Online Casinos – Guide to Real Money Gambling

Free casino games vs. online casinos for real money

Many players like the idea of playing casino games online with real cash, though they are not sure where to start. Online casinos give you an option to try out these games for free.

This can be entertaining in its own right. While the excitement levels for free casino games will never truly match up with real money bets, you can enjoy bonus rounds, side bets and gaming action for free.

You’ll usually need to register for an account at one of the top online casinos to try out the casino games online for free. Registering will give you access to hundreds of slot titles and table games you can play against the software.

Although live dealer casino games are not usually available to try for free, you will be able to watch these games to get an idea of how they work.

As you will see, casinos offer free cash to their new players with no deposit. This gives you a no-cost opportunity to play free casino games and a chance at winning real money.

Play online casino games for real money

Before you play any casino game for real money, you need to choose a legitimate site for your location.

The following list provides you with the best options for real money casino gambling. Included in this list are casinos for NJ, PA and the rest of the Canada with no deposit and deposit bonuses available.

For residents of Quebec and Ontario, you have several options that are regulated at the state level. We expect more Provinces to follow suit.

For other states, gambling sites that use a sweepstakes model like Chumba Casino can legally allow casino gaming for cash prizes.

After scoping out new online casino sites and verifying that the casino is reputable (see our casino reviews for legal options), you’ll need to create an account and make your first deposit.

Now you can choose from a wide range of casino games. Most of these are slots, many of which have large progressive jackpots.

You will also find table games like  roulette and blackjack, video poker, and, at some casinos, live dealer games where you bet on the outcome of a table game in real time.

While playing online casino games with real cash is easy, many factors can improve your returns. These include taking advantage of online gambling bonus offers, receiving comps and rewards, and choosing games with the lowest house edge.

How do sweepstakes casinos work?

Outside of the regulated states, online casinos legally offer real money games using historical sweepstakes gambling laws. Examples include Chumba Casino and Luckyland Slots.

As a player, a sweepstakes casino appears to work in the same way as an online casino site, though the difference is how you deposit and gamble.

Since sweepstakes casinos can’t legally accept your money directly for real chips, you can buy “gold coins” aka virtual money. These funds are for entertainment only and have no direct monetary value.

What sweepstakes casinos do is give you “Sweeps Coins” free with every purchase. You can use this virtual currency to enter sweepstakes contests with real money prizes.

Now, every time you use your Sweeps Coins to spin on a slot or bet on a table game, you are entering a mini-sweepstakes contest. If you win, you’ll be able to exchange your Sweeps Coins for real money.

This might seem complicated, but once you play at a sweepstakes casino for money, you’ll find the experience seamless.

New players can get free Sweeps Coins to try out these games:

• Chumba Casino’s offer: $2 free (no deposit needed), plus $10 more matched to your first deposit.
• Luckyland Slots’ offer: Make a purchase of $4.99 and receive $10 in Sweeps Coins and gold coins (Your first purchase is half price.).

Maximizing online casino no deposit bonuses

Almost all Canada online casinos for real money offer you free cash solely by signing up.

These free cash bonus offers usually involve small amounts ($2-$20, typically). There are often terms and conditions. Smart players can take advantage of these offers, using them to start a casino bankroll.

Here are some things to look for when you are comparing no deposit casino bonuses:

• Look for deals with the smallest play through, aka wagering requirement.
• Check whether you can withdraw the free cash or whether it is only for play (with the winnings withdrawable).
• See if there is a cap on the amount you can win.
• Verify if you can win a progressive jackpot with your free bonus cash.
• Find out if you can play table games or if the money is only for online slots.

The best free cash bonus offers have a small play through requirement with the bonus, plus any withdrawable winnings when it is complete.

Keep in mind, ongoing rewards at a real money online casino are even more important than these no deposit bonus deals. The best online casino sites have regular promos and loyalty rewards for their regular players. These will keep your bankroll topped off long after the initial free cash is spent.

First deposit casino bonuses and how to clear them

After you have checked out a casino with a no deposit bonus, you will be ready for the biggest bonuses of all: matched welcome offers.

These match your first deposit, which is usually at 100%. You’ll receive bonus money, and you will need to ‘clear’ it by betting on casino games and slots. It then moves to your real money account, where it can be withdrawn or used for further play.

On the surface, many of these bonuses look similar. For example, several casinos offer a 100% match casino bonus of up to $100. When you look into the details, there are some significant differences.

A key factor to look out for is the play through requirement to clear your bonus. This condition is the number of times you need to wager your bonus money before you can withdraw it.

Here are some examples to demonstrates this:

• Real Money Casino A: A 100% match of up to $100 with a 5x play through requirement. If you deposit the full amount, you need to wager $500 to clear this bonus.
• Real Money Casino B: A 100% match of up to $100 with a 20x play through requirement. Here you need to wager a full $2,000 to clear this bonus.

If you are playing a slot machine with a house edge of 4%, the requirement to gamble $2,000 can have a significant effect on the money you will have left. Of course, you might hit the positive side of variance, and end up with a big win.

Many games are weighted for bonus clearing. Here is a typical weighting system:

• Slots, scratch cards and keno: 100%
• Casino table games: 20%
• Video poker: 10%
• Craps and Canadian roulette: Zero

If you want to clear your bonus playing table games, you’ll need to wager 5x as much. Using the two casino examples, Casino A would require $2,500 in bets, and Casino B would need $10,000.

Playing excluded, or zero-rated games, will not clear your bonus at all. At some real money casinos, this might even cause your bonus to be withdrawn.

Finally, matched welcome bonuses have time limits, so make sure you get the wagering done before it expires.

Guide to real money casino apps

These days, all of the online casino Canada sites work within your browser. This means the casino website responds to the size of your screen. You’ll get the full-size version if you access the casino via your desktop, and a mobile-friendly version if you access it with your smartphone.

That said, there are dedicated casino apps available from many regulated brands. Where you download these from depends on your device. If you have an iPhone or iPad, you can head over to Apple’s app store.

Android users will not find any casino apps in the Google Play store. Instead, you can download these directly from the casino website. Note, you’ll need to OK prompts warning you about downloading from an “unknown source.”

Online casino apps do have some advantages. You’ll find you’ll have full account management and cashier functionality. With the graphics held on your phone, slots will initiate faster compared to the browser games.

The disadvantage is that the game selection can be smaller – significantly smaller in some cases.

How to deposit at a real money casino site

Once you have selected a legitimate casino, you’ll need to get your initial bankroll on board to play casino games with real money. With regulated casinos, there are a lot of secure deposit options. These are the same brands you’ll use to make online purchases.

The real money deposit method you choose depends on your preference. Some players are happy to use their credit cards, and others prefer a third-party system to keep their bank accounts and the casinos separated.

Here are the most popular online casino deposit options:

• PayPal: You can use this popular wallet at sweepstakes casinos and many brands in regulated states. The buyer protection, its simplicity and familiarity more than make up for the small fee.
• Credit and debit cards: You can use Visa and Mastercard at most online casino websites. Most banks allow these transactions, though a small number of payments will be declined. Prepaid cards (some branded by the casinos) are an alternative when this happens.
• ACH transfers: Writing an e-check via ACH typically requires three-plus days for funds to clear. Casinos get around this by using a third party (for example, VIP preferred). You go through a simple verification process, then you can instantly transfer money using e-checks.
• Bill pay and bank transfer: Some state casinos offer deposits via your bank in the same way you would pay a utility bill. A list of approved banks (including all the big brands) is available.
• Live casino cashier: In Quebec and Ontario, you can take cash to the casino cage of the brand associated with each online casino.
• PayNearMe: You can also take cash (along with a barcode from your casino) to a 7-Eleven convenience store in regulated states.
• Wire or cashier’s check: For larger amounts, these traditional and sometimes slower deposit methods are also available at some regulated casinos.

Online casino software and game options

These days, all casino software is online and accessible via your web browser.

In the past, you would have to download software packages that tied you to a single studio. Having the games based on your browser allows the casinos to pick and choose games and slots from the top studios which gives you the best online casino experience.  This includes SG Games, Bally and Konami. Atlantic City slots are a great example.

This creates a welcome problem. The best real money online casinos have so many games that you need some way to find your favorites – or at least to explore the list of your preferred game type.

Most software uses high-level categories: slots, table games, live dealer games and so on. Then, each page has a list of filters that can help narrow your selections by the studio, by type or whether they include a jackpot.

Apps use a similar navigation system, though as mentioned above, don’t have the full selection of games that you will find in browser software.

You might discover sports betting and online poker included on some sites. These are separate areas, though can be linked via an ID and single wallet.

With so many games to choose from, new players will need some time to experiment and find their favorites.

The sections below give you an overview of what to expect from the broad categories of real money casino games.

What are the most popular real money casino games?

The most popular real money games are slot machines, with blackjack coming in a close second. It doesn’t stop at just blackjack or slots. Online casinos have multiple games available for you to choose from with bets ranging from 0.01 up to a few hundred dollars.

This list outlines the most popular real money casino games followed by a detailed summary of how each casino game works:

• Slots
• Blackjack
• Craps
• Roulette
• Live Dealer Casino Games
• Video Poker
• Baccarat
• Scratch-offs
• Slingo
• Virtual Sports
• Baccarat

How to cash out

If you win real money at the casino, you’ll need to get it back into your bank account.

With regulated, legal Canada online casinos, there are several methods to achieve this. Which you choose will be partly determined by which deposit method you chose, and partly determined by what each casino offers.

Here are the most common options:

• PayPal: If you made your deposit with PayPal, you could also withdraw.
• ACH transfer or bank transfer: An e-check can be wired electronically to your account.
• Paper check: This is a handy default option where your deposit method does not allow for withdrawals. Checks are mailed to you and are welcomed by the banks.
• Cash at cage: In the regulated states, you can collect your winnings at the cage of the sponsoring, license-holding casinos.
• Debit card: This withdrawal method is for the regulated states, though only for some casinos with branded prepaid cards.

Fair gaming and security

Making sure you get a fair deal and that your money used at online casinos is safe is the No. 1 reason to choose legal Canada casino sites. If you venture offshore, you are taking a risk and will never be entirely sure that you are getting a fair deal.

Fair gaming involves software known as a Random Number Generator. Legitimate casinos will have this software (that controls the spin of slots and deal of cards) tested by third-party auditing companies. Look out for certification, if you have any doubts.

Security of your deposit and account details is important. Look for https in the URL of your casino before you submit any credit card data.

By sticking to the biggest and best-known brand names, security and fair gaming should not be a concern. Those brands have a lot to lose should their reputation be tarnished by issues in these areas – and take security very seriously.

KYC: What is it and why is it important?

Know Your Customer, aka KYC, is a security process which is implemented by banks and financial services, as well at the top Canada online casinos.

The idea is to prevent fraud and money laundering by implementing ID checks on all players. These checks protect you as well as the casinos. By keeping the industry clean, KYC helps make it possible to offer these games.

You should expect casinos to request ID documents and a proof of address when you deposit. Depending on which deposit method you use, you might also need to provide a screenshot or copy of your card.

Conclusion: Legal online casinos for real money are available

Regulated and legal casino gaming is now widely available.

Provinces are licensing casino brands and Sweeps Coins casinos cover many other jurisdictions. To get the best from real money casinos, you need to understand how the terms and conditions affect bonus offers. Weightings and play through requirements vary between casinos.

Once you get a bonus and deposit money, a lot of different gaming options are available. With hundreds of real money slots, video poker, table games and live dealer casinos, there is plenty of action to keep you entertained.