Many gamblers and poker players find themselves asking the question,
“How do I know where is the best place to play?”.
Before gambling laws were relaxed, choices were limited and, in a way, that made life simpler. However, there is now an enormous range of online and offline casinos and poker rooms. While some players will feel they have found a ‘home’ site, many might find themselves aimlessly wandering around, not quite sure where to play their cards. Fortunately, help is at hand.
As disclosed by Hannah Cutajar,
“I always read the casino reviews to help me decide whether to sign up with a new site. Getting someone else’s first-hand experience at a casino gives you a much better insight. If I’m being especially thorough, I like to check forums and app store reviews, too. Even as an expert reviewer, I can sometimes feel overwhelmed by the choice and range of playing options available. Sometimes, we all need a bit of a guide to get us to the right site to suit our playing style.”
Hannah works for the online iGaming review site Casino.org, whose mission is to make your life easier and help you avoid the bear traps of unscrupulous operators and downright illegal sites. She goes on to say
“Gambling and poker laws are pretty complicated in the USA. It used to be relatively simple; it was mostly illegal, and you needed to hop on a plane to Las Vegas or Atlantic City or join an exclusive club somewhere. However, now there are thousands of online sites that US citizens can access, and if people are not careful, they might find themselves on a site that does not have their best interests at heart. Our advice is for players first to check out if playing online casino games or online poker is even legal in their state.”
“While gambling rules have been relaxed across the country, it is sports betting that is the most widely available legal option. Ever since the Supreme Court struck down the PASPA gambling restrictions as unconstitutional, more and more states have opened up betting opportunities for residents, and the industry has been booming. In fact, now more than half of US states allow gambling in one form or another. However, the same regulations do not apply to online casino games and poker. While the landscape is expanding, many people need a helping hand to traverse it to avoid making mistakes or accidentally placing illegal wagers. The great news is in virtually every US state, online social and sweeps casinos are legal, so most people can play one way or another”.
“US casino regulation happens at a state level, so different online casinos are available depending on your location. Real money online casino gambling is legal in:
⦁ Pennsylvania
⦁ Michigan
⦁ New Jersey
⦁ West Virginia
⦁ Connecticut
⦁ Rhode Island
⦁ Delaware
Online casinos in these states will proudly display their licenses from organizations like the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, Michigan Gaming Control Board, New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, and the West Virginia Lottery. Checking for these is an easy way to check you’re playing at a safe casino. You will also know you are playing on a safe and legal casino if it is reviewed on Casino.org, as we don’t ever steer our readers in the direction of any dodgy operators”.
In fact, Hannah goes on to explain,
“We have a twenty-five-stage objective review process, against which we score all the casinos. This allows us to compare ‘apples with apples’ even if the casinos offer different games. We think it is imperative that we give impartial, data-driven advice. We do not accept payments from companies to boost their ratings. They must be good enough across a wide range of criteria to be worthy of a recommendation. We check out fairness, safety and security. We take a good look at the bonuses and promotions. Then we set up an account, try out the payment methods on offer and stress-test customer support. We only ever sign off a casino that has responsive customer service options that offer real solutions”.
“Once we know an online casino is ‘good to go’, we look at the casino games on offer and the software operators. We rate casinos based on variety and unique games, too. For example, DraftKings is great for exclusive games and features over seventy bespoke titles, while Caesars gets a great score because it works with a wide range of software providers, including NetEnt, IGT, Real Time Gaming and Microgaming”.
“We also want to know what the player experience is like ‘on the go’. Players increasingly expect to find a well-built app available for Android or iOS. If there is no app, our reviewers want to see a fully optimized, lag-free mobile site. Sites should be easily navigable regardless of the device they are played on”.
So that is online casino gambling covered, however, even then, it is not so simple. Again, because of state laws, what can be played varies. Poker players will find that they can only play online poker for real money in Nevada, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Michigan, which is all the more reason why we recommend that you find your sites through a trusted review site like Casino.org. They have a specialist section dedicated to poker. As well as deploying the same twenty-five-stage process for video and live dealer poker games, they also have extensive player guides to make sure you hit the ground running.
As Kenny Rogers famously sang in the song The Gambler,
“You need to know when to hold them,
Know when to fold ’em,
Know when to walk away
And know when to run.”
Hopefully, running will not be required, but knowing the rules and tips is a good way to ensure you get the most out of your online casino and poker play.
Hannah Cutajar concludes,
“Online casinos offer a wide variety of games from stud poker and Texas Hold ’em to the ever-popular five-card draw. There are both live dealer and virtual versions to choose from. You can choose if you want to pit your wits, skill and luck against a computer or compete in real, high-stakes tournaments with professional dealers. If you are going for the latter, you might want to learn to perfect your poker face!”