Q: What is an Online Casino?

A: An online casino is a web site that’s dedicated to providing internet versions of some of the games you’d find in an actual, physical casino. You’ll usually find the following games at an online casino: video poker, slot machines, craps, blackjack, and roulette.

Q: How do I start playing casino games online?

A: To get started, you first have to select one of over 2,000 online casinos that are currently available. You need a personal computer and an Internet connection to play and/or download the software. Some casinos offer no download versions of casino software.

Q: Do I gamble for real money at online casinos?

A: You can if you want or you can play for free. It’s up to you however you’ll need to find an online casino that offers the method you’re looking for. If you want to use real money, you’re usually required to either purchase chips or set up an account and begin gaming with an opening balance. Credit cards, electronic and online payment methods, money transfers and bank cards are the most common methods to use for funding your account. Most online casinos provide an easy way to keep track of your account balance and have other policies regarding payouts, minimum balance due, etc. Be sure you understand these policies before setting up an account. If you don’t like the way the online casino handles your money, find another.

Q: Is it legal to gamble online?

A: This is difficult to answer because it depends on where you reside. There are several countries where online gambling is legal. Many of the offshore online casinos are based in these countries. The United States has repeatedly tried to pass legislation making online gambling illegal, but as you might imagine, this type of legislation is difficult to create, and even more difficult to pass. There have not been any cases to date of a person getting into any type of legal trouble because of his or her dealings with online casinos. Online casinos do have the ability to control whether or not a person from a particular country can actually create an online account at their site; one way of policing this complicated issue.

Q: How old do you have to be to participate in online casino gaming?

A: You have to be at least eighteen years old to place a wager at an online casino. On some sites you have to be twenty-one years old. Online casinos have ways of requiring proof of age.

Q: Is it safe to gamble at an online casino?

A: Overall the answer to this is yes. Odds at online casinos are in the house’s favor, so there’s no need to cheat players. Many online games use random number generators to determine results of every play. Look for information about a casino’s use of an independent audit service, such as SafeBet which they use to test the fairness of their games.