With over half of physical casinos still closed due to the COVID-19 concerns, and those who are open no longer offer buffets or entertainment shows, it's a sure bet that now, more than ever, gamblers are having a dabble at online casinos. But what are the elements that mark a good online casino? What should gamblers who have never previously gambled online look for? No fear mate. In this short article, we offer Online Gaming 101 so you will be in the know.

The first issue is finding a licensed online casino

There are but a few online licenses in the world that are worth a dam. And by saying worth a dam we mean if a player has a problem with the casino, for example, they hit a jackpot worth $25,000  and the casino only wants to pay $2,000, the licensing body will look into it. These three bodies are the UK Gambling Commission, the Malta Gaming Authority, and the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. Of the three, the UK Gambling Commission is the most strict and simultaneously offers the best protection.The Malta Gaming Association, which perhaps licenses 80 per cent of the world's online casinos.

Look for fast payouts

Besides looking for an online casino that is licensed, probably the second most important thing to look for is how quickly will the casino payout on winnings. Remember that in a physical casino such as Caesars Windsor, if you win $10,000 on the craps tables, you can take those chips, go to the cashier, and get paid today. Not so with an online casino. The better online casinos will pay off within one to two days at the most. Sometimes much faster. On the other handsome casinos take a week or more to get your winnings. So how do you know which is which? Two ways. The first is carefully examine the casino's website. Information about winning payoffs may be buried under the terms and conditions, but trust us, it will be there somewhere. Not only should you know before you play when to expect payment but in what form. If you funded your account on the online casino with a credit card, expect 24 hours at the latest. However, if you funded your account by wire transfer, naturally you can expect it will take several days to process. Don't just take the casino's word for it though. We recommend reading at least 5 online reviews of the fastest payout online casinos to see if they really payout in a timely manner. Another thing to be cautious of is daily or weekly payout limits. You may be surprised to find out that if you win $25,00 on a slot machine blackjack, that you can only get $2,000 a week as a payout. Many casinos place a limit of $7,000 to $10,000 per week which certainly accommodates most players, but read before you sign up.

Player deposits

The third element you will probably want to investigate is player deposits. In their excitement to play, many new online players haven't quite caught on to the fact that they are dealing with an online casino thousands of miles away. Unlike the physical casinos, they might be used to where they may hand over $500 and instantly be provided with $500 worth of chips if they want, the first thing required after you register an account, is to deposit the money. The first and best way to fund an online casino gambling site is via credit card, Skrill or Netteller however, realize there was a time when practically no bank that would allow funding of off-shore casinos. That has changed, not for all.  Instead of putting in a payment of $1,000, they might order a payment of $1,003.85. Apparently, the bank's computers look for even amounts. The second way to get around credit card blocks is to send the money to an online processer, who in turn forwards the money to the casino. Regardless of the case, you need to know all of the ways available to make a deposit and how long it typically takes to process each payment method. Just remember, in the vast majority of cases. winnings will be paid out exactly in the same way they are provided in.

The games

Probably the next thing you will want to look at is the available games. If you are a slot player, then obviously you will want to find a casino with a lot of slot games by your favourite provider such as Netent or Thunderkick. But if you prefer table games such as blackjack, roulette or craps, generally one casino is just as good as another.

The bottom line

Realize that there are plenty of differences between playing at an online casino as compared to a physical casino. You want to make sure it's licensed and has a reputation for fairness, and you want to make sure that you can easily deposit money, win, and then withdraw money.