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Last Updated:
Friday, July 29, 2016
Gambling online from the
comfort and safety of your home is truly an enjoyable experience, but it's also
a new frontier for the entire world and one that's still learning its way.
Online casinos are located in many, many countries (none in the US), which lends
itself to communication problems as different languages, time zones, work
patterns, and cultures merge to do business together. It's actually a
pretty exciting time in the history of the world, but can be very frustrating if
you get caught in a quicksand of miscommunication which unfortunately happens
from time to time, even with the most reputable online casinos.
Generally speaking, the more
knowledgeable you are about how the systems work and what everyone expects, the
less problems you're going to have, so here are the latest descriptions,
explanations, and tips to help guide you through this. If you have a
particular subject or issue you don't see addressed here, please write me.
Bonuses - "He who has
the Gold, makes the Rules"
There is so much to say when it comes to online casino bonuses, I don't know if
it could ever all be said in one place! The rules change constantly, too, making
it even harder to keep up with them. Here are some of the more important
highlights to keep in mind when using a bonus, but make sure you always check
the most current Terms & Conditions for each bonus you accept, regardless of how
long you've been playing at the casino. Also remember that you're not required
to accept a bonus, which means they can't put any conditions on anything you do
with your own money.
Free, No Deposit, Bonuses
- Some of these are cashable, some are not, and some come with a maximum cash
out. Make sure you read all the Terms and Conditions for each freebie you
accept.
Wagering or Playthrough Requirements - All bonuses come with these,
with rare exceptions here and there. What this means is that you must turnover
that money a certain number of times with your gambling, before you request a
cash out, if you win. Wagering requirements may or may not include your
initial deposit in the total, also, so make sure you're clear on that. A
typical wagering requirement of 15x means that if you deposit $100 and accept
a $100 bonus, that equals $200; 15x wagering required on that means you must
turnover $3000 in total bets, win or lose, before requesting a cash out.
Excluded Games or a
Percentage of Games - Most,
if not all, casinos have a list of games that you're not allowed to play to
fulfill the wagering requirements for the bonus; or they may count only a
certain percentage of these games played, i.e., 10% of most video poker games,
2% of Classic Blackjack, etcetera. These games typically include
Blackjack, Craps, certain bets on Roulette, and some casinos are now starting
to exclude certain or all Video Poker games. Make sure you check the bonus
Terms & Conditions
each time you accept a bonus, if you're hoping to cash out the bonus.
Sticky Bonuses - This is a newer trend with the online casinos which is
actually making it a bit easier for the true recreational gambler. Sticky
bonuses are never cashable, which means you can use the bonus to gamble with
and, if you win anything from it, you can cash out the winnings but not the
bonus. There are usually still wagering requirements, but they're usually
significantly lower. Some casinos will remove the bonus from your account when
you cash out winnings, but a few are starting to leave it there indefinitely
until the time that you lose it during your play. A very cool new trend.
Identification
Requirements
When you cash out winnings from an online casino, you will be asked for
Identification documentation at some point, in the same manner as when you're
asked to show the cashier your Drivers License when you write a check or use
your credit card at your hometown stores. You'll usually only have to provide it
once per casino, and sometimes not until you cash out over a certain amount.
They'll ask you for a copy of a valid Drivers License with a photo, and usually
a current utility bill (the utility bill is to verify the name & address on the
license). If you don't have a utility bill in your name, they'll accept cell
phone bills, credit card statements, bank statements, etc.; just black out the
personal financial info you don't want to send, but leave the pre-printed name
and address info clearly showing for them to see.
They'll ask you to Fax this - don't. Fax machines are
notorious for making documents like this unreadable which is going to frustrate
both you and the casino. The best way to send this info is to scan it, make it a
readable, but manageable size .jpg file (picture file), and email it to them. If
you don't have a scanner at home, you can go to your local Kinko's or other
office services shop (or maybe even a Cyber Cafe) and have your documents
scanned onto a CD or Floppy disk you can take home with you to use for several
months at a time.
Speeding up your Cashouts
Wait! Don't hit that "Reverse Cashout" button! In the past, it was
customary for cashouts from casinos to take an average of 10 days to 3 weeks,
but happily they're getting a lot faster these days. A new trend among
some of the Microgaming casinos, who usually put a minimum 24 hour "pending"
hold on cash outs is to "waive" your pending time or "flush" your
winnings/cashout, both of which start your cashout on its way to you
immediately; you must ask for it, though - they don't do it automatically.
If you use an alternate online banking system such as
NETeller, you can have your cashouts in less than 24 hours. Several online casinos are starting to process instant, or
near instant, cashouts also, so keep an eye out for those when you're looking
for a new casino to play at. I don't believe there's any reason a casino
should need more than 24 hours to process a cashout, and I myself play primarily
at
Instant Cashout casinos these days.
When you do a cash
out for the first time at any casino, I suggest immediately calling, emailing,
or going to their Live Chat to find out their particular cash out procedures so
you can get them what they need. Taking a couple of minutes to do that can
eliminate days from the process.
Alternate Banking Systems
Over the last few years several "Alternate Banking" systems have sprung up to
compensate for the US's attempts to crackdown on credit card usage.
Several of these have been highly successful as far as reputability, security,
and convenience, and if you don't already have any of these accounts, you should
strongly consider opening one or two to maintain your flexibility. In
addition, many of the online casinos offer extra deposit bonuses for using
alternate banking. Here's
a partial list of the major ones;
NETeller -
No longer accepting US players
- By far, the most useable, secure and dependable
alternate banking system out there - and most recommended. I've personally
been with them for nearly 4 years now and have never had a problem. They
offer the 3 major currencies, a Debit card you can use for ATM's
and shopping stores, and you can transfer money in or out via your checking
account or deposit with your credit card. They're very security oriented,
but reasonable with excellent customer service via telephone, so bear with them
if you have any minor security issues crop up.
InstaDebit
- No longer accepting US players - InstaDebit has only been around for about a year now, but they've grown in
popularity very rapidly. They offer instant checkwriting from your bank
account, with no fees, and you can deposit to the casino the minute you
register as long as you pass some security questions. Limits are $400/week
and your account can be used for both gambling and online pharmaceuticals.
MoneyBookers
- No longer accepting US players - MoneyBookers has been
out for about a year now and is a more Non-US based alternate banking system
that's started providing several additional services such as escrow,
faxes, and more to their customers. In addition to US dollars, they
operate with a HUGE amount of Euro, Asian, AU, Mid
Eastern, and African currencies, making them the alternate
banking system of choice for non-US residents.
Click2Pay
- Not accepting any new US players at this time
- The newest of the alternate banking systems,
Click2Pay is being picked up by many, many online casinos as the newest
alternate deposit method. Click2Pay operates with all 3 major
currencies and now offers a Debit card for ATM withdrawals.
Click2Pay allows you to either pre-fund your Click2Pay account from your bank
account, or you can deposit directly to the casino using a credit card that
Click2Pay has previously verified.
Firepay -
No longer accepting US players -
Firepay has been around for several years, but with the new US legislation, is useable only by
Canadian residents now. Funds can
be instantly transferred between Firepay and your bank account, and each
transfer costs $3.99. Limits are initially $500/week, but go up as your
checks successfully clear your account each week.
Conclusion
If you find yourself having a problem with an online casino and not able to get
it resolved, your first step should be to contact the portal owner whose site
you went through to sign up at the casino. All reputable portal owners
will help you resolve the problem. Usually it gets resolved very quickly
at that point because we're used to the system and know who to contact, but if
we can't, we know how to get to the next level.
More information will be added
to this page as it comes up, so check back from time to time for updating.
Good luck in all your gambling!
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