Finally! It's good that you decided to experience some thrill and take a dose of the excitement of today's new gaming trend. Since online casino gaming is relatively young and is constantly receiving so much issues on legalization, plus the fact that online fraud and scams are rampant on the web, it is quite hard to find the right casinos for you to play at.

Well, now it is finally the time to reveal that shrewd gambler inside of you. And to help you in finding the casino websites that are "just right for you", here is a compilation of important factors and criteria for you to check before you risk your hard-earned money in one of more than 2000 online casinos that are already operating. Prioritize these important points according to your own personal preferences and always bear them in mind whenever you shop for online casino gaming.

Sign-Up Bonuses

All online casinos offer very attractive cash incentives once you sign up to them and make your first deposits. This incentive is termed as sign-up bonuses or match bonuses. The website matches the amount deposited by the players (mostly a maximum of $100 each deposit) by up to 300% of the original amount.

This bonus is probably the single most important factor that most online gamblers are looking for in online casinos. In turn, the casinos encourage prospective real-money players to sign up, make a deposit, and gamble on their website by offering good amounts of welcome bonuses. However, make sure that you always read all the Terms and Conditions by the website that relates to these welcome bonuses before you grab them.

Rewards System

Land-based casinos reward their players, especially the high-rollers who play at higher stakes, with free comps, like free hotel accommodations, meals, drinks, rides, air fare, etc. Online casino websites, on the other hand, offers freebies and comp-points exchange systems to lure new players and to keep their current players in patronizing their games. Freebies and comp-points can be collected by the players while they wager on casino games, and depending on how much they had played, the value of the free items and cash in exchange for comp points increases.

If you are still looking for casino websites to play, always look for this feature. They mostly name this feature as VIP Rewards, Player Clubs, or simply Rewards System.

Customer Service

Always look for online casinos that provide 24/7 customer services, either via email, phone, or live chat. You can test this service by sending them a basic email message, visiting their chat room and giving greetings, and by calling them on a toll-free hotline before you sign-up and play.

Game Variety

Check the casino websites' selection of casino games that they offer. Most online casinos offer all-time favorite games for you to enjoy. There are also so much variations of these games to look out for. It is always good to come to a website where there are up to a hundred games to choose from for your enjoyment.

Money Transaction Methods

There are different transaction methods that are offered, based on the casino website's preferences. They can either be credit cards, wire transfers, third party money processors like PayPal, etc. Check out if they offer the kind of transaction that you prefer before you sign up for an account.

Website Graphics

Generally speaking, looks are not everything, but first impressions can be very useful in determining the quality. This also applies to online gambling in casino websites. Check on the website, and if it looks a bit awfully bad, then consider playing elsewhere. Most of the time, it is good to go for a website that cares about its looks, since this also tells you something regarding the integrity of and how the operators do the business. However, don't settle in a site that looks too slick, for this can mislead you.

Language

Since the US prohibited online casino gambling operations, there has been a major shift in the online casino companies' target markets. From the huge American market of almost 50% of all the online gamblers, they began targeting the market in other parts of the world, particularly Europe and Asia. And in line with this, they are forced to offer their games in other languages as French and Spanish, just to stay in the industry. So you better check out if they offer the language that you prefer.

Originality

We guess that you love to see some original concepts in casinos, that's why most casino website operators try hard to develop new concepts and exciting features just to attract more players. Be impressed with so many refreshing, incredible and quite realistic concepts by online casinos, and whichever caught your interest, go for it. Just don't forget some of the important criteria above.

Payout Time

Another important factor to consider in choosing your online casino is how long they can deliver your wins to your hands. Most websites claim that you can cash out your payouts in a period of time such as 3-5 business days. However, it is a good idea to expect that this is not always accurate and can actually take longer before you can withdraw from your account, since these casinos would rather keep you playing and betting on their websites than withdrawing your winnings. Better read some gambling blogs and forums to gain ideas of which casinos to avoid.

Popularity

The casino website's popularity is another thing to look out for, but make sure that it is not the negative publications and reviews that makes it popular. Definitely, if an online casino has just been running for at least a year and is being visited by loads of online gamblers, this means that the odds are pretty good and tells you that their casino games are worth your time checking out.

Reputation

Every online casino website that has been around for a while had more or less received a reputation, either negative or positive. So if you are in doubt of a website regarding its reputation, better check out for reviews and testimonials on the web before you invest money on it. Just Google the name of the casino website and see what comes up.

Security & Privacy

Security and privacy should not be compromised with entertainment. Thus, in finding a casino website, always look for their license. Another way to check is to look for their software provider. If they are powered by any major online casino software developers, then you can be assured that they are what you are looking for, because these licensees are very concerned in protecting their name and reputation. Any casino operator that does not follow proper practices in doing their business will be out of the industry in no time.

Software Quality

Similar to what is stated above, always look for the software that runs the casino games in a particular casino website. Today, some of the highly reputable and well-known names in casino software development are Playtech, MicroGaming, Realtime Gaming, Cryptologic, Rival Gaming, Random Logic, Vegas Technologies, etc.

Sound

To make online casino gaming environment contain the same entertainment as those with land-based casino games, online casinos try hard to recreate this ambiance through the use of sounds. You can feel the ambiance of playing in any casinos in Vegas while you are playing your choice casino game. However, there are differences in sound quality from site to site, in which some can be too annoying. Of course, you can just turn the sound of if you became irritated.

Speed

Game speed is another important factor in choosing your online casino. Depending on your personal preference, games that are either too fast or too slow can disappoint you. That's why some online casinos provide players a total control of the game speeds, where you can adjust it to your liking.

Special Promos

The sign up bonus is one good example of online casino promotions, and beyond this bonus, these casino websites still offer a variety of promos in which some are very valuable, from mega-cash giveaways to chances of winning automobiles or vacation cruises.

User-Friendliness

If you are new to online casino gaming, you have to choose casinos that provides easy navigation within their system, especially while you are playing the game. One way of checking the user-friendliness of their software is to play their free casino games without risking any real cash. This is one reason why there exists free plays in online casinos, for players to get used to their games before betting real money.