Archive for the ‘Online Casino Beginners Guide’ Category

If you’re looking for the minimum system requirements required to have in order to play at casinos powered by the following review and ensure you have an adequate system before proceeding to download and install online casino software.

Minimum System Requirements by Software Provider:

  • Microgaming
  • Vegas Technology
  • Playtech
  • Cryptologic
  • Realtime Gaming

Online casino games are ultimately played on the computer system of the player. The processor, the monitor, the operating system, the browser and the Internet connection all combine to provide the gaming experience. If these are found to be inadequate then the quality of the gaming experience will suffer. In the worst case it may be impossible to play the games at all. Other problems that could occur are slow game speeds, bad quality graphics, frequent Internet disconnections and maybe some features becoming dysfunctional. In order to ensure that players enjoy playing, online casinos specify the minimum requirements that the payers’ computer systems should possess. These would normally be given in the FAQs section. The requirements are formulated by the software provider and would be the same for all online casinos powered by that software provider. The minimum system requirements specified by the more popular software providers are given below. These requirements should be met by most computer systems currently on offer.

Microgaming Casino Minimum System Requirements:

  • Windows 95/98/NT/2000/XP
  • Pentium III 800 MHz processor or greater
  • 128 MB of system memory available
  • 32 MB of video memory
  • 800 x 600 video resolution (16 bit color)
  • 500 MB of available hard drive space
  • Internet access with at least 56 Kbps connection speed
  • Note: Some games such as Tomb Raider Secret of the Sword and Hitman have slightly higher optimal minimum system requirements however they should still work on the above system configuration.

Vegas Technology Casino Minimum System Requirements:

  • Windows 98/NT/2000/Millennium Edition/XP/Vista
  • IE, Mozilla Firefox, or Netscape
  • Pentium 200 MHz
  • 64 MB RAM
  • 16-bit color video card (800×600 resolution mode)
  • 100 MB free hard drive space

Playtech Casino Minimum System Requirements:

  • Windows Vista/XP/2000/98/NT/95
  • P166MMX
  • 32MB RAM
  • 16-bit color 600×800 resolution
  • 20MB free hard disk space

Cryptologic Casino Minimum System Requirements:

  • PC-compatible computer
  • Windows 98 or higher (NT excluded)
  • Pentium 200 MHz or higher
  • 48 MB RAM
  • 4 MB video card with 16-bit color (800×600 or higher)
  • DirectX 7 or higher
  • Macromedia Flash 5 (or higher)
  • 35 MB hard drive space

Realtime Gaming Casino Minimum System Requirements:

  • Pentium II 300 MHz.
  • At least 64 MB RAM (internal memory)
  • At least 50 MB of free Hard Drive space
  • Operating System – Microsoft Windows 95/98/NT/XP/2000.
  • 56K Modem (making sure the connection speed is greater than 40K).
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5 (or above), Netscape version 6 (or above) or AOL version 5 (or above).

The requirements for Microgaming are more stringent in most respects, needing more memory space in particular. This is because Microgaming offers more than 300 games in the download version, which is much more than what others offer. Also these requirements are minimum system requirements. We suggests that players go for the recommended requirements, which entails greater memories, higher resolutions and faster speeds. These will not only give a more enjoyable experience but also cater to additional games and features that are introduced from time to time. Players should also realize that the gaming experience is not only visual but audio as well. Hence good speakers are assets to online gaming.

Best Online Slots Casinos

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The Casino payout percentage is one the most significant things that a player should evaluate while gambling online. Payout percentages are usually listed on the Casino’s website. Ensuring that a reliable and unbiased third party has verified the Casino payout percentage is important. An audited payout increases the online casino’s trustworthiness considerably and exemplifies good faith dealings. Making the choice of which online casino to play at will be examined in this section.

Among online and physical casinos, the calculation of payout percentages is quite analogous. Physical casinos, however, will usually provide you with worse odds than those offered by online casinos. Software regulations, the probabilities on hand, as well as payout percentages and gaming standards that are ‘just’ are a few of the issues that an online casino player must analyze.

Microgaming, Playtech and Cryptologic are the most top suppliers of online gaming software. Almost always offered as free downloads, their software is used by the greater part of well respected online casinos. The software uses complex mathematical algorithms created by Random Number Gernerators (RNGs) to create a completely arbitrary result for games such as poker, roulette, blackjack, slots, and craps. Thus, the roll of the dice behaves just as it would had you rolled actual dice in a physical casino.

The percentage of money paid out by the casino to the winners is know as the casino payout percentage and should be made available by the casino. For example, when 95% of the combined total of money bet at a casino gets paid to winners, then the casino payout percentage is 95%. In this scenario, the casino would keep 5% of all wagers made. Game-specific payout percentages are often made available by online casinos as well.

Is this casino’s listed payout percentage a truthful and reliable representation of actual payout percentage should be the first question you ask. Look for a verification certificate on the home page of the online casino’s website to attempt to authenticate this information. Don’t be fooled though. Unless the certificate issued by a reliable and independent third party, such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, eCogra, or the Online Players Association, you should be skeptical of the verifiers credibility, and furthermore, their payout percentages. You can feel assured that the online casino you are playing at is dedicated to reliable payout percentages, arbitrary outcomes created by authentic RNGs, and stringently maintaining their policies only when the casino offers evidence that they have received a certificate from one of the aforementioned organizations.

What is a good payout percentage is the second question you should be asking. This question is not one that can be answered easily. A single month’s payout percentages, taken on its own, offers little to no valuable information for analysis. The percentages could appear to be excellent simply because of some anomalous jackpots that were extremely higher than usual due to the arbitrary and random nature of the games. Analyzing payout percentages over six months or greater is a much more reliable indication of what the casino actually offers. We believe that payout percentages of 96.5% or higher are acceptable. In this scenario, the casino keeps an average of 3.5% of all bets combined and is a good simulation of physical casinos. In addition, it is a low risk percentage.

An online casino that maintains a monthly renewal of its verification certificate and has payout percentages that fluctuate somewhat from month-to-month is an indication that the casino is of a higher quality.

Ultimately, keeping up to date on the latest gaming practices is the only way to assist yourself as a player. Hopefully, the information we have provided you regarding verification and payout percentages will help you in choosing online casinos wisely and make for a better all around gambling experience.

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If you’re new to online casinos and have never played before it’s good to understand the differences between the two versions of the software that are made available online. Both the download and no download instant play flash versions of online casinos offer exciting casino entertainment however each has it’s own set of characteristics making each uniquely attractive and unattractive in their own ways. Below we’ve outlined some key information about each of the two.

Download Casinos

Some would argue that the download version of online casino software are superior to that of the no download version. This is in fact true in that the download version offers richer graphics, more compelling sound and a more reliable gaming experience overall. The reason for this is largely attributed to where we are in respect to technology including the software and tools that power such gaming products, internet bandwidth and such other factors. There are many conveniences and benefits to downloading online casino software and hence this is t

Rich graphics and sound with feature rich software client offering many options.ypically why operators will push players more so to download then to play the instant play no download versions. Below we’ve outlined some of the key pros and cons to the download versions of online casinos.

Pros:

Smooth animations especially in slots games in the spinning of the reels.
More reliable system leading to a more reliable gaming experience.
The download casinos generally have a more intuitive user interface.
Do not have to wait as long as you do with no download casinos to launch a casino game.
Cons:

Takes slightly longer to get up and playing then no download version.
Complete software package from online casino can range between 100 – 250+ MB of your had drive space.
You cannot simply login to your player account from any computer and play like you can with no download casinos.
No Download Online Casinos

The no download version of online casinos is typically powered by Flash technology and is played in your web browser (ie. Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox), meaning that you’ll need to have the Flash plug-in loaded on your computer in order to load the casino and play games. More so then with download casinos the no download versions typically can get you up and playing quicker then the download versions as both the lobby and the games are lighter in file size. No download Flash versions of online casinos typically don’t offer the exact same suite of games as the download versions and if they do there may be times when the game was scaled down so as to still work well within the Flash casino. Featured below you’ll find a pros and cons list to no download casinos.

Pros:

You can play from any computer in the world without the need to re-download the software.
No download online casinos allow you to conveniently play from within popular web browsers such as Internet Explorer and Firefox.
Getting stated and playing is typically quicker then that of download casinos.
Cons:

On slower internet connections because the games are loaded from the internet each time you play it can take a while to get a game loaded. This isn’t something that occurs that often unless you’re still using a dial-up connection.
Graphics and sound can be dull and boarding.
Typically the gaming experience isn’t as reliable as the software is web based and cannot take advantage of native operating system functionality allowing for recovery, retries and persistence in certain cases (for example with the download version if there is an error the casino will do it’s best to recover so as to not interfere with the gaming experience while of course making sure everything is done properly).

Best Online Slots Casinos

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If you have never gambled online before, or are fairly new to the process, this article is meant to provide you with the information you need get started. Quite a few online casinos offer features that are, arguably, more desirable and that produce a higher quality of experience than what you find in any physical casino.

Online you can reset all of your bets in a roulette game with the simple click of a mouse. On a single zero roulette wheel you could wager one-dollar chips. You can play slot games with much higher payouts than that which you would find in Vegas or anywhere else for that matter; sometimes up to 99%. For video poker players, the abundant variety of machines that certain online casinos offer is staggering (sometimes 15 diverse machines with 9 distinct coin values). This type of variety is unheard of in a physical casino.

To ease you into your first online casino experience follow the rules laid out below. If you use these rules as a guideline your initiation into gambling online should be smooth and trouble free.

Good luck getting started and hopefully you will love gambling at online casinos as much as we do.

Stick to these rules when gambling online for the first time:

Take a look at an online casino of your choosing. You need not be worried about which casino you choose from our site because they all offer download software that is safe, customer service around the clock, every day of the year, as well as a fast payment system using 100% Secure Transactions. You have the option of playing for real or playing for fun on each Casino listed and they will all provide you with enticements to purchase your first chips. A Casino’s offer to new players deserves assessment. Decide if you would like to play on the particular Casino you are looking at and, if not, simply return to our Casino listings and try out a Casino that better suits you.
Search for the button that allows you download the software onto your computer. The button will usually say “Download Now” or “Download.” Since all of the companies we conduct business are professional, secure, and safe you need not be worried if they require you enter an email address. Type your email address in the appropriate field and click on “Download.” If the casino does not require an email address just go ahead and click “Download.”
After the software download is complete, a new icon will appear on the desktop of your computer. When you want to commence installation simply double click the icon. A new online casino icon will appear on your computer’s desktop when the installation is complete. From this point onwards, if you wish to get into the online casino, double clicking the icon will make the casino program begin to run.
With the software having been downloaded and installed, there are only a few final actions required of you. First, click on the aforementioned icon to open the casino, then register an account in your name with the casino, then, if you would like to play for real money, buy some chips, and finally go gambling and win some money.
To initiate the online casino click on your desktop’s casino icon. If you have not yet created an account, a window should appear requesting that you register. Complete the information requested on the registration page in its entirety and correctly. This personal information is required of you so that the casino can send you the money that you have won. Therefore, make sure that the information is accurate! Make sure you write down the password they give you in a very safe place. Do not save the password on your computer if children use this computer. You are responsible for the gambling on this account!
Now that you have a username and password you can log in and begin playing. Upon your initial log in, a window may appear asking if you would like to purchase any chips. If you only intend to play for free, simply close the message, decide on which game you would like to play, and begin gambling. If, however, you would like to gamble with real money, then follow the prompts in the message. If no message appears search for buttons that say “banking,” “cashier,” or “bank” and click on it. Here, you should be able to purchase chips once you register your credit card. In addition, some online casinos will allow you to purchase chips through alternative methods such as ATM, PrePaid, FirePay, Neteller, Western Union, or bank wire. So go buy some chips, choose your game, start gambling, and win some money!

Best Online Slots Casinos

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The origin of online casinos can be traced to three different processes. One is gaming software. From the mid 1970s gaming software began to make its presence felt in land casinos. Slots machines based on computer software began to replace the electromechanical slots. These machines displayed the power of computer processing and computer graphics. Software for blackjack strategy had been developed by professional card counters in the 1970s. Software for gambling games was the first piece of the jigsaw puzzle to be perfected.

What was missing was a mechanism for different computers to connect to a nodal server and use the gaming applications stored on that server. This problem was solved with the coming of age of the Internet. In the early 1990s the Internet became widely accessible. Initially it was used as a mode of communication. Individual users could connect to the Internet from their computers and send messages to others similarly connected. But the latent potential of the Internet in other applications was apparent.

The third factor needed for online casinos was a regulatory mechanism. This came about in 1994. The tiny island state of Antigua and Barbuda enacted The Free Trade and Processing Zone Act that permitted it to issue gambling licenses. Thus the first online gambling jurisdiction was born. Under this Act the Directorate of Offshore Gaming was constituted. It is this body that receives applications from licensees, scrutinizes them and grants licenses if the application is found fit. Antigua and Barbuda still remains one of the more popular and respected jurisdictions. This law provided the fillip that was required to create online casinos.

Now that the three important mechanisms were in place all that was required was to string them together. Microgaming was a pioneer in this field. Microgaming, a software provider based in The Isle of Man, was founded in 1994. Microgaming was the first to develop online gaming software. Whereas online games could be played using the software it lacked one vital component needed in a full-fledged online casino. This was the security required to conduct financial transactions over the Internet in a safe manner. This component was provided by Cryptologic, an online security software company founded in Ireland in 1995. It began developing the first eCash applications for online gaming. In fact it was Cryptologic that put the whole package together first and established the first online casino, InterCasino, in 1996.

Since then the online casino industry has not looked back. It is estimated that there were over 2,300 online gambling sites that include online casinos, online poker rooms and online sports betting by 2006 with combined revenue of over $15 billion.

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