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What is
a Online
Casino?
Online
casinos,
also
known as
virtual
casinos
or
internet
casinos,
are
online
versions
of
traditional
("brick
and
mortar")
casinos.
Online
casinos
enable
gamblers
to play
and
wager on
casino
games
through
the
Internet.
Online
casinos
generally
offer
odds and
payback
percentages
that are
comparable
to
land-based
casinos.
Some
online
casinos
claim
higher
payback
percentages
for slot
machine
games,
and some
publish
payout
percentage
audits
on their
websites.
Assuming
that the
online
casino
is using
an
appropriately
programmed
random
number
generator,
table
games
like
blackjack
have an
established
house
edge.
The
payout
percentage
for
these
games
are
established
by the
rules of
the
game.
Reliability
and
trust
issues
are
commonplace
and
often
questioned.
Many
online
casinos
lease or
purchase
their
software
from
well-known
companies
like
Microgaming,
Realtime
Gaming,
Playtech,
and
CryptoLogic
Inc in
an
attempt
to
"piggyback"
their
reputation
on the
software
manufacturer's
credibility.
These
software
companies
either
use or
claim to
use
random
number
generators
to
ensure
that the
numbers,
cards or
dice
appear
randomly.
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Online
casino
types
Online
casinos
can be
divided
into
three
groups
based on
their
interface:
web-based
casinos,
download-based
casinos,
and more
recently
live
casinos.
Some
casinos
offer
multiple
interfaces.
Web-based
online
casinos
Web-based
online
casinos
are
websites
where
users
may play
casino
games
without
downloading
software
to the
local
computer.
Games
are
mainly
represented
in the
browser
plugins
Macromedia
Flash,
Macromedia
Shockwave,
or Java
and
require
browser
support
for
these
plugins.
Also,
bandwidth
is
needed
since
all
graphics,
sounds
and
animations
are
loaded
through
the web
via the
plugin.
Some
online
casinos
also
allow
gameplay
through
a plain
HTML
interface.
Download-based
online
casinos
Download-based
online
casinos
require
the
download
of the
software
client
in order
to play
and
wager on
the
casino
games
offered.
The
online
casino
software
connects
to the
casino
service
provider
and
handles
contact
without
browser
support.
Download-based
online
casinos
generally
run
faster
than
web-based
online
casinos
since
the
graphics
and
sound
programs
are
located
within
the
software
client,
rather
than
having
to be
loaded
from the
Internet.
On the
other
hand,
the
initial
download
and
installation
of a
download-based
online
casino
client
does
take
time. As
with any
download
from the
Internet,
the risk
of the
program
containing
malware
does
exist.
Live-based
casinos
Live-based
casino
gaming
allows
web
players
to
interact
with
games
played
in a
real
world
casino
environment.
Online
players
can see,
hear,
and
interact
with
live
dealers
at
tables
in
casino
studios
worldwide.
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Signup
bonuses
Many
online
casinos
offer
signup
bonuses
to new
players
making
their
first
deposit.
These
bonuses
normally
match a
percentage
of the
player's
deposit
with a
dollar
maximum,
and
almost
all
online
casino
signup
bonuses
require
a
minimum
amount
of
wagering
before
allowing
a cash
out. Gameplay
at
specific
casino
games
might be
excluded
from the
wagering
requirement
calculation.
A
fictional
signup
bonus
offer
follows
as an
example:
The
online
casino
offers
new
players
a
deposit
matching
bonus of
100%, up
to $100
The
player
must
wager 25
times
the
total
amount
of the
deposit
plus the
bonus
before
withdrawing
Wagers
on
baccarat,
craps,
roulette,
and sic
bo do
not
count
towards
meeting
wagering
requirements
For this
particular
example,
this
would
mean
that a
player
depositing
$100
would
start
with
$200 in
his
account.
The
player
must
make
$5000
($200 ×
25) in
wagers
before
being
allowed
to make
a
withdrawal.
Advantage
play,
bonus
hunting,
in
casino
signup
bonus
situations
is
mathematically
possible.
For
example,
the
house
edge in
blackjack
is
roughly
0.5%. In
the
example
above,
$5000 in
wagering
with a
house
edge of
0.5%
will
result
in an
expected
loss of
$25.
Since
the
player
received
a $100
signup
bonus,
the
player
has an
expected
profit
of $75.
Advantage
players
who use
bonus
offers
for an
expected
profit
may be
called
"bonus
hunters",
"bonus
abusers",
or
"bonus
whores".
Some
online
casinos
have
restrictions
regarding
"the
spirit
of the
bonus
offer"
which
they
sometimes
use as a
deterrent
to what
they
consider
"bonus
abuse".
Players
should
carefully
read
terms &
conditions
before
claiming
a bonus.
Some
casinos
have
terms
and
conditions
that are
not
favorable
to the
player,
such as
restricting
play to
slots
(slots
typically
have one
of the
highest
house
edges of
all
games).
Other
casinos
are not
reputable
and may
pay
slowly
or may
find
excuses
to avoid
paying
winnings.
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