wp_adminThere are hundreds of online casinos in the virtual gambling-sphere. Some are legitimate and trustworthy with track records going back 10 years (or more) while others are illegitimate with pirated games and dodgy payment records. Therefore, knowing how to evaluate online casinos UK is of paramount importance.
How do you know if you’ve found a good online casino? Read on to find out. Hopefully, after going through this post, you’ll be able to know the best UK casinos where you can play for real money.
What is An Online Casino?
Before joining any online casino, it is essential to understand what online casinos are. Online casinos (Internet casinos or virtual casinos) are online versions of brick and mortar casinos.
Virtual casinos can be divided into two groups: download-only and web-based casinos. The former refers to casinos where users have to download and install a certain software to play casino games while the latter refers to casinos where users can play games without having to download any software.
How to Choose a Good Online Casino
1. Licensing and Registration
Players need to confirm that an online casino has the necessary licenses and its operations are regulated by the appropriate authorities. The authorities ensure that online sites adhere to the stipulated laws and regulations. Additionally, sites that are regulated, licensed and approved by the right authorities have their game suite tested for fairness. This ensures that no shady business happens behind the scenes.
When choosing a UK online casino, verify that it is licensed by authorities such as the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC), the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) and Alderney Gambling Control Commission among others.
2. Security
One of the main concerns you have to consider when choosing an online casino is the level of security it offers. While many online casinos claim to be secure, there are also some that are untrustworthy.
A secure site will ensure that your details are stored as securely as possible and within the guidelines stipulated by the Data Protection Act.
Therefore, when you want to play poker online, read through the casino’s privacy policy and check out for seals such as the eCOGRA seal of approval.
3. The Software Platform Used
While some casinos use in-house software, most of them run on software that is provided by a third-party. The casinos use multiple software vendors to provide players with a variety of games and a superior gaming experience.
The software platforms that a casino site uses can help you know whether it can be trusted or not. Therefore, when choosing an online casino site, opt for one that is powered by reputable providers such as Playtech, Netent, Microgaming, Nextgen and IGT among others.
4. Variation of Games
Since you will be joining the casino to play games, it is essential to be sure that the casino you join will offer you a balanced range of casino games. Although most online casinos offer the same basic set of games (video poker, slots, table games and specialty games), some outshine others as they offer a lot of different variations of these games.
Aside from the number of games offered by the online casino UK, you should also check the quality of the games. Take advantage of free trials to evaluate the games – pay attention to the ease of gameplay as well as the rendering of graphics.
5. Payment Options
It is pointless to sign up to an online casino that doesn’t offer the ease and the convenience for you to deposit or withdraw funds. Therefore, it would be a good idea to head straight to the banking section of the website just to see if your preferred banking option is accepted or not.
6. Customer Service
More often than not, customer service is overlooked in the online gaming world. It is worth noting that customer service is part of the online casino experience and is vital when you need assistance.
If you have any questions about how the casino operates, payment transactions, games or promotions, the support team should be available to answer your queries.
When looking for a casino site to play slots online, it is also important to check out the contact options offered by the casino as well as the supported languages.
Lastly, read the “Terms and Conditions” section. You’d be surprised how much important information you can find there. Therefore, take the time to go over the section and ask the casino any questions that you may have.