Online Casinos
Online casinos have revolutionised the world of gambling. While in the past it was necessary to put on a nice jacket and tie and drive to the nearest land-based casino, nowadays it is possible to gamble from home. Online casinos offer a safe and reputable environment, just as real casinos do. This is guaranteed by secure state gambling licences, independent audits and random number generators that ensure fair play.
Best Online Casinos in October 2024
Finding best online casinos is hard. Because although the gambling industry is now under decent legal regulations, there are still black sheep. On this page, we Casino-Okay.com show you the best casinos in our tests. And a little further down, additionally, what to look out for and the best casinos in each case sorted according to different categories. We wish you good luck with your casino experience at the best online casinos in the world:
How do we recognise the best online casinos?
Getting a great bonus is of course something great in the online casino sector. However, it is important to remember that an online casino experience is not just about the bonus. The game selection is also of secondary importance. Because the most important thing, of course, is that a casino must first be reliable. After all, you want your own data to be safe. And payouts always work reliably and quickly.
Apart from this, customer service is also important. Because this is where casinos can make a real difference to players. Friendly, fast and, above all, competent customer service is important. Nothing is worse than feeling alone with your problems in an online casino because the customer service is not competent or even unfriendly. Therefore, we do not make our decision on which online casinos to include in our list of best online casinos carelessly, but take many factors into account.
In our best online casinos we have paid attention to the following points:
Knowledge of the casino
The best online casinos are not only well-known in the industry, but ideally even almost “household names”. At least within the gambling industry however, one should know the company or companies behind an online casino.
Because it is often the case in the online casino sector that a relatively small company starts out as a so-called “White Label” casino. These casinos then often use “turnkey” casino platforms offered by large and well-known companies and build their own brand on top of them.
The problem here is that such small companies then do not even appear in the licence query itself. Instead, you find the name of the casino platform provider. So you don’t really know who is behind such a casino. Not exactly confidence-inspiring. And thus rather less candidates for our list of the best online casinos.
And of course, in the event of a dispute, you want to make sure that the online casino you are arguing with is also sufficiently well-known. After all, a small, anonymous company can also file for insolvency at any time and is thus released from most of the liability.
But well-known online casinos have a reputation to lose. And besides, they are often listed on the stock exchange and therefore not only answerable to regulators and players, but precisely to investors and regulators in the stock markets.
So these well-known casinos are very careful to abide by every rule. And also have some fear of negative press. The market they serve is so large that it is not worth slipping into dubious practices.
The casinos we choose as best online casinos are therefore all very well-known companies. Most of them are listed on the stock exchange and are therefore twice as reliable as many conventional casinos.
Size of the online casino
Of course, it is also important that the companies are large enough to be able to reliably pay out large cash winnings. The more players there are in a particular casino, the higher its revenues will be as well. A good financial cushion and many players are of high importance when it comes to reliability and dependability.
In principle, the same applies here as to the first point. The bigger an online casino is, the more reliable it is. Because no casino would risk the loss of a large number of players to plan something dubious. After all, what you must never forget is that with all casino games there is already fundamentally a advantage to the house built in.
So an online casino doesn’t need to do anything other than have lots of players to make good money. Small casinos, on the other hand, might have trouble with this. Because if there are no players in the casino, its revenues look correspondingly meagre. And that is more of an invitation to stray from the reliable path.
Excellent test results
Casino-Okay.com tests all featured casinos in great detail. We not only look at the casino bonus but also take a look behind the scenes. That means: we look at how many games are available, what the conditions for the bonus and the general terms and conditions look like. And we also research the internet for experiences of satisfied and less satisfied players.
Our test reports are among the most comprehensive you will find on the Internet. We test all casinos in a guaranteed serious and objective manner. At the end of these extensive tests, we rate the respective casinos with an overall score. This includes all factors including seriousness, fairness, bonus, regular promotions and much more..
It therefore goes without saying that the casinos we include in our list of the best online casinos are among the top-rated online casinos on Casino-Okay.com. And this alone is already a good factor in making a decision. Because all casinos with good test results are reliable, reputable and are indeed among the best online casinos.
What makes the best online casinos
The really good online casinos have understood one thing: the player belongs at the centre. They therefore consistently focus on the needs and preferences of their players. Because the times are over when one offered a product and then the buyers for this product came by themselves. Nowadays, it is much more the case that everything you do is strictly geared to your customers. We have therefore compiled a short checklist below that shows what excellent casinos do differently than bad ones.
Regular promotions
The best online casinos have understood that it is cheaper in the long run to retain a player for the long term. In the past, it was often the case that you received a welcome bonus once and the casino then assumed that you would already stay.
Find players, however, then started to always look for a new bonus and sign up at new casinos . It’s understandable, after all. After all, this way one could spend more time in the online casino and was supported a little financially by the respective online casinos.
But it pays off for a good online casino if the player remains loyal for years. That is why they offer regular promotions that make it no longer necessary to change casinos regularly at all. So you get special promotions practically every day at the best online casinos. And through innovative concepts, you can benefit from free spins, cashback and loyalty rewards. By the way, staying loyal to a very good casino is also more worthwhile for you, as a player, than switching regularly.
For one thing, you already know an established casino very well where you have been playing for years. So you don’t need to worry about its respectability. And you know that all winnings will be reliably paid out to you. In addition, you don’t need to constantly re-verify yourself. Because according to surveys, this is one of the more annoying aspects of playing in online casinos.
Once you are verified in an online casino, you do not need to do this again in the future. So you save yourself this effort as well. Of course, it is important that you remain loyal to one of the best online casinos for years. After all, it could be that you play in a bad casino for years and experience so much more gaming fun when you play in a top-class casino.
Individual, outstanding customer service
This is another factor that the best online casinos take to heart. They don’t see customer service as an unpleasant but necessary expense. Rather, they see it as an opportunity to stand out from the crowd of other casinos and build a personal relationship with the player.
Good customer service can turn a good experience into a fantastic one. It has friendly, positive and energetic staff. And always puts customer satisfaction first. Followed by helpfulness, of course. Only when you feel 100% at home as a player are you really playing at one of the best online casinos.
A bombastic game selection
The best online casinos also stand out from the crowd in terms of game selection. Of course, this is not the measure of all things. Because especially the older casino games are still based on the outdated Flash format. This is now not only relatively insecure, but is also not supported by mobile devices. And will soon be completely phased out.
Therefore, it is sometimes better to go for class rather than mass. Nevertheless, good online casinos should of course have a sufficient variety of different casino games. Who would go to a land-based casino where there is only one table game.
And most especially, if a casino wants to retain you for the long term, they should obviously make sure that the game selection is phenomenal.
The best online casinos therefore offer a large selection from different casino game developers. So you can then play there not only games from a particular game developer, but have the bliss of choice. Of course, most people have their favourite games, which can be counted on two hands.
Nevertheless, it pays to play in a casino where you can always try out new games and gain experience, even over many years. Another factor is how many new games are added regularly. Because the developers of casino games do not sleep either, of course.
There are always new great innovations here, which you then naturally want to play yourself as quickly as possible. The best online casinos have these newly developed games quickly in their portfolio and at the same time are constantly working on their own innovative capacity. Live casinos and mobile availability therefore belong to the best online casinos as a matter of course.
Safety
All online casinos you find on Casino-Okay.com are safe. Because if we find a casino that is dubious or unsafe, it is not possible to visit that casino through our website in the first place.
However, we naturally expect the best security from the best online casinos. Besides the normal licensing, such as the licence of the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) or that of the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) the best online casinos also test the randomness of their game outcomes through independent third parties. And have their data protection and quality management system certified by external companies. The same applies to the security of your data and your deposits.
We make sure that the casinos rated in our best online casinos handle your data and money responsibly. Two bank accounts, which on the one hand separate the casino’s money from the players’ credit, are definitely part of this. In addition, we look at whether the casino might sell your data, which would of course lead to a direct exclusion from our leaderboard.
Fast and free payouts
You might not actually believe it, but even in 2019 there are still online casinos that charge money for their payouts. The idea behind this is clear. Such online casinos want to make money from it again when you leave the casino.
And possibly also give you an incentive not to withdraw your balance. Additionally, higher limits are often set when it comes to the minimum amount that can be withdrawn. This means you can deposit at least ten Poundss but only withdraw at least twenty Poundss.
So if you win five Poundss with your ten Pounds stake and thus have fifteen Poundss, you are not allowed to withdraw this already to your bank account. While these procedures are of course not necessarily to be classified as completely dubious, they are at least one thing: unfair.
Casino-Okay.com believes that players should be free to decide when to withdraw their money. That is why only those casinos that do not have such clauses in their terms and conditions make it into our list of the best online casinos.
In addition, some online casinos still take 2-3 days to make a payout. In our opinion, this is also no longer up to date. With the multitude of eWallets and a one-day maximum duration of bank transfers within the SEPA space withdrawals should be instantaneous.
So ideally, you should have your money in your eWallets within a few hours or in your bank account by the next business day at the latest. In our list of the best online casinos, only casinos that process a withdrawal within a maximum of 24-48 hours and are participants in the SEPA procedure make it.
Reputation of the online casino
What you must also never forget is that it is not only the written word and your own experience that can play a role. Rather, we at Casino-Okay.com research every online casino online as well and search forums and the vastness of the internet for bad experiences from other players. Then we look at what their cases are all about.
For sometimes it is true that a casino will deny a payout. For example, if there is actually a money laundering suspicion or if a player has opened a casino account under a false name. We mention these cases, where players are understandably frustrated but the casino is still right, as well as cases where players are treated unfairly.
You will find all these investigations in detail in the test reports in each case. Overall, however, this also plays a big role in our decision as to which casinos we include in our best list. Because not only the case itself plays a role, but also the way a casino reacts to it.
Questions we ask ourselves are, for example: is the casino itself active in the relevant forums and takes care of dissatisfied players there? Does the casino possibly also find goodwill solutions to satisfy players’ needs? How does the casino react to criticism – is it snotty or does it remain professional?
All these tests and considerations may seem a bit harsh at first glance. But if you ever find yourself in the situation where you’re arguing with a casino, you’ll be very thankful that we’ve already felt your way here. Because when you play at one of the best online casinos, you can be sure that a professional and reliable solution will be provided even in the event of a dispute.
Online casinos explained
Online casinos work relatively simply. As a rule, you create a user account in the corresponding online casino. Then you pay an amount into the account. And then you can start playing. However, online casinos also offer some pitfalls that should be avoided if possible.
At Casino-Okay.com we not only explain what to look out for. We also go into the subject of online casinos in general and explain how these virtual casinos work.
Online casinos offer games from different game developers. These game developers can be compared to the developers of slot machines in classic casinos and gambling halls. They also play a very important role, since the game in the online casino mainly takes place on these virtual slot machines, of course.
The developers of these slot machines and casino games are independent of the respective online casino. This alone rules out the possibility of an online casino influencing the game outcomes. From a technical point of view, this means that if you log into an online casino, for example, and then play the Starburst slot machine there, you are actually playing on the server of the game developer NetEnt.
The casino itself pays a fee to the casino game developers. In return, the online casino is allowed to offer the games. It receives a code from the respective game developer, which the casino can then embed on its website. The game itself, however, never takes place on the servers of the online casino. It always takes place on the servers of the game developer. This ensures that the casino itself cannot manipulate the game outcomes.
The slot machines and also the other casino games offered in online casinos work with the help of a random number generator. This is a number generator whose job is simply to output them completely at random. These numbers are then assigned a specific value.
For example, the numbers 1,3, 5 and 9 may stand for a cloverleaf on the slot machine. The number 2 then stands for the BAR sign, for example. And so on. And so finally the result is that you see on the slot machine in online casinos.
This also means that all the graphic animations you see on the slot machines in online casinos are actually just dazzling. As soon as you press the spin button, the outcome of the game is already clear.
Fallfalls in online casinos
Just when you are playing in an online casino for the first time without thinking, you are very likely to be disappointed. Why is that? There are some rules in online casinos that are not familiar from classic casinos.
Normally, relatively high welcome bonuses await you in online casinos. However, if you only rely on the relatively high and pompous statements, such as “Up to GBP1,000.00 welcome bonus”, you are making a mistake. Because every casino bonus also comes with special conditions. Moreover, you also need to keep some other points in mind if you want your online casino gambling to go off without a hitch.
In the following, we take a look at the common pitfalls in online casinos. These are usually well known by experienced gamblers and within the gambling industry. However, these can cause a lot of confusion and frustration for players when they are just getting to know the online casino world.
Online casinos and turnover requirements
We already mentioned it at the beginning. Online casinos entice you with high bonus offers. But these always come with a catch. So you usually have to wager a multiple of the amount of the welcome bonus with winnings achieved from the bonus balance. Only then does the welcome bonus become cashable credit.
This is stated in the terms of use for the casino bonus. There you will find statements such as: “45-fold turnover requirements apply”. What this means is that you receive a bonus of GBP100.00, for example. And then you have to wager this 45 times. In the event of a win, you have to play games totalling GBP4,500.00. Only when this has been achieved can you withdraw the credit you have won in this way.
This is basically not a big deal. Of course, these turnover conditions only apply as long as you make profits with the bonus money. Nevertheless, it is not the case that you can use the bonus two or three times and then withdraw the winnings.
The casinos want you to play at the casino for a long time to “wager” the bonus. The purpose behind this is clear. Firstly, the online casinos do not have any money to give away. And would thus quickly become insolvent if every new player quickly received a gift of GBP100.00 and then played until they made a great profit.
So the turnover requirements ensure that you place a lot of bets, which increases the casino’s probability of winning. Because this is also true for any casino game: all games come with a small advantage in favour of the casino. But of course this applies to online casinos as well as to the classic gambling houses in Baden-Baden, Constance, Monaco or Berlin.
The second reason, however, is that they want you to play as long and extensively as possible in the respective online casino. The welcome bonus should therefore also encourage you a little to get to know the casino better. And thus to learn to appreciate the advantages and user interface of the casino.
Despite this, the following applies: pay less attention to the big promises of the online casinos, but always also to the small print. And above all, look at the bonus conditions. At Casino-Okay.com we always summarise these briefly and succinctly in our test reports.
False name in online casinos?
Incorrect name information is also an important issue in online casinos that is often overlooked by new players and causes a lot of frustration. It is understandable that one might not want to play with one’s real name in an online casino. After all, these are still online businesses. And even on Facebook, after all, you can go by a pseudonym.
What is important here, however, is the fact that online casinos are regulated by the state. And since they mainly deal with money, they are subject to similarly strict requirements to prevent money laundering as banks. And no one would open a bank account under a false name.
But what is money laundering? Money laundering is the attempt to turn illegally obtained money into legal money by some means. For example, someone who sells drugs on the street could then buy, for example Paysafecards
Then make a small deposit of – say GBP10.00 from his bank account into the online casino. And then play with the illegal money in the online casino. Afterwards, he could debit the winnings to his bank account and claim that the 10.00GBP had just become a fabulous 15,000.00GBP.
If an official body asks him where his fortune comes from, he can tell them that he won it in a casino. In the end, it is difficult for a tax authority to verify this. That is why the legislator has condemned all industries that could potentially be used for money laundering to do their utmost to prevent it.
Naturally, it is not only petty criminals who launder money, but there are entire organisations that derive much of their income only from illegal and organised criminal structures. Online casinos must not allow these individuals to launder the money.
That is why every customer who registers at an online casino is sooner or later verified. This works by sending a photo or scan of the identification document.
Normally, one must also send a photo of oneself holding the identity document. This ensures that the player and the ID card holder are indeed the same person.
At the same time, the place of residence is also checked. This works by sending a consumption point bill. So, for example, gas, water or electricity bill. Many online casinos also accept an official document, such as a letter from the tax office or the bank.
Payment data from third parties
Even if you use funds to deposit that do not belong to you, problems will arise at online casinos. After all, there are several problems here. On the one hand, it is possible that money laundering is taking place. Especially if you use one means of payment for the deposit and another for the withdrawal, it becomes problematic.
But in principle this is no different in a land-based casino. Here, for example, hardly anyone would dare to pay with their brother’s or best friend’s debit card.
Another problem is the use of a means of payment without the permission of the account holder. Here, for example, credit card fraud is at issue and is combated by online casinos. Gamblers with a gambling problem in particular often use other people’s financial resources without them knowing.
Then there are those players who use their company’s account. This will also lead to problems. Here, there is then disloyalty to the company. Online casinos usually state in their terms of use that one may only use funds that are 100% in one’s own name.
All these cases can lead to the fact that in case of a pending payout one is informed that one has violated terms of use. Then any winnings are cancelled and normally the original deposit is transferred back to the original funds. However, especially if you have made higher winnings with it, which is normally the case with a payout, this is of course extremely annoying.
Especially in view of the fact that such checks do not normally take place for small payouts, but only when a large payout is due. So save yourself this hassle by using only your own funds. Always make sure that the account or credit card you use for payment is registered in your own name only.
Where are online casinos based?
Most online casinos today are based on the Mediterranean island of Malta. The reason for this is not only the attractive taxes that the EU member offers companies. But rather that Malta was the first Poundspean state to issue gambling licences for online casinos. But if you think of lax controls, corruption and dubious conditions when you hear the word “Mediterranean island”, you could not be more wrong.
Because Malta was under British control until 1969. As a former British Crown Colony stringent bureaucratic processes have been established over the centuries. And Malta is in no way inferior to other Poundspean states in terms of respectability.
A good proof of this is also that most of the companies that have received a German gambling licence are those that already had a gambling licence in Malta before. So there was nothing to complain about the processes that apply in Malta from the German side as well.
While online casinos naturally put a lot of money into a professional and great design of their websites, this does not always look the same at the offices. Often one is surprised when visiting the address of an online casino in Malta. This is because they are often located in inconspicuous offices. Some casinos, of course, are an exception and have extremely large and pompous office complexes.
In addition to Malta, some online casinos are also based in the Caribbean. These are then usually licensed by the gambling authority of Curacao in the Netherlands Antilles. At Casino-Okay.com, however, we advise you to stay away from such casinos. Because in the Caribbean, somewhat different conditions actually apply. At least, practically all the black sheep currently present on the online casino market belong to these casinos.
On Casino-Okay.com you will therefore not find online casinos that operate exclusively under the Caribbean licence. Only if a casino has at least a Poundspean licence will it find a place among our online casinos.
Because a Poundspean online casino must also adhere to the strict Poundspean guidelines. This applies to data protection as well as to its general respectability. At the same time, in case of doubt, it is possible to sue such a casino without having to travel around the world. This will not normally be necessary, but it is still good to know, just in case.
What is the gambling offer in online casinos?
Normally, online casinos offer a rich variety of different casino games. You will find virtual versions of casino classics such as roulette, blackjack, baccarat and casino poker. As well as a whole range of slot machines, of course. In the following, we list the best-known developers of slot machines and also show you some of their best-known and most popular slot machines in online casinos.
NetEnt
NetEnt is the abbreviation for Net Entertainment. The company was founded in 1996. It was one of the first companies to develop games for online casinos. Already in the late 1990s, this worked on the basis of the Java format. Later this became Flash and nowadays HTML5.
And to this day, NetEnt stands for innovative gaming fun in the online casino world like few other companies. NetEnt games are among the most elaborate currently available.
They are in no way inferior to their counterparts in land-based arcades. Virtually all new games developed by NetEnt are also available for mobile devices. In total, NetEnt’s portfolio includes over 500 casino games. And NetEnt’s games are available in over 300 online casinos.
Among the best-known online casino games from NetEnt are certainly the following.
Microgaming
Microgaming has even more players than NetEnt. With over 800 casino games, the British company is one of the absolute top game developers in online casinos. It is based on the Isle of Men and has been in existence since 1994.
Microgaming started out as its own online casino. For a long time, however, it has concentrated exclusively on developing interesting casino games. Microgaming’s new games are also all available in the modern HTML5 format.
Microgaming’s classics certainly include games such as those listed below.
Yggdrasil
Yggdrasil is a tree from Norse mythology also known as the World Tree, which embodies the entire cosmos. However, it is also a new game developer for innovative casino games.
This company is still relatively young. Especially compared to the casino game dinosaurs NetEnt and Microgaming. But this need not always be a disadvantage. Because Yggdrasil has developed some of the currently hottest casino games.
Serious online casinos
If you want to play in online casinos it is absolutely important that you only play in reputable online casinos. But how do you recognise reputable online casinos?
If you are new to the subject and may even be looking to play at an online casino for the first time or have had a bad experience in the past, then this article from Casino-Okay.com will definitely be able to help you. Not only do we explain what the more reputable online casinos on the market are, but we also highlight common practices so you know what to expect and what to expect. Therefore, especially as a new player, be sure to read through the entire page. We are sure that this will be helpful for you.
When is an online casino reputable?
The seriousness of an online casino is made up of different factors. After all, seriousness is not only determined on the basis of an existing gambling licence. Rather, it is also important that the other circumstances in the online casino are safe and reputable.
And this, as we will read in a moment, is not always the case. One should therefore always be on one’s guard when choosing the right online casino and look very carefully. Casino-Okay.com is here to help you.
We take a close look at every casino and put it through its paces. In doing so, we not only look at the basic features, but also explain what is – possibly well hidden – in the general terms and conditions and where the bonus conditions are unfair to players. Below we list some of the things you should look out for in a reputable online casino.
And here you will find all the casinos that we consider reliable and reputable:.
The casino licence is a good indication of its seriousness
There are not many gambling authorities in the Poundspean Union. And therefore not many casino licences. Nevertheless, one can assume with a clear conscience that all gambling licences issued within the Poundspean Union are reliable and secure.
The situation is different, however, if the gambling licence of an online casino comes from countries in the Caribbean, India, China or South America. In principle, we recommend that you always check whether the gambling licence actually comes from the EU.
It does not matter if a casino also has a gambling licence from the Caribbean, such as Curacao – the Netherlands Antilles in the Caribbean. As long as it has another gambling licence from the EU member state Malta, for example, the casino is to be classified as safe.
On the contrary, several gambling licences actually speak in favour of the casino. For example, if a single online casino has a gambling licence from Great Britain, Malta and Curacao, it has successfully passed a review process from three countries at once. These countries are of course all independent of each other, which clearly shows that the casino in question is reputable.
If, however, an online casino only has a licence from Curacao, we advise against using it. After all, there is certainly a reason why it has refrained from being licensed within the Poundspean Union as well.
Furthermore, casinos licensed in Curacao are also not subject to the strict requirements regarding data protection and – if the worst comes to the worst – cannot be sued as easily as online casinos based within the Poundspean Union.
By the way, on Casino-Okay.com you will not find a single online casino that only has a licence from Curacao. We make sure that all casinos we list on Casino-Okay.com have at least a licence within the Poundspean Union.
In reputable online casinos, customer service is available in German
For German customers, it is of course first and foremost important that you are also helped in German. Serious online casinos therefore also offer customer service in the language of the respective clientele. This refers not only to the languages of the employees, but also to a seamless, complete and high-quality translation of the entire website into German. This is one of the factors we use to ensure that people feel they are being treated seriously.
Naturally, it can still happen from time to time that, for example, the English customer service is available around the clock and the German one is only available for a limited period of time. However, we do not see this as negative. As long as the customer service can tell us when the German customer service is available, we consider the online casino to be serious.
Serious online casinos offer transparent terms
Every casino bonus comes with terms and conditions. We’ll look at this in detail in the next subsection. Whether a casino is reputable or not, however, also depends on how the casino handles these conditions. Some casinos try to hide the conditions of their bonus as best they can in the general terms and conditions or the bonus conditions. This we will consider less reputable.
Even worse, however, is when the bonus conditions are so difficult to understand that you don’t know where you stand at all. Sometimes it even happens that the bonus conditions at dubious casinos directly contradict each other.
If you have to contact customer service first in order to understand the bonus conditions at all, we consider this to be dubious. The same applies if at least the most important points, such as turnover requirements and other limitations of the casino bonus, are not prominently mentioned.
Serious online casinos have no interest in hoodwinking you. They can confidently communicate that a generous casino bonus is also subject to certain conditions.
A little info on the welcome bonus in reputable casinos
When you enter the world of online casinos, you are first inundated by a flood of welcome bonuses. Some of these tend to be on the low end. And offer, for example, a 100% subsidy and that up to 50.00GBP or 100.00GBP.
Others, on the other hand, seem downright phenomenal. This is the case, for example, when you see bonuses that run into the thousands. It is therefore all the more important to be able to separate the wheat from the chaff. And to know what to look out for in order to do this successfully. In the following, we therefore take a closer look at the welcome bonus and discuss when it is a serious welcome bonus and when it is not.
Even reputable casinos have nothing to give away
The casino bonus that you receive as a welcome gift in online casinos may at first seem like a good indicator to help you choose which online casino to play at. However, we advise against this. Nobody has anything to give away. Not even online casinos.
So anyone who enters the online gambling world naively and simply picks the highest casino bonus is often quickly awoken from their dreams. Because the more generous the bonus is, the more closely it pays to look. Where is the catch?
This is the question that should be on your mind when you see phenomenal bonuses. At Casino-Okay.com we already take a very close look at the bonuses and evaluate them.
You can also read about the individual conditions that apply in detail and clearly with us. Nevertheless, we must also say that such conditions can change at any time. We therefore cannot guarantee that our information is 100% accurate at all times. That’s why we recommend that you take a quick look at the bonus conditions yourself before taking advantage of a casino bonus to make sure that nothing has changed in the meantime.
Of course, we make sure that our information here is as accurate and complete as possible. We do this, among other things, by regularly visiting the casinos, playing in them and also reviewing the bonus conditions ourselves. In this way, we ensure that you, as our readers, have access to a high-quality rating portal.
The most important three points to look out for in a casino bonus are the following. Because these are often mentioned in more detail in the bonus terms and conditions and sometimes make the nicest offer much less attractive.
Turnover conditions in reputable online casinos
First of all, the turnover conditions should be mentioned. Reputable casinos set turnover requirements of 35 to 45 times the bonus money. At first glance, this sounds high. Because what this means is that if you receive a bonus of GBP100.00, you must wager this GBP100.00 a total of 35 times to 45 times. Only when this has been done does the bonus money become so-called real money and can be debited to your bank account.
So, for example, if you use a welcome bonus that promises you that you will deposit GBP100.00 yourself and receive another GBP100.00 from the casino, you will have to wager the GBP100.00 you receive from the casino, for example, 35 times. This means nothing other than that if you win, you also have to wager the winnings again in the casino. And that is until you have wagered a total of GBP3,500.00 in the online casino. Only when this has happened can you use the remaining credit freely or withdraw it to your bank account.
This may sound like a big catch at first. However, this is not as bad as it sounds, provided the casino you play at is also reputable. Why? Find out in the next section.
Serious online casinos use your deposit first
Serious online casinos always use your own funds first when you take advantage of a bonus. In our example case, this means that the GBP100.00 that you deposited yourself is first used in the casino. Let’s assume you have a lucky streak and win GBP10,000.00. Then you could still have the welcome bonus cancelled in a reputable online casino.
In concrete terms, this means that you would not have to fulfil any turnover requirements, since you have not used the bonus credit. But let’s assume that the lucky streak does not occur, then your game in the casino would be over after you had lost your bet of 100.00GBP. But now the bonus money comes into play. Because as soon as your account balance of your own deposit drops to zero, you will receive another GBP100.00, provided by the casino.
Only when you start playing with it do you also have to meet the turnover requirements. Thus, the welcome bonus at a reputable online casino allows you to extend the casino play and thus the chance to turn the tide after all.
Unserious online casinos, however, take a different approach here. Because it is often the case that they use both your own deposit and the bonus money in combination right from the start. This means that even if you make a great profit within the first 100.00GBP, the turnover requirements still apply, since the bonus credit has already been used from the beginning.
Another method, which is just as dubious, is to let the bonus credit be used first and thus make the bonus non-cancellable.
Marketing tricks in semi-reputable casinos
Not entirely unserious, yet we personally find the combination of bonus credit and own deposit somewhat problematic, when mentioning the turnover requirements. This sentence also sounds complicated. Therefore, let me explain it in more detail at this point:
Serious online casinos relate the amount of the turnover requirements to the bonus balance.
So let’s assume you deposit GBP100.00 and get a normal casino bonus of 100%. In concrete terms, the casino gives you an additional GBP100.00. Reputable online casinos might now state, for example, that the turnover requirements on the bonus money are 40-fold. 40-fold turnover conditions mean in relation to the bonus money that you have to place bets totalling GBP4,000.00
Some online casinos, however, think they are quite clever and relate the turnover requirements to the combination of your own money and the bonus money. At first glance, this looks wonderful. Because these online casinos then say something like “20-fold turnover conditions”. At first glance, this offer is of course much better than the first one.
However, if you take a closer look and then notice that these 20-fold turnover requirements refer to the combination of your own balance and the bonus money, you will notice that gaming stakes of GBP4,000.00 must be placed here as well.
So the real turnover requirements here are also 40 times the bonus money. At Casino-Okay.com we don’t see why you should have to meet turnover requirements on your own deposit.
For the sake of transparency and seriousness, we therefore always assess such a procedure with point deductions and mention this separately and legibly in our experience reports.
Time limits on casino bonus – dubious?
Another point to watch out for is time restrictions. Of course, it is clear that no casino bonus comes without a time limit. However, the strictness of the time limit does play a role and offers a good indication of whether you are playing in a reputable online casino or not. A normal time frame is between a week and a month.
However, if the casino expects you to meet 40x turnover requirements within 24 hours, all alarm bells must go off. Especially if this is not prominently mentioned next to the welcome bonus. Because then, of course, the chance is high that it is a casino that hides such clauses in the small print. Or in other words: is not reputable.
By the way, we also mention such time restrictions explicitly in all our experience reports, of course. Insofar as they are problematic, this ensures a hefty deduction of points.
Limitations on winning at rogue casinos
Another, very important point, is maximum winnings. Because believe it or not: some online casinos actually allow themselves to limit the maximum possible winnings in the bonus conditions. In concrete terms, this means that they can then use the bonus money to convert a maximum of GBP100.00 into real money, for example.
Even if you couple this with relatively high turnover conditions, such a restriction on the maximum winnings quickly becomes outrageous. For let’s assume you would get 100.00GBP in bonus and would have to wager this 40 times. Then you are playing bets totalling GBP4,000.00.
Holding the winning streak for a long time on this is hard enough. But let’s assume that this is indeed the case and that your bonus balance has become a handsome GBP2,500.00, then it is of course extremely dubious when the casino waves the bonus conditions in front of your eyes and tells you that this GBP2,500.00 can now only become GBP100.00 in real money. But here we also subdivide a bit.
When such maximum winnings are applied to a bonus balance, we find this dubious. However, it is often the case that online casinos only apply such maximum possible winnings to free spins and free spins without deposit. Then we find it rather fair for both sides. After all, with free spins without deposit, you haven’t deposited anything yourself. It is therefore only fair if the casino limits its own risk on these free spins with a maximum win.
In any case, you will also find any maximum possible winnings with bonus credits or free spins explicitly and prominently mentioned in every review on Casino-Okay.com.
Verifying your identity at reputable online casinos
Another point that distinguishes reputable online casinos from dubious online casinos is the verification of your identity. This may seem surprising at first glance, after all nobody likes to send their personal documents to a company. And some may even dislike sending them to a casino.
Nevertheless, it is a sign of respectability if the casino verifies the identity of its players. Because this is a requirement within the Poundspean Union. Just as in banking, the identity of players is verified in order to make money laundering more difficult and to exclude it as much as possible. But what is money laundering? Let’s take a look at this in the next section
Why is your identity verified in reputable casinos?
Serious online casinos verify the identity of their players to prevent money laundering. Money laundering is when money that has been generated from criminal structures is converted into legitimate money through a certain process.
You often see this in the news, too, when, for example, a pub existed only to pretend it had paying customers. In reality, however, the money from dark channels was simply declared as revenue at tax time, taxes paid on it, and then reused as legitimate money.
Whoever knows casinos, of course, knows that such a thing is in principle possible here too. Criminal structures could therefore withdraw the criminal money from a bank account, use it in the casino and then have any remaining winnings paid out to another bank account. And already the winnings would be legitimised. Of course, this process must then also be carried out professionally. So this is another factor that reputable online casinos should master well.
What documents are accepted by reputable online casinos?
Sooner or later, this will happen to you in every reputable online casino. It is therefore important to know in advance which documents are requested by the online casinos and which are accepted.
First of all, the online casinos require a valid photo ID. Sometimes they also request that you send along a photo of you holding your ID or passport and showing your face at the same time. This ensures that no one uses your identity document in the online casino without your consent.
In addition, proof of address is also required. This is practically always in the form of a consumption point billing. These are services that are regularly carried out in your flat or house and are not movable.
Specifically, for example, the gas, water or electricity bill. Depending on the case, some reputable online casinos also accept other documents, such as a letter from the tax office, the bank or another official document. However, this varies from casino to casino.
These are the normal documents requested by the online casino. In individual cases – especially if you place high stakes – the casino may also have further requests.
These may relate to where you got the money you are playing with at the casino in the first place. Last but not least, preventing disloyalty (i.e. taking advantage of money that belongs to a company, for example) and concern for responsible gambling by casino players is also a factor here.
Although it may not seem so when you yourself are hit by such scrutiny, these are all signs of an online casino’s respectability. After all, this is how crime should be curbed and gambling addiction detected. We therefore recommend that you always cooperate with the online casino in such checks in a spirit of trust.
Use payment methods only in your own name
Another important factor is to only ever use funds that are in your own name at a reputable online casino. Why is this important?
Of course, this is also about avoiding money laundering. In addition, another risk factor is that some gambling addicts use the accounts of uninvolved third parties. And also to make it impossible to use stolen credit card data. Or at least to make it more difficult.
So to save yourself problems at a reputable online casino, we strongly recommend that you only ever use payment methods that are in your own name alone.
Because most online casinos exclude in their Terms and Conditions that you use, for example, the payment means of a third person. If you violate this, practically all winnings will be invalidated. In the best case, the original deposit on the means of payment used will be refunded.