Monthly Archives: March 2015

Why the Payment Option you choose matters

When playing at online casinos you’ll find that you’re presented with a number of payment options when making your deposits and withdrawals. But when it comes to paying and playing at online casinos, not all methods are created equal.

Here we’ll take a look at some of the popular payment solutions as well as their pros and cons, so that you can make the best choice for you when it comes to making your next online casino deposit or withdrawal.

CREDIT CARDS

Credit Cards are probably the most “familiar” way for most players to pay online, this comes with both pros and cons. The advantages include convenience and ease of processing when making a deposit, as well as the fact that if your credit card is linked to some kind of loyalty rewards program, you can earn points as you play.

The disadvantage however is that when using a Credit Card at an online casino when cashing out, you will generally be required to complete and produce documentation to prove that you are an actual person and that the card in question does belong to you. You will therefore generally need to send a copy of your passport or identity document as well as the back and front of the card to the casino’s support team for verification before your funds are released. This can significantly delay your cashout and some players find this procedure annoying. Ultimately though it goes a long way to ensuring your security, but still, it does take time.

Another disadvantage of using a Credit Card is that it can be tempting to keep playing on “the banks money”, especially when you’re chasing losses and trying to even out your player account balance. Obviously this is never a good idea, but the reality is that having credit on hand can be very tempting, so you really need to set strict deposit limits or use a card with lower limits when gaming.

VIRTUAL WALLETS & PRE-PAID CARDS

In addition to Credit Card payment options, online casinos generally offer a number of virtual wallets and pre-paid solutions including Skrill, NETELLER, PayPal, UKash, EziPay, ClickandBuy and Entropay to name a few.

Probably the single greatest advantage of using these options is that they provide a single point of registration for your Credit Card which is then used to fund the eWallet or pre-paid card of your choice. You can then make as many transactions at the online casino/s of your choice without needing to send proof of identity and statements (bank, electricity, card statement etc) repeatedly, you simply provide these once to NETELLER or Skrill and can happily transact from thereon out without any hassles and admin.

Not only are these solutions quick and easy to use, but processing is generally very easy for both deposits and withdrawals when playing online, as such online casinos offer special additional match deposit bonuses when you use selected methods. Another advantage is that they are completely safe and secure and because many of these can be pre-funded, you can’t over-spend and go into the negative like you can when using a Credit card.

While pre-paid cards don’t have any obvious disadvantages, e-Wallets have just one and that is vulnerability to hacking. So you need to be exceptionally careful where you use them, and as such should only do so at reputable online casinos offering state-of-the-art encryption to keep your money safe.

As you can see from the above discussion, the payment option that you select is important when playing online, so make an informed decision.

Slots Tips for Low Rollers

One of the great things about online casinos as a form of entertainment is that they offer games to suit all budgets. So whether you’re a high roller looking for high limit slots or a low roller looking for machines with lower denominations, you’re sure to find a game to suit your bankroll, and still offer you the same quality of game play as the higher denomination machines would.

Due to the fact that the majority of gamblers are mid to low rollers, we’ll take a look at the various options available to you, as well as which online casinos offer games with a few cents as the minimum bets.

Classic Slots with low Coin Sizes

If you’re looking for Classic Penny Slots (ie machines with a 1 cent coin sizes) online, you be a bit disappointed to discover that only Rival Powered online casinos offer these. Classic three slots featured at the more reputable online casinos powered by Microgaming, Playtech and Cryptologic generally have higher minimums of 25 cents, 5 cents and 10 cents respectively.

These denominations are higher but are still very affordable and if you’re a reel slots fan, you won’t be disappointed at the quality of games on offer or the prizes you can win even with the lower coins sizes.

Video Slots with lower denominations

When it comes to 5 reel video slots, the majority of machines have a minimum coin size of just one cent across providers. The only catch is that you have the option to bet multiple coins per payline across a number of lines, which can quickly elevate the value of your bets, with the max bet on these machines reaching around $10 per spin.

You are not however required to be the max on most of these machines in order to access or benefit from all of the game features, which means that you can just bet a single coin per line in order to keep the cost of each spin to a minimum. Generally the only exception to this rule that you should be mindful of is progressive slots as you should avoid these if you are not going to bet the max. The reason for this is that these machines you generally need to bet the max in order to win the life changing jackpots, and if you’re not going to play for these, there are slots with better return to player that you should play instead.

We would however recommend playing either 9 line or 20 line slots as these will set you back a minimum of 9 cents and 20 cents respectively per spin with all paylines active. You may also consider the various Microgaming powered 243 Ways to Win video slots which have a 25 cent minimum bet but, as the name implies, activate a large number of ways for you to win.

Tips for Low Rollers

If you’re new to online casinos and are playing with a limited bankroll, play at a casino that offers you the opportunity to increase your bankroll before you play. It is often worth depositing a little more on your initial deposit in order to qualify for a larger match bonus than to make small deposits and not get much in return. After all, you don’t have to play all of the money at once, you can split it over a number of gambling sessions in a month or more.

Always do your research, investigate the various slot machine payout rates and associated minimum and maximum betting requirements. This way you’ll be able to find and play games that are not only suited to your pocket, but also offer the best possible returns which will go a long way to extending your bankroll and game play time.

If you absolutely want to play progressives but have a limited budget then look for Progressive Slot games with relatively low maximum bet requirements like Tunzamunni at Microgaming properties which has a 25 cent maximum and an average jackpot of over $50,000. Or if you have a little more money to spend, play Platech’s Wall Street Fever progressive which has a max bet of 50 cents but offers jackpots exceeding $700,000.