Posts tagged Gaming

Ever since the dawn of the internet era, the popularity of online gaming has been increasing. Based on American Gaming Association, the revenue from internet gambling globally in 2009 has reached more than US$30 billion and this figure is projected to grow further in the next few years to come.

Instead of wagering in the brick and mortar land based casinos, online gaming is basically gambling over the internet gaming sites operated by the online casinos. They are able to offer the same services as their land based counterparts, which includes different kinds of table games, slots, jackpot, live dealing games and 24 hr customer support etc.

The online casinos are powered by gaming software such as RealTime Gaming, Rival Gaming, Microgaming, Vegas Technology and Top Game etc. These software uses RNG (Random Number Generator) to generate the cards or winning numbers to simulate the randomness as you would expect in the land based casinos. Online casinos and their operating software are subjected to regular audits by reputable auditors like Technical Systems Testing (TST) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) etc. to ensure the fairness of their online game play.

Imagine yourself by the poolside with a laptop playing your favourite Baccarat, or in front of the PC in your pyjamas outfit spinning the Roulette wheel, these are some of the scenarios which online casinos have made it possible! Forget about the long trip to the casino in the downtown or the restricting dress codes to enter the casino, online casinos have made it so convenient that you can access it anytime and anywhere as long as you have a PC with you and internet connection.

Online casinos in general are also known to offer higher payout than their land based counterparts. The reason is very simple. Land based casinos need to support large overhead costs, periodic building maintenance, utilities etc, whereas online casinos require a much lesser manpower to maintain the websites. Online casinos are able to transfer the benefits of low operating costs to the players in the form of higher payouts. With the higher payout offered, you are more likely to go back to sleep with a big winning smile.

Land based casinos often advertise perks such as free meals and hotel packages etc to attract people to patronize their casinos. Online casinos are no different from them to edge over their competitors. Almost all online casinos offer bonuses to the players in the form of ‘free money’ (often bundled with certain terms and conditions). These bonuses vary in amount but some of them can be considerable and as high as $7,777!

Have you ever had the problem of understanding the game rules and payouts of a particular table game? Online casinos allow players to try out the casino games in demo mode, which means that you will be given virtual credits to play the game (of course you can’t cash out any winnings). The game rules and graphic interfaces will be exactly the same as you will play with real money. This is actually a good way for you to familiarize yourself with the graphic interface, game rules, payouts and try out any strategies you have in mind before you throw in your hard-earned money.

Cashing in for playing chips in the land based casinos is easy and hassle free. The online version is comparatively easy as well, where most of them allow you to deposit your money using Visa and MasterCard credit cards, and many other well-known transaction options such as Neteller, Click2Pay, MoneyBookers etc. Thereafter, the credits are in and you may begin your play. The hassle comes when you want to cash out your winnings. Most online casinos will require you to fill up an authorization form (which normally ask for the proof of your identity as well) to indicate the method of withdrawal, and the entire withdrawal process can take up to several days or even weeks. Although cumbersome, the authorization process is actually necessary to prevent any fraudulent transactions. You also need to take note that most online casinos will impose a withdrawal limit. If you want to withdraw a sum that is higher than the limit, then you have to withdraw them overall several days or even weeks.

The currency of play and transaction for most online casinos are based on US Dollars, Euro and British Pounds (although Australian Dollars, Canadian Dollars, South African Rand and Chinese Renminbi are also accepted in some online casinos). Therefore if the currency denomination of your country of origin is not stated as above, all banking deposits and withdrawals with the casino will be subjected to foreign exchange conversion fees.

Despite the disadvantages in the cashing procedures, online casinos are still attractive with their bonuses and convenience. Land based casinos have been around for years and will still remain as favourites for those who want to try their luck. They will not be overtaken by their online counterparts overnight, but the strong growth of the online gaming industry is set to continue in next few years to come.

A. Heng is a webmaster who research and writes about casino gaming facts and tips. You can visit his website at http://casinowishes.com to find out more about the game strategies, latest online gaming news, and reviews of some of the best online casinos in the industry.