We all know what a “land based” or “brick and mortar” casino is: usually a large building that is part hotel, with a vast space for gaming on the lowermost floors. What you see is what you get, so marketers pay close attention to appearances, atmosphere, and game offerings. There are player rewards clubs ( or comp points ) and many times multi-lingual staff available to assist customers who do no speak English.
When comparing a land based casino to an online casino, there are some strong similarities, but also obvious differences between the two. The big issue that online casino marketers face is developing a trustworthy image for their brand. At a land casino, you know that all card games and slots are regulated, and you can see how everything works right in front of you. With online casinos, much of the work creating the online casino’s appearance, quality, and functionality goes on in the background. This fact means that the customer can’t “see” for themselves what’s going on. This fact, teamed with implicit distrust for the internet, becomes a huge obstacle.
Try Playing at Pantasia Casino – A Great Rival Gaming Casino – Click Here
Here are the most important, and obvious similarities between offline and online casinos:
- Looks still count – No matter who you talk to in the casino industry, whether they’re working at an online casino or somewhere in Las Vegas, appearances matter. If you’ve never been to land based casino, we encourage you to visit the Las Vegas strip, which looks like something out of a dream, with beautiful buildings and over-the-top attention to detail. The same standard applies to online casinos: If you opened the homepage of an online casino and just saw an empty page with text “click here for games” in a tiny font, you’d probably not be impressed. Accordingly, since impressive imagery works offline, it follows that online appearances also matter.
- Credit, Debit, Bank Account Deposits – At most all land casinos it’s possible to buy chips or slot machine tokens using credit cards, your check book, or by transferring funds from your bank account. Land casinos accept nearly every brand and variety of credit card, to accommodate all customers. Likewise, at an online casino, credit, debit, and bank account deposits are possible. The availability of some lesser known credit cards, such as Solo, Switch, or Maestro is usually limited to the market the casino is trying to capture. Since these credit cards are European, you’ll only find them at European online casinos. Overall, most every online casino accepts MasterCard and Visa, and a few accept AMEX and Discover Card, even from USA customers.
- Game offerings online and offline generally the same – Beside the obvious difference between simulated graphics and actual live action roulette or blackjack, online casinos tend to offer the same range of games that you’d find offline in Atlantic City, Monte Carlo, or Las Vegas. In fact, some online casinos offer MORE games than most land based casinos, because they are not limited by physical space or the need to hire dealers. Online slots and offline slots, for the most part, are very similar. Most popular offline slot machines are emulated at online casinos, usually under a different game name.
Try Playing at This is Vegas Casino – A Great Rival Gaming Casino – Click Here
How Do online casinos “work”? This is actually a great question, and Jaxcasinos.com has composed the following brief run down of online casino operations. The summary is based on a player interested in playing blackjack for real money at an online casino site:
- Step 1 – Player lands at the online casino homepage. On this page, there are bonus offerings, promotions, links to casino support, the cashier and banking policies, graphics depicting the types of games offered, and the most important link: casino software download. *Note. Some casinos do not require software download. If so, skip the next step.
- Step 2 – Player clicks “Download Software” and is prompted by internet browser to accept the download. Most casino software downloads come with “smart installers”. This software automatically analyzes your computer, and determines which version of the casino is most appropriate for your computing system. The software download usually takes about 5 minutes, and once complete you simply double click the casino’s icon to begin.
- Step 3 – Signup. After you’ve either download the casino or have found the website’s instant ( no download required ) casino, the next step is to signup. This is simple: enter your name and pertinent address details. Always make sure to double check that your email address is correct, since this is how the casino will communicate with you. Also, you’ll be asked to create a password for your account. Don’t use things like “123″ or “ABC”. Remember, an unscrupulous person could find your player login name and using these simple passwords, could access the casino and take your money. Once the signup process is complete, you’ll be given an account number, which you’ll use with your password. Save this information. If you’re encountering any problems, call the casino or email customer support.
- Step 4 – Deposit. Once you’ve logged in to the casino using your signup username and password, it’s time to deposit. Visit the casino’s cashier by clicking the “Cashier”, “Banking”, or other graphical representation of a casino banking window. Now, you chose your deposit method. There are many ways to fund a casino account, but for the purpose of this explanation, we’ll assume you’re going to use your MasterCard. Carefully enter all the most important information: name and address (which should match what you entered for your casino account info), card number, expiration date, and 3 digit CVV2 verification code, if needed. Then, enter how much money you’d like to deposit. Typically, most casinos require a minimum deposit of $20. After all credit card details are entered and you’ve decided on how much to deposit, simply click “Complete Deposit” or “Buy Chips” to finish the transaction.
- Step 5 – Play the game of your choice. The hard part is over, and now the fun starts. Return to the online casino’s lobby and pick a game to play. We’ll assume for now that you want to play blackjack, but remember that once you have money in your casino account, you can play ANY game at the casino using these funds. Click “Table Games” and then click “Blackjack”; or, if presented with different varieties of blackjack, click the game variety of your liking. The casino software will automatically assign you to a live table, where you’ll be able to start playing immediately! There’s no waiting in line or high table minimums like in Vegas, so can get down to business immediately.
Try Playing at Rushmore Casino – A Great RTG Casino – Click Here
How do I get help at an online casino? The top online casino brands also boast the best customer support. Should you ever need encounter a problem, simply call the casino using the telephone number supplied, visit the casino’s FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) web page, or email the support staff. Explain your problem thoroughly and be sure to have your account details handy, along with your credit card details if there is problem depositing. NEVER offer your password or financial information unless the support representative is helping you with a deposit or withdrawal. This is for your own security – and the casino support rep would have access to this information from their console anyway and should never have to ask you for it.
Well, that’s our online casino introduction and primer for the uninitiated. Always safeguard your financial information and personal details carefully, and always be sure to enter your email address correctly when signing up for the casino. This will save a lot of headaches later on.
USA Players – Try these friendly casinos:
Diceland Online Casino – TopGame Software – USA Welcome
Rich Casino – TopGame Software – USA Welcome
Vegas Sky Casino – Rival Gaming – USA Welcome
European and International Players – Try these friendly casinos:
Jackpot City Casino – Microgaming Software
Lucky Emperor Casino – Microgaming Software
Da Vinci’s Gold Casino – Rival Gaming
Good luck from all of us at Jaxcasinos.com!