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Tips and Helpful Hints for
Online Gambling
Gambling online from the
comfort and safety of your home is truly an enjoyable experience, but it's
also a new frontier for the entire world and one that's still learning its way.
Online casinos are located in many, many countries (none in the US), which lends
itself to communication problems as different languages, time zones, work
patterns, and cultures merge to do business together. It's actually a
pretty exciting time in the history of the world, but can be very frustrating if
you get caught in a quicksand of miscommunication which unfortunately happens
from time to time, even with the most reputable online casinos.
Generally speaking, the more
knowledgeable you are about how the systems work and what everyone expects,
the less problems you're going to have, so here are the latest descriptions,
explanations, and tips to help guide you through this. If you have a
particular subject or issue you don't see addressed here, please write me.
The leading
Playtech casino for Customer Service & Loyalty Programs
Bonuses - "He
who has the Gold, makes the Rules"
There is so much to say when it comes to online casino bonuses, I don't know if
it could ever all be said in one place! The rules change constantly, too, making
it even harder to keep up with them. Here are some of the more important
highlights to keep in mind when using a bonus, but make sure you always check
the most current Terms & Conditions for each bonus you accept,
regardless of how long you've been playing at the casino. Also remember that
you're not required to accept a bonus, which means they can't put any conditions
on anything you do with your own money.
Free, No Deposit, Bonuses
- Some of these are cashable, some are not, and some come with a maximum cash
out. Make sure you read all the Terms and Conditions for each freebie you
accept.
Wagering or Playthrough Requirements - All bonuses come with these,
with rare exceptions here and there. What this means is that you must turnover
that money a certain number of times with your gambling, before you request a
cash out, if you win. Wagering requirements may or may not include your
initial deposit in the total, also, so make sure you're clear on that. A
typical wagering requirement of 15x means that if you deposit $100 and accept
a $100 bonus, that equals $200; 15x wagering required on that means you must
turnover $3000 in total bets, win or lose, before requesting a cash out.
Excluded Games - Most,
if not all, casinos have a list of games that you're not allowed to play to
fulfill the wagering requirements for the bonus. These games typically include
Blackjack, Craps, certain bets on Roulette, and some casinos are now starting
to exclude certain or all Video Poker games. Make sure you check that list
each time you accept a bonus.
Sticky Bonuses - This is a newer trend with the online casinos which is
actually making it a bit easier for the true recreational gambler. Sticky
bonuses are never cashable, which means you can use the bonus to gamble with
and, if you win anything from it, you can cash out the winnings but not the
bonus. There are usually still wagering requirements, but they're usually
significantly lower. Some casinos will remove the bonus from your account when
you cash out winnings, but a few are starting to leave it there indefinitely
until the time that you lose it during your play. A very cool new trend.
Identification
Requirements
When you cash out winnings from an online casino, you will be asked for
Identification documentation at some point, in the same manner as when you're
asked to show the cashier your Drivers License when you write a check or use
your credit card at your hometown stores. You'll usually only have to provide it
once per casino, and sometimes not until you cash out over a certain amount.
They'll ask you for a copy of a valid Drivers License with a photo, and usually
a current utility bill (the utility bill is to verify the name & address on
the license). If you don't have a utility bill in your name, they'll accept cell
phone bills, credit card statements, bank statements, etc.; just black out the
personal financial info you don't want to send, but leave the pre-printed name
and address info clearly showing for them to see.
They'll ask you to Fax this - don't. Fax machines are
notorious for making documents like this unreadable which is going to frustrate
both you and the casino. The best way to send this info is to scan it, make it a
readable, but manageable size .jpg file (picture file), and email it to them. If
you don't have a scanner at home, you can go to your local Kinko's or other
office services shop (or maybe even a Cyber Cafe) and have your documents
scanned onto a CD or Floppy disk you can take home with you to use for several
months at a time.
Speeding up your Cashouts
Wait! Don't hit that "Reverse Cashout" button! In the
past, it was customary for cashouts from casinos to take an average of 10 days
to 3 weeks, but happily they're getting a lot faster these days.
A new trend among some of the Microgaming casinos, who usually put a minimum 24
hour "pending" hold on cash outs is to "waive" your pending
time or "flush" your winnings/cashout, both of which start your
cashout on its way to you immediately; you must ask for it, though - they don't
do it automatically. If you use an alternate online banking system such as
NETeller, you can have your cashouts in less than 24 hours. Several other
online casinos from other software companies are starting to process instant, or
near instant, cashouts also, so keep an eye out for those when you're looking
for a new casino to play at. I don't believe there's any reason a casino
should need more than 24 hours to process a cashout.
When you do a cash out for the
first time at any casino, I suggest immediately calling, emailing, or going to
their Live Chat to find out their particular cash out procedures so you can get
them what they need. Taking a couple of minutes to do that can eliminate days
from the process.
 
Alternate Banking Systems
Over the last few years several "Alternate Banking" systems have
sprung up to compensate for the US's attempts to crackdown on credit card usage.
Several of these have been highly successful as far as reputability, security,
and convenience, and if you don't already have any of these accounts, you should
strongly consider opening one or two to maintain your flexibility. Here's
a partial list of the major ones;
Neteller - By far, the most useable, secure and dependable alternate banking system out
there - and most recommended. I've personally been with them for nearly 4
years now and have never had a problem. They offer the 3 major
currencies, a Debit card you can use for ATM's and shopping stores,
and you can transfer money in or out via your checking account or deposit with
your credit card. They're very security oriented, but reasonable with
excellent customer service via telephone, so bear with them if you have any
minor security issues crop up.
MoneyBookers
- MoneyBookers has been out for about a year now and is a more Non-US based
alternate banking system that's started providing several additional services
such as escrow, faxes, and more to their customers. In addition to US
dollars, they operate with a HUGE amount of Euro, Asian, AU,
Mid Eastern, and African currencies, making them the alternate
banking system of choice for those residents.
ayment options include Credit
card, domestic and international bank transfer, cheque
Click2Pay
- The newest of the alternate banking systems, Click2Pay is being picked up by
many, many online casinos as the newest alternate deposit method.
Click2Pay operates with all 3 major currencies and allows you to deposit
via your credit card or bank account, but they don't offer a Debit card for ATM
withdrawals at this time, issuing checks for withdrawals instead.
Firepay
- While Firepay has been around
for 2-3 years now, they've kept things on a smaller scale, useable only by US
residents with a bank account. Funds can be instantly transferred between
Firepay and your bank account, so that keeps things nice and simple for
everyone.
Citadel is a secure, hassle free payment option
that consists in a direct fund transfer authorization from the bank holders
account to a nominated beneficiary account. It is available to players in
the United States and Canada. There are no charges for this method but the
player MUST be a signatory to the account in order to utilize this system
UseMyBank is an innovative company focused
on simplifying and streamlining the client’s ability to pay for goods and
services over the Internet in a real-time fashion using their existing Financial
Services provider. These transactions are done from client’s own Chequeing,
Savings, or Credit Card account. UseMyBank’s Automated Clearing and Settlement
system for Sellers and Affiliates allows wire transfers, cheques, and several
other methods to be used. Easy to use summary and detailed reporting and
management tools are provided on the webite.UseMyBank accepts direct payments
with your Online Internet Bank access to the Bank of Montreal, CIBC, Desjardins,
Royal Bank, ScotiBank, and TD Canada Trust. Additional Canadian, United States
and International
Conclusion
If you find yourself having a problem with an online casino and not able to get
it resolved, your first step should be to contact the portal owner whose site
you went through to sign up at the casino. All reputable portal owners
will help you resolve the problem. Usually it gets resolved very quickly
at that point because we're used to the system and know who to contact, but if
we can't, we know how to get to the next level.
More information will be added
to this page as it comes up, so check back from time to time for updating.
Good luck in all your gambling!
Reprinted with permission from Video Poker Junkie http://videopokerjunkie.com
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