Online Casino Main Page
Online Casino Resources
Why Online Casino Community? What Are Online Casino Practices?
The online casino is a relatively new phenomenon. But in the age of
the Internet, an online casino community was inevitable. This
website is devoted to exploring the online casino community and also
devoted to examining and discussing online casino practices. We
have every intention of expanding the site to include a forum and a blog
soon, in keeping with the community theme. We also plan to update this
site regularly with online casino news.
What's An Online Casino?
We define "online casino" pretty loosely here. As far as we're concerned, an online casino is any website where you can place a bet of any kind. Most online casino websites have a narrower definition. Those sites focus more on blackjack or slot machine type casinos, but in our broader definition, online poker sites, online bingo sites, even online instant scratchoff ticket websites count as online casinos. The defining characteristics of an online casino then are the following:
- Online casinos are accessed via the Internet.
- Online casinos accept bets.
Our definition is broader than most definitions, but we think that makes the amount of content we can cover on this website broader and more interesting.
Are Online Casinos Legal?
The answer to whether or not online casinos are legal is a matter of some uncertainty and debate. The courts and the laws have different definitions regarding what constitutes online wagering and of what kind. The Wire Act in the USA, for example, applies to betting on sports via any type of wire device. (Originally the telephone.) And the US government has arrested and convicted sportsbook owners who conducted business on the Internet. But as of yet, no arrests related to online poker or online casinos have been made, possibly because the illegality is more uncertain.
The short answer to the question is that it depends on where you live. In some states in the USA, playing at an online casino for real money is explicitly prohibited by law.
What Are Common Online Casino Practices?
Common online casino practices include some of the following:
- Offering free chips as a bonus for setting up a real money account.
- Requiring a certain amount of wagers before allowing those free chips to be cashed out.
- Offering downloadable versions of online casino games which are powered by a random number generator.
- Operating somewhere outside the USA.
- Having a license for running a gaming business. These licenses are usually handled in countries like Kahnawake, Antigua, or the Isle of Man.
Some casinos online have bad practices. They usually wind up on someone's "rogue online casino" list or "casino blacklist". We'll cover some of the practices that a bad or rogue casino might have that would make you want to avoid playing there in a future article.
Our plan is to update this site with a new article every day, 5 days a week.