There are so many options for gambling on the internet that it can make your head spin. Both of the main forms of gambling, sports betting and casino games, are tremendously popular right now.
That is why there are lots of sites offering people the chance to indulge in those activities. For the most part that is a good thing: competition makes the sites raise their standards, creating better experiences for you, the customer.
The amount of choice available makes it harder to find the really good gambling sites though. It also means there are lots that should be avoided at all costs.
That is why we are supplying this guide to what to look for in a gambling site, which will cover all of the main points to bear in mind.
Strong Games Selection
Whether you are looking for an online casino or sports betting site, you will want to find one that has a decent selection of games to put bets on. Otherwise you will quickly become bored and have to start the search all over again.
A good way to narrow things down is to look at a casino or sports bet comparison site, such as Bonus Finder. A site like this focuses on online casino real moneyoptions and breaks down the best casinos based on factors such as how many games they have.
The alternative is to just do some shopping around between different sites. You will be able to check out their selections of games before committing yourself to them. That is the longer and slower way of finding ones with lots of gaming variety though.
A casino site should have plenty of slot games as well as roulette, blackjack, poker and baccarat games. A sports betting one should feature both US and European sports.
Varied and Secure Payment Methods
A gambling site should have multiple ways in which you can deposit money into your account with them, as well as withdraw any cash you win. Alongside bank transfers, those options should encompass e-wallets (PayPal, Neteller etc.) and credit cards.
In addition to having lots of different ways to deposit and take out money, all of those methods must be fully secure though. Making payments over the internet can be a risky business, so you need to know the site takes the security of your financial data seriously.
SSL data encryption software is something that every gambling site should have installed for just that purpose. Check the payments page to see that this is the case before setting up an account.
Bonuses and Promotions
Both casinos and sports bet sites use bonuses, although they work in different ways. That is the next thing that you need to look into from the start.
This is partly about seeing whether there are attractive bonuses for new players and loyalty ones for longstanding customers, but that is not all there is to it. You should look closely at the terms and conditions attached to the bonuses, as they will determine the overall value of them.
For example, it may sound great if a casino site offers a matched deposit bonus for a new player, but if the minimum deposit needed to qualify for it is set very high, most people will not be able to take advantage of it. Always read the small print related to any bonus offers before deciding whether a site is worth your time or not.
Customer Service Standard
The next key thing that you should find out about before you sign up with a gambling site is how good their customer service is. Remember, you will be putting real money on the line so you want to be sure that they will respond rapidly to any problems.
The contact options should be easy to find on the website and there should be more than one way of getting in touch. An email address, social media support, telephone number and live chat function are all good customer service methods.
A smart way to test the quality of the customer service is to contact them with a simple query, just to see how quickly they get back to you.
Site Layout and Software
Take a look around a gambling site before signing up and ask yourself: is the layout simple and logical and can you find what you are looking for easily. Good web design is indicative of overall quality.
Lastly, check what software is used for the games when choosing a site. For instance, online casinos should deploy random number generators to provide a guarantee that the games are totally fair to the players.
If you are careful and do some research before betting money you can have a great time gambling online.