Betway Online Casino allows you to play from anywhere
in the world provided your sim is registered in a country
where online gambling is legal

Advancements in wireless, internet and mobile technologies in recent years have made online gambling more accessible and convenient than ever before.

You can literally play at your favourite online or mobile casino from anywhere in the world on your laptop, mobile or tablet device…in theory that is.

The reality is that although the technology supports online and mobile game play from any location, laws do not. For example, in the UK you can happily play your favourite online casino games at a number of reputable, licensed online and mobile casinos. Journey to Spain for your annual holiday and you may just have a problem.

Due to the fact that online gambling has not been legalised and regulated in some parts of Europe and most of the US, you’ll find that the majority of providers will not even allow you to login to your existing casino account from these locations. Return home and you’ll have full access once again.

At some online casinos you’ll be able to get around this frustrating “lockout” by simply using your UK Sim card to access the casino apps, as this will give you a UK based IP address. This works at online casinos like Betway (just another reason to sign-up and play at Betway Casino).

Other apps, like the one offered by Betsafe however, geo-target based on your phone’s geo-location, rather than the IP, and in these cases even with a UK sim you will still not be able to access your account until you return home.

In these instances, even contacting customer support will not gain you access to the casinos, as they and you have to comply with the laws of the country you are visiting for the duration of your stay.

So while we can in theory enjoy our favourite pastime anywhere in the world, the reality is that it’s not always possible. Will the laws of every country ever catch up to the UK and allow for legalisation and regulation of online gambling, which actually makes each country richer in terms of tax money earned from online casino operators… we guess only time will tell.

As any seasoned player knows, gambling at online casinos is a roller coaster ride of emotions from excitement to the euphoria of winning followed by the harsh disappointment of losing and so it continues. The highs are high when you’re winning but the lows can be very low, especially if you happen to encounter a losing streak.

While we all live for the wins, we do need to realize that losses are a part of gambling and everyone inevitably experiences them. The difference however lies in how you handle the losses. Here we look at how to handle losing and streaks and the things that you should avoid doing in order to manage them correctly.

Avoid focusing on recovering past losses

You’ve probably heard it before but never try to chase your losses. This may be easier said than done because it is natural to want to recover the money you’ve lost, especially because it is possible if you do start to win. Keep in mind though that all casinos have a house advantage and that means that at some point you will be on the losing end of it. Instead of obsessing about recouping losses though, focus on good bankroll management and making intelligent, strategic bets.

Do not increase your wagering amounts to win back losses

It is very tempting to chase losses and then increase the size of your bets to do. If you’re already suffering severe losses it will only hurt your bankroll more if you up the stakes and continue to lose. Instead of upping your betting size, decrease your wagering amount until things turn around, that way you can still enjoy playing without worrying about huge losses as this will only take the enjoyment out of your gambling experience.

Don’t play skill games when you’re frustrated

If skill games like blackjack and video poker are your game of choice then you will know that every decision you make has an effect on the house advantage. So you will obviously want to ensure as far as possible that you make the correct strategic game plays with every hand. If you’re experiencing a losing streak it can be very tiring and difficult to keep your head in the game and continue to make sound bets without losing focus and becoming frustrated.

So if you find yourself feeling irritated or frustrated over a losing streak and the tilt factor is taking it’s toll, take a break and if you still want to continue playing, rather change things up a bit and switch to a fun slot or game of roulette. Once you’re feeling better you can return to playing your skill game.

Avoid drawn out gaming sessions

Many players feel that if they stay at an online casino long enough they can recover from any losses they have experienced. While the law of averages agrees that you will inevitably break a losing streak there is no guarantee on when this will happen.

So if you’ve been losing on slots for the last 4 hours, continuing to play for another 3 hours or so is not going to mean that you will win the jackpot. While that can always happen, it is a better idea to stop playing when you feel like doing so instead of forcing yourself to play in an attempt to recoup losses.

Justifying bad decisions with comps

Do not think that you can chase losses, play for extended periods and make irresponsible wagers in an attempt to turn a losing streak around and then justify it all by thinking that you’ll make up for it in comps. No matter how generous a casino is to you, they will only ever comp a portion of your losses (usually 10 to 40 percent) which definitely won’t compensate for the amounts you lose.

In this day and age of communication overload, receiving yet another e-mail about something you’re not really interested in can be a tiresome burden. Oftentimes it’s easier to just hit delete without opening e-mails or to simply just not sign up for various companies’ communications in order to avoid the hassles.

Doing this with online casinos however, can mean that you miss out in a big way, especially due to the fact that online casinos make use of regular mailers and newsletters in order to keep players informed of the latest events – such as progressive jackpot breaking record totals, changes being made to loyalty systems and of course to offer valued players bonus offers and promotions.

While you may be able to see the promotions on the casino’s websites or in your player inbox within the casino software, you don’t always check these as regularly and may just miss out on something important – and there’s not worse feeling than that! So if you’re completely adamant that you don’t want to receive promotional e-mail communications from casinos, then make sure that you have a reminder set to regularly check out the casinos newsletters and promotions pages. Keep in mind however that in doing this you will only receive the standard player offerings and that you’ll still have to check your player “inbox” for offers that are tailored to your loyalty tier or VIP status.

Some online casinos offer blogs, which are very helpful when it comes to finding out more about a specific game or promotion and following these will keep you informed without the added e-mail load.

Many casinos also have a social networking presence on platforms like Facebook and Twitter, which have added special offers for their followers and fans, not to mention being able to connect with other players and fans to discuss pertinent issues, which can be very helpful. All of this definitely adds value to checking in every now and again.

You may have already noticed that online casinos are using Infographics, which as the name implies are images that contain information. While you may not get details of what’s going on receiving these, you will get the gist at a glance and if you’re really interested you can click through to the detailed page. These look set to become more popular due to the fact that they are not only more appealing but also more convenient, meaning that you can still stay informed of all of the action, at just a fraction of the time.

You know which types of communication best suit you and with all that online casinos have to offer these days, you can select those that are most effective for you.

Recently there has been a great deal of activity on the player forums regarding the closure of player accounts and how at some online casinos doing so seems like an impossible task.

One of the main culprits who are non-responsive to player’s requests to close accounts is Red Flush Casino. It seems that this casino is so desperate to keep players that request for account closure are met with bonus offers, which if you were a problem gambler could be detrimental to your financial and mental health.

These types of practices are not altogether uncommon though and many accredited casinos are slower at closing accounts than others. Then again there are some like Spin Palace Online Casino that will close your account upon request, no questions asked…it all depends where you choose to play.

But what should you do if you genuinely wish for a casino to close your account, especially for those that don’t just do this easily? Follow these few easy steps:

1. Inform the casino in writing via e-mail of your wish to have your player account close, including your player details such as your name, last name, and player account number (they will never need your passwords so don’t supply these).
2. Give a definite reason for wanting to close your account eg. You have a gambling addiction. Using reasons like “I am not winning enough” may not be enough for some casinos to take your request seriously.
3. Follow up on your mail with a call to customer support to confirm in person that you wish to close your account and in order to verify that they have received your mail. Do not let friendly staff convince you to change your mind.
4. If you are offered bonus offers in return, do not accept them.
5. Do not attempt to login to your player account on a regular basis – online casino software tracks everything and player retention specialists may see your attempts to login as you wishing to withdraw your closure request.
6. Uninstall the software from your PC, laptop or mobile device.

It is always advisable to search casino players’ forums and casino review sites like Bettingcorp.com in order to ascertain which casinos players are having problems with before you start playing as this can save you time and the inconvenience of having to deal with unresponsive online casinos.

There are many people who play at both online casinos and brick and mortar ones and then there are those who play exclusively online. For some the decision to play online is due to practical reasons like the fact that they are located at great distances from land based casinos while others choose to play online as they feel that there is less risk involved in doing so.

While brick and mortar casinos have tight, state-of-the-art security, it is not always possible to ensure that every one of their patrons is honest and casino robberies as well as more petty pickpocketing do occur, the latter is especially prevalent in crowded rooms and because most casino players carry cash or chips around in their pockets, they are easy pickings. Also, winners can be spotted and targeted when leaving the casino with their jackpot cash.

When gambling online however, you are doing so in the comfort of your own home and you can simply focus on enjoying your game without worrying about keeping an eye out for less than savoury characters with ill intent. You can also simply play online funding your account by credit card or eWallet without needing to have cash on hand. Also, should you win a considerable sum of money, the cash is transferred directly into your bank account, credit card or eWallet upon cashout without you needing to carry large sums of cash, further reducing the risk of robbery.

There is also no risk of being cheated by the dealers at the tables or by other players because every game at trustworthy online casinos is governed by a Random Number Generator (RNG) which ensures that all results are random. These results are also independantly auditedand the findings are published online on a regular basis.

This being said though, there is still a certain amount of risk involved in playing online if you are not vigilant and due to this fact, you should always ensure that you only play at reputable online casinos like Ruby Fortune Casino. This means that the online casino in question should be licensed and offer encrypted transfers and transactions to keep your data confidential, have a record of free and fair game play, are renowned for swift, hassle free payouts and are audited by an independant, reputable company on a regular basis. In order to avoid rogue operations, you should avoid any online casinos on casino review sites blacklists.

From the above it is evident that both online casinos and land based venues do carry certain amounts of risk when playing, however, all things considered, online casinos definitely seem like the safer option.

This is probably one of the most burning questions in any persons mind prior to playing at an online casino.

Let’s face it, playing against software online that could potentially be rigged at a venue that is well, “virtual“, is not always a comforting thought and with the number of fraud and scams we hear about across the internet, it’s all really enough to keep you from ever trying a casino online at all.

That said, we’re here to provide answers to the question of whether online casinos cheat players and if it really is safe to play at these establishments.

Can online casinos cheat?

The straight forward answer to this question is yes, online casinos could probably find ways to cheat you if they wanted to, just like you can be “cheated” in online banking, online shopping and in any aspect of life in general from gym memberships to insurance.

The point is that most online casinos don’t cheat players because they really don’t have to… just look at the odds at any casino over time and you’ll find that they make enough of a profit without having to stoop to criminal levels.

Also, with millions of people playing at online casinos across the world, if patterns emerged that could possibly substantiate cheating, someone would have published something on a player forum and the issue would have exploded across the internet. Just doing a simple Google search will show you blacklisted casinos to avoid due to anything from payment issues to bad customer service but you’ll be hard pressed to find anything supported by evidence that casinos are cheating players.

In fact, you’re probably at less of a risk of being exposed to cheating at online casinos where everything is managed by software than you are at a land based casino where a dodgy dealer may be cheating you.

What about Software Development Cheats?

There are many people who question the integrity of the software and whether developers install cheating mechanisms when manufacturing online casino games. While this may be possible, reputable casinos like those advertised on this site, have to ensure that Random Number Generators are installed on all games within the casino platform to ensure that all results and random and fair. These outcomes are then audited by independent auditing firms in order to ensure and confirm authenticity and fairness. Furthermore, casinos are subject to scrutiny by licensing bodies that act as industry watchdogs and also require the auditing and authentication of the casinos numbers and outcomes.

Also, leading casino software brands offer players a play check system that records all game outcomes and transactions which can be reviewed at any time. If certain games were “rigged” within the software, veteran players would probably pick it up sooner or later and be able to use these systems as proof and that kind of bad publicity would close any casino and even the software developer down permanently.

Both of the above are very important and relevant question when addressing the subject of cheating but there are two important things that you need to keep in mind:

Reputation is key

When it comes to the integrity of online casinos, reputation is a key factor. There are numerous casino review portals across the web, including this one that will give you as much information as possible on the casino you are considering. Yes, these portals do generate income from advertising casinos but most work on an affiliate commission which means that they want you to be as happy as possible with the casino they refer you to because if you aren’t they don’t earn money, so it’s in their best interest to send you to top quality venues that will look after you well.

From these reviews you should be able to get an idea of what the casino is like and you can also cross check this against player forum’s “rogue” or blacklisted casino lists to ensure that they do not appear here.

A reputable online casino will offer you state of the art software (developed by a leading software provider) and security for your safety. They will openly publish audit reports which you can verify with the independent company or body concerned and offer you customer support every step of the way to make your experience a pleasant one.

Testing your Perceptions

One may often get the feeling that one is losing more than in a land based casino when playing online but you have to be aware of two important things that may skew your perceptions:

1. Time: Even though you are able to play at your own pace at online casino, the usual “admin” in between games is not present as it is in a land based casino. You don’t have to wait for dealers to do their job, other players to place their bets etc. So you are able to fit much more game play into a space of time online than you would at a brick and mortar casino. This means that you may feel like you are losing more often but the reality is that the odds and probabilities are the same, if not better than in land based venues, the thing that is throwing you off is the elapsed time and number of games you are fitting into it.
2. Playing Solo: When playing alone at an online casino you only see your results whereas in land based casinos you’ll see those of other players and even the dealer, making you “feel” like people are winning even if you aren’t and that the casino does actually sustain losses. This factor can also skew your perceptions as to the fairness of a casino and if it has, then check out the payout reports which are audited or play in a multi-player game and you’ll soon see a different side of the coin again.

So in conclusion, online casinos do not cheat players?

You can rest assured that the reputable casino brands don’t cheat players. They have too much riding on the success of their businesses as a whole and even the smallest issues in this highly competitive market can lead to failure and sudden death of the entire organisation. As any industry insider will tell you, with the enormous profits involved in online gambling services, why would any company in their right mind risk cheating?

You’ve probably come across the term “House Edge” and to a lesser extent the term “House drops” in articles about online casinos and games odds and we’re often asked questions about these terms, their meanings and if they are the same thing or not. So we decided to write a short explanation on these terms to help players better understand their meanings and how these can affect game play at both land based and online casinos.

To answer the last question first, House Edge and House Drops (also known as casino gaming drops) are not the same thing.

House Edge

The House Edge refers to the house advantage, usually expressed as a percentage that a casino has over a player in a particular casino game. To put it simply, the House Edge is the money that the casino will keep in the long run. If the house edge is 5% on a certain game, then out of every $100 that the player wagers, the casino, on average, will earn $5. We say “on average” because it is possible for players to win big or lose everything, but over a long period of time the average will hold true.

In a game of blackjack, skilled players playing according to blackjack strategy can lower the house edge to around 1%, while the house edge on the same game variation can be considerably higher for unskilled players. Slot machines on the other hand, usually maintain a uniform house edge as they are not influenced by strategy. On both though, the longer you play the more likely it is that you will begin to lose, even if you win initially and the house edge will begin to claim its percentage of your wagers.

House Drops

House Drop or Casino Gaming Drop is the amount of money the average player spends (or “drops”) at the casino (also called “the house”).

The longer a player plays, the more likely it is that they will begin to lose, even if the house edge is low, because inevitably the law of averages will play out. If a player loses 25% of his/her money in a visit to the casino, this amount is said to be the “house drop“. Unlike the house edge, the house drop continues to accumulate over time as the player loses money it accumulates into the overall deficit total. Obviously if a player plays for a short period and wins, this offsets the house drop for that gaming session, but if the player decides to play winnings back to the casino, and loses, the house drop comes into play once again.

As you can see from the above explanation, it is very important to monitor your game play time in a session, if you win big rather cash out and enjoy the money because putting it back in in the hope of winning even bigger will give that infamous “law of averages” the chance to affect your balance. Winning streaks are great, but they don’t stay “winning” forever, so rather play wisely.

Online Casino Tournaments have become more prevalent and popular in recent times, largely due to the fact that players are able to play in these, competing against others in a more social environment that usual gambling for a limited investment.  There are therefore a number of tournament options and formats to choose from and that can get confusing!

Evaluating tournaments will definitely depend on how serious you are about winning.  Obviously everyone likes to win but for some, the pure enjoyment of the tournament experience can outweigh not receiving a return on investment.  For others a return is an absolute must.  Most online tournaments require a buy-in or entry fee (which can be seen as the “investment”) that allows the player to play through only once but once the player is out of the tournament there is often the option to rebuy back into it and gain added chips by paying a fee.  The rebuy option is not mandatory and the total costs of this in one tournament will depend on how many times one would like to re-enter it.  In this situation the best thing for you to do is consider your wagering patterns carefully.  If you don’t rebuy, then the original buy in amount will remain the only investment but if you’ve indulged in re-buys you’ll have to add these to the total you’ve spent.

Next you will have to calculate your return.  While the prize pool does play a part in this equation, one has to bear in mind that tournament prize pools are generally shared amongst a number of winners.  Usually the larger the prize pools the more winners there are, so each player effectively gets a smaller prize than on limited tournaments.  Given this, prize pools aren’t the best indicators for evaluating returns.  More suitable indicators depend on your temperament.  If you are a risk taking aggressive player, you will see the prize paid to the top player on the tournament leader board as a return indicator.  You won’t really be concerned about the other positions in the tournament of a share of the prize pool, you’ll really just want to win.  If you’re of a more conservative nature you’ll probably see the average payout (the total prize pool divided by the number of winners sharing it) as more of a return indicator.  Either way, both factors will influence which is the best choice of tournament for you.

Obviously when it comes to return on investment, the larger the potential return in an online casino tournament the better it will be than others on offer.  But this is of course, not the only factor in play, the type of game and tournament period must also be considered as these will also affect the total “value” of the particular tournament for you.

For most, gambling and playing in casino tournaments is more about having some fun in their leisure time than making money, because if it’s all about making money, let’s face it, there are far better and safer ways than gambling to ensure returns.  So always play responsibly!  Put your newly found knoweledge to the test at Roxy Palace now.

You may have heard the term reverse withdrawal before and wondered what it was all about; well it’s pretty simple really…when you decide to withdraw or “cash out” your funds at online casinos you start the withdrawal process. Unlike land based venues, funds are not automatically released immediately but rather go into a “pending” period which allows the casino time to process the request. While you wait for your money you may decide that you’d rather use it to continue to play at the casino and so you can request that the withdrawal process be cancelled and the funds be processed back into your player account. This is called a reverse withdrawal. If you didn’t know it existed, now you do!

There is much debate about the “pending period” within the online casino industry and oftentimes casinos that flush player accounts immediately, releasing funds with little or no waiting period are highly sought after for obvious reasons. This however shouldn’t be the deciding factor when choosing a casino as some of the best online casinos have pending periods of 24 to 72 hours. This is part of a greater “business model” that is designed in the hope that during the pending period you’ll get bored and reverse the withdrawal spending your money at the casino instead of taking it out.

The market has become so competitive that while most casinos offer a reverse withdrawal as an option, others have taken it a step further and offer reverse withdrawal or cancellation bonuses! This is definitely a very controversial type of casino bonus, mainly because encouraging you to rather play your money than withdraw it may seem predatory, but as always, it is your choice, and there are of course those who applaud this type of bonus reward.

Reverse withdrawal requests are not as common as one may think, because generally if you’ve decided to cash out it’s because the funds need to be allocated elsewhere in your budget. The most common request for reverse withdrawals occur when people hit jackpots or enjoy huge wins and large payouts are due to them. At times these types of winners may wish to allocate a part of their winnings to additional casino play and so they’ll request a reverse. When a reverse withdrawal bonus is offered, this serves as an even greater incentive to reallocate funds back to their player account. These types of bonuses are usually quite generous and it makes sense to accept them because of the potential for returns should you have further luck and win some more. Of course, terms and conditions and oftentimes wagering requirements do apply so if you’re offered a cancellation or reverse withdrawal bonus, be sure to read these before accepting it.

Most reputable online casinos offer players loyalty programs which reward you for playing at their casino on a continuous basis.  The majority of these programs work on the accumulation of “loyalty points” for regular game play which can be exchanged for casino cash to play with once they reach certain levels.  Other perks of these loyalty programs can range from exclusive promotions and invitations to “reserved” events to standard complimentary giveaways. 

Then there are the VIP levels of the program which are even more rewarding and can offer anything from regular comps, cash giveaways, trips, and tickets to all out red carpet treatment including a dedicated account manager or casino host.  The level that you are on in this tiered system all comes down to how much bet and how often you play at the casinos.

That said, we often get asked the question “Are loyalty and VIP programs really worth signing up for?”  The short answer is they are free and you don’t lose anything at all by doing so, but they are specifically designed to get players to spend more money at the casino and to retain their loyalty.  If you understand that and don’t get sucked into “competing” with others to be the most important VIP you’ll be just fine.   Plus, you’ll have the fun and excitement of enjoying some amazing promotions and incentives.  You just have to remember that these do come with a price and aren’t always entirely “free” as you’ll probably end up still putting money into the casino after the “freebie” offer is finished.

In general, players have access to a few benefits, and the more they spend, the more often you’ll be entitled to claim these:

• Cashback offers – these are the standard comp or loyalty points that you rack up every time you play.  They are redeemable for casino cash (or chips) once they reach a certain level but generally cannot be cashed out.
• Regular bonuses – casinos often send out promotional mailers to their loyalty members offering a variety of ongoing bonuses.  These are usually match deposit bonuses like you receive when you are a new player, just not as large due to the fact that they are offered more frequently.
• Exclusive Specials – these are once off events or promotions that keep you coming back to the casino and can range from free chips to draws or the opportunity to play for high ticket items like cars, cruises and more.
• Promotional events – these are usually “reserved” exclusively for loyalty members and can include things like slots, roulette, poker or blackjack tournaments where you pay a small fee and play for the big prizes.
• Auction Points – A few venues like Jackpotcity casino award auction points as well as cash back points when you play their casino games.  Auction points accumulate and you can then use them to bid on auction items available at the casino such as iPods, ipads, holidays and occasionally cars.

And then of course there are the High Roller VIP Programs…

Usually if you’re a member of these sought after clubs you spend huge amounts of money at the casinos.  As mentioned, some casinos offer all of the benefits of their standard casino loyalty programs but also throw in things like a dedicated account manager to cater to your every whim and if you’re very important (read: whale) then you’ll be able to ask for things like sporting and concert tickets, exclusive stays at difficult to get into hotels, reservations for the best restaurants in town…all on the house…well sort of.  In reality the money you’ve spent at the casinos pays for all of these “free benefits”.

There are a few tricks for aspiring VIP’s that can help you get noticed without having to break the bank though, these include:

1. Play often and slowly.  You don’t have to bet large amounts, rather break your budget up into pieces and visit more often.
2. Refer your friends to the casino – this will make you more of an asset for the casino and they will reward you for it.
3. Be friendly to the casino staff you have contact with, the more relationships you have and goodwill you build up the better.
4. Play in any tournaments offered, they are usually the cheapest way to appear active at the casino.
5. Use all of the offers in your loyalty mailers and of any comps extended by the casino, they offer discounts that help you get your activity levels up while spending less.

Always keep in mind that loyalty programs encourage you to play and spend more, that’s why they exist!  Play responsibly.