Online Casino 101 - Tips for the Absolute Beginner

Online gambling was never in its history of over three decades more popular than today. Developers are competing in creating amazing content for their customers, and casinos are also racing to offer them the most generous bonuses, the most special "specials" and the most amazing promotions. I guess many of you have thought about taking gambling to the next level - leaving social casinos behind and starting to play for real. But social casinos are one thing, real money ones in turn are completely different.

The companies

Social casinos are completely unregulated. Even US residents, who are restricted from even visiting online casino websites, can play slots and blackjack over Facebook, or on their phones. And, of course, to pay for virtual coins with real money. Real online casinos, in turn, are heavily regulated businesses, working under a license, and the watchful eyes of the authorities.

The Red Flush Casino, for example, works under a license issued by the gaming authorities of Malta. It's a very strict license, with many rules - including those on customer care, protection, safety and transparency - to obey. This, and the audits performed by independent parties, make Red Flush one of the safest and most trustworthy places to play at.

The games

If you want a truly diverse collection of games, real money gambling is for you. To stick with the above example: the Red Flush casino has hundreds of games in its library, as opposed to a handful (or a few dozen) offered by social casinos. The list includes slot machines, card and table games, even arcade games and casual titles.

Security and privacy

Real money online casinos will go as far as they need to protect the security and privacy of their customers. Their business literally depends on it. A hacker attack can destroy an online service's reputation completely - just think of the Ashley Madison scandal. Red Flush has strict security policies for its services, preventing any third parties to access its customers' personal and banking details.

When it comes to their use of your personal information, the Red Flush Casino is the only online service I've never been disappointed of so far. I have an email address dedicated to it - and it's free of spam, or "special offers from partners" for years.

The rules are strict

As opposed to social casinos, real money operations do pay you the money you won. This, of course, if you observe their terms and conditions. Many players have failed to play by the rules, and felt the consequences: suspended accounts, forfeit wins and their likes. The terms at a real money casino are not a software license agreement: you need to read them, understand them and comply with them at all the times.