There are two types of casinos, online and land-based, and here at Slots Play Casinos, we have found that there are different elements to look for depending on which type of casino you want to play at.
Here are Things to Look for at an Online Casino:
- Certification and regulation by a respected authority.
- A good welcome package and other excellent deposit bonus promotions.
- A wide range of games.
- The casino should offer European Roulette.
- A variety of blackjack and video poker options.
- Safe and secure deposit options and a variety of these options.
- Easy withdrawal.
- A top-grade mobile gaming app.
- The casino pays 3-2 for a blackjack.
- The casino pays 9-6 for a full house and a flush in video poker.
- The casino pays out about 97% of all wagers in slots.
- The casino publishes a blog with articles that help gamers win more.
- The casino does not require you to download the casino.
- The casino offers unlimited free play.
Here are Things to Look for at a Land-based Casino
- The casino is regulated and certified by a respected authority.
- Easy options for buying chips or credits.
- The casino pays 3-2 for a blackjack.
- The casino pays 9-6 for a full house and a flush in video poker.
That’s it!
As you can see, online casinos have to offer a lot more than land-based casinos offer, and that is why we recommend playing at online casinos.
Let us explain.
What are a Welcome Package and Other Promotions at an Online Casino?
In the very early days of online casinos, circa the 1990’s, online casinos offered deposit bonuses. The reasoning behind the bonus offers was that, by the nature of playing at an online casino, players would leave their money on deposit at the online casino.
However, some players accepted these bonuses and cashed out immediately.
This led online casinos to impose a wagering requirement on bonuses. The wagering requirement is a factor of the bonus before being able to withdraw winnings.
In addition to players at land-based casinos wanting to cash out when they leave the casino, the wagering requirement makes it functionally impossible for a land-based casino to offer a deposit bonus.
Thus, players always cash out at a land-based casino, so these casinos never offer deposit bonuses. Therefore, a player looking for a land-based casino should not expect to be offered a deposit bonus.
The bonuses now being offered by the casinos Slots Play Casinos recommends and many other online casinos that we don’t yet recommend number in the thousands of dollars.
Online Casinos Offer a Wide Range of Games
At a land-based casino, slots are played at terminals, as is video poker. Blackjack, roulette, and craps tables take up a lot of space. The upshot is that most (if not all) land-based casinos in the United States offer only American Roulette, where the house edge is double the house edge in European Roulette.
Land-based casinos cannot have blackjack tables for every variation of blackjack because they need the space for slots. Online casinos can and do offer many variations of blackjack and video poker.
A land-based casino might have more slots than an online casino has, but it has only a few (at most) terminals of the slots they offer. That means that some players might have to wait to play the slot they came to play. It also gives players the incentive to stay at one terminal instead of checking out other games.
Online Casinos Flat Out Pay out More
Land-based casinos have massive operating costs. They need to maximize revenues. This leads many, and a growing number of land-based casinos, to pay out only 6-5 for a blackjack. A good online casino, such as the ones we recommend, holds the line at the traditional payout of 3-2 for a blackjack.
An increasing number of land-based casinos pay out only 8-5 or even 7-5 for a full house and a flush in video poker, while a good online casino pays out 9-6.
Land-based casinos calibrate the random number generator in slots to return about 90% or less to players, while high-level online casinos return about 97% to gamers.
Players At Land-based Casinos Play Too Much
This is the hidden weakness of land-based casino play. You go for a long weekend. You look forward to the excitement of being in a place like Las Vegas. What you didn’t expect is that you end up playing for hours upon hours, and you usually have to buy more chips or casino credits along the way.
Some people say that playing at an online casino is actually worse in this regard. But the easy availability of an online casino makes stopping much easier. You can always come back the next day and play for 30 minutes again. There is never any need to play on and on.
In addition, Instant Play makes it easy to go from one casino to another when you play online. This gives a lot more variety to your casino gaming.
Land-based Casinos Offer Goodies That are Not Goodies at All
Here we are mainly talking about free alcohol. A player who takes one free alcoholic drink will lose some cognitive function, and land-based casinos thrive on players with lowered cognitive function.
We tell gamers all the time to wait until after the gaming is over to have a drink, especially with friends.
Another goody with a hidden downside is free meals at the buffet. When a player hits the buffet, they tend to overeat by a lot. This tires them out as they try to digest the bizarre combination of foods they just ate. A tired player will make mistakes at the casino, so the free meal pays the casino back many times over.
The Random Number Generator Allows for Online Casino Gaming
All online games are controlled by the random number generator. Without the random number generator, there could be no online casinos at all. All games at a land-based casino that are played at a terminal are also controlled by the random number generator.
Here is the single weakness of games run by the random number generator at land-based casinos. The RNG can be calibrated in slots. It cannot be calibrated for a specific return to player rate in video poker, for example. The only game where the RNG can be calibrated is slots. A good online casino will calibrate slots for a return to player rate of about 97%. Land-based casinos calibrate the RNG to return 90% or less to players.
This is why we say that the random number generator is perfect for online casino gaming.
Slots Play Casinos Has Over 30 Recommended Online Casinos
No doubt, we will review and recommend other online casinos over time. At the present time, we are busy compiling a vast library of guides and articles to help gamers get the most fun and entertainment out of casino gaming and to avoid the many pitfalls of playing at land-based casinos.
COME TO SLOTS PLAY CASINOS OFTEN!
