Online gambling is huge. Statistics for the UK online gambling were released in February 2011, and they help paint a picture of just how popular online casinos are. More than 70% of the UK population (age 16 and over) participates in some form of gambling, seven percentage points higher than in 2007. Not all of this gambling is done at casinos online, but millions of Brits and people from all around the world do enjoy web casinos. Adults age 44 to 64 were most likely to gamble than other age groups. With the development of online gambling applications for smart handheld devices like iPhones, these numbers are expected to grow at a rapid clip over the next few years.
If you are new to the world of wagering online, try to make smart choices, and you’ll make the most of your bankroll. Who knows? You might win some money too. One of the best “strategies” for gambling, whether online or offline is to stick with games where the house edge is the lowest. Blackjack is a favorite of players, and it also boasts one of the lowest house edges. Learning basic blackjack strategy from charts you can easily download online will develop your blackjack skills to maximize your chances of coming out ahead of the dealer. Craps is another low-edge game. In fact, Pass bets on a player’s first roll are some of the safest bets in the entire casino, with a house edge of just 1.41%. Baccarat is not as well-known as other games, but it too has low house edges and is easier to learn than you might think.
Another good way to keep your money in your hands and not the casino’s is to avoid several “sucker bets” that you’ll find at web casinos and bricks and mortar casinos. One sucker bet to avoid is the “insurance bet” in blackjack. If the dealer shows an Ace, you may be offered “insurance,” which is basically a bet that the dealer’s down-facing card is a 10. This scenario is very unlikely, and the house edge on insurance bets is 15%. Avoid these bets. Tie bets in baccarat (bets that the dealer and player end up with the same score) are also poor bets, with house edges of over 14%. Most other baccarat bets have far lower house edges.
Funding your online wagering is a matter of using a credit card or setting up a prepaid “e-wallet” to use on a site. Remember that using your credit card at an online casino is like getting a line of credit from the casino. You risk spending more if you sign up with a credit card. Signing up with a prepaid e-wallet is safer for those who worry that they could get carried away gambling, because once your e-wallet is empty, you can’t gamble again until you replenish it.
When choosing an internet casino, look for one with a generous sign-in bonus and make sure you read and understand the terms and conditions for cashing out your bonus. Some games (like roulette) are frequently not eligible for bonus play. Know your games, budget carefully, and avoid sucker bets, and you’ll have a much better time gambling online.
By John Trodey
There are a wide variety of online casinos to test your luck and skills at, ensure that you play casinos online which you do your research on and we make this process much easier by viewing the details of each casino on our website.