Online gambling is sweeping across the world as players everywhere are starting to realize that the games are legit and that gambling from home can be a lot of fun. The days of sketchy online casinos designed to scam you out of your hard-earned money are over, as these days, online gaming is big business, that is regulated by 3rd party gaming commissions.
Gambling online has never been better for the player, as your money is safe, the games are fair, and the comps and promotions are fantastic. If you have been hesitant to give online gambling a shot, take a look at TheSportsGeek’s top 10 commandments of gambling below to ease any concerns that you may have about gambling online.
With that, let’s jump right into it with our top 10 commandments for gambling online, with commandment number 1, doing your homework on the casinos before depositing. Let’s get started!
Do Your Homework on the Casinos
When online gaming was in its infancy, there were plenty of bad actors out there looking to prey on you and steal your money. Notable scandals at online casinos and poker sites, such as Ultimate Bet and Full Tilt Poker, soured online gambling for the masses, as players were worried that they were getting scammed.
That being said, there are still some scamsters out there, and you need to protect yourself before making a deposit to an online casino. One way to do that is to check out TheSportsGeek’s gambling online page, where we provide casino reviews for all of the top online casinos and even go as far as to provide a black book of sorts of known offenders.
None of these other 10 commandments of gambling online mean a thing if the online casino you choose to play at is a known fraud, so making sure that you do your homework on them before playing is essential. Check out a list of red flags you should be on the lookout for below.
- Poor online reviews
- Minimal or slow cash out options
- No 3rd party gaming regulator is mentioned on the website
- They are not licensed in your jurisdiction
- Offers seem too good to be true
Understand your Local Gaming Laws
That first of our 10 commandments of gambling online leads us to our next one, make sure that you fully understand the gaming laws where you are playing. Gaming laws are going to vary from location to location, and the last thing that you want to do is get yourself in hot water by playing on a site that isn’t legal where you are located.
Always confirm that the site that you are playing on is regulated and legal in your jurisdiction. If you have any questions about your area, navigate over to TheSportsGeek’s gambling online page for more details and information.
Always Take Advantage of Offers
Casinos on The Las Vegas Strip will serve you free drinks, give you comped dinners, rooms, and show tickets, and basically, do whatever it takes to get you to gamble in their casino. The same thing could be said about online casinos, as online gambling is an ultra-competitive market, and online casinos are always looking for ways to attract more players.
While Vegas has tightened up on freebies in recent years, that isn’t the case with online casinos, as online casinos are known for their generous offers. If a casino is giving away free money, you must take advantage of it if you want to walk away a winner. Let’s take a look below at some of the typical offers that you should expect from an online casino.
- Sign-up offers
- Deposit matches
- Free bets
- Match play tickets
- Freerolls to online tournaments
Game Selection is Key
On top of having lower limits, better comps, and stellar customer service, another area where online casinos pride themselves is game selection. Being able to actually play the exact game that you want makes playing much more satisfying than having to settle for something close.
At brick-and-mortar casinos, floor space is limited, so they have to choose which games they can offer, and which ones they just don’t have the room for. That isn’t the case at online casinos, as they can spread as many different games as they want, without the worry of running out of space.
But with all of these available options, you have to make sure that you are playing the right games.
Try to stay away from games with high house advantages like bingo, keno, and Ultimate Texas Hold’em. Instead, focus your time and attention on games that give the players a fair gamble, like blackjack, craps, and baccarat. Having options is great, but making sure that you are giving yourself a real shot at winning, by using proper game selection, is key.
Use Basic Strategy
Every casino game you are ever going to play has a strategy to play it optimally. Whether that is video poker, blackjack, 3 Card Poker, or craps, you can scour the internet and find what are known as basic strategy guides. These guides will help you make better decisions, which will, in turn, lead to you making more money.
Are you unsure if you should split your pair of 7s against the dealer’s 8 upcard? Check your strategy guide to find out the right play. Should you fold or call with your queen high in 3 Card Poker? Again, check your strategy guide! The best part about it is that the vast majority of these guides can be found for free with a quick Google search, so there is no reason to ever play without one.
Stick to your Bankroll
A wise man once said, “Whoever invented gambling was smart, whoever invented chips was a genius.” That is because gambling with chips is a lot less painful than gambling with actual cash. Well, I am here to tell you that this quote needs to be updated, as gambling with online virtual chips is even more painless than with physical chips.
If you would normally play $10 a hand at blackjack, I suggest that you play the same limits online as well. There are lots of differing opinions on how to manage a gambling bankroll, and while I won’t go into those in detail here, I will tell you that you can’t play if you go broke, so managing your online bankroll needs to be just as important as managing your normal gambling budget.
Gamble Responsibly
Have you ever seen those pamphlets at your local casino that are titled, when the fun stops? Or knowing when to stop? Brick-and-mortar casinos have always focused on making sure that players are gambling responsibly, and online casinos have followed suit, to ensure that everyone is gambling with money that they can afford to lose.
Compulsive gambling only affects a tiny percentage of players, and online gambling does not increase those percentages in any way. But there are fewer ways to identify problem gambling online, as you are sitting at home in your living room playing, not in a casino where dealers, pit bosses, slot attendants, and hosts can watch your every move.
That being said, there are lots of resources available online if you are feeling that you may be developing a gambling problem. Let’s look at some of the possible red flags below that you are developing a gambling problem and should seek help.
- You gamble money you can’t afford to lose
- You don’t know when to stop
- You borrow money to gamble
- Your gambling is affecting your relationships with those around you
When online casinos say that they don’t want your last dollar, they truly do mean it. No business wants to turn away customers, but making sure that their players are gambling responsibly is a priority for online casinos. If you suspect you may have a problem, there are plenty of resources available to help.
Don’t Get Distracted
It is really easy to get distracted online. Maybe you are cruising social media or checking out a thread on Reddit, or maybe you are watching a show on Netflix or a video on YouTube. Whatever the case may be, losing your focus when you are online happens a lot.
This is particularly true when you are playing online poker or another game that requires your input on decisions. Winning is difficult enough, as many times the odds are stacked against you, so don’t help the casinos take your money by playing Candy Crush when you should be paying attention!
Try New Games
We already talked about how online casinos have the best game selection around. And with so many game options, you shouldn’t be afraid to try new games! The limits are usually low enough online that you can try something new without breaking the bank.
Many of today’s top poker stars cut their teeth online, and you should expand your horizons to try new games any chance that you can get. Who knows, maybe you will try something new, and you will be on ESPN playing for millions of dollars someday too!
Don’t Be Afraid to Cash Out
There are a lot of myths out there surrounding online gaming. One of those myths is what is known as the cashout curse. The cashout curse was supposedly that if you cashed out your winnings from an online casino, you would then be punished by losing, forcing you to deposit again.
I can tell you with absolute certainty that the cashout curse is complete nonsense.
Online casinos don’t control who wins or loses, just like a brick-and-mortar casino doesn’t. The reason that this came to be such a notable myth is simple. When you have run so lucky that you have enough money to warrant a cashout, the math is inevitably going to catch up with you, and your luck will turn.
Variance is part of gambling, no matter where you play. If you get hot or hit a big jackpot at your favorite online casino, don’t have any fear of repercussions if you cash out your money. Take your money and run if you want, but don’t worry that the casino is going to flip the doom switch on your account until you lose everything back, as that just does not happen.
Where Should You Play Online?
Now that you know the 10 commandments of gambling online, you are ready to find an online casino and start playing! As we wrap things up, I will refer back to commandment number 1 of the 10 commandments of gambling online, do your homework on the casinos!
Before you make a deposit at an online casino, make sure that you check out TheSportsGeek’s gambling online page, where we review all of the top online casinos. Making sure that you are playing at a reputable casino is of the utmost importance, and with a trusted name like TheSportsGeek, we have got you covered! Thanks for reading, and good luck gambling at online casinos!
