withdrawing your winnings from an online casino, there are also many methods to choose from. Most of the same methods listed above for deposits can also be used for withdrawals. Deposits are usually processed much faster than withdrawals, but as long as you are dealing with a trustworthy online casino, you should have no problem getting your money. The most popular withdrawal methods are