There is definitely a certain glamour, thrill and romance associated with casino games, but unless you live near Atlantic City, within the state of Nevada, or (in some parts of the country) a major Indian reservation, chances are that possibilities to play real in a real casino don't exist. Which has all changed, due to the web. Over the Web, casino games are available to virtually everybody.

What Are Online Casinos?

Basically, an "online casino" is like some other online business - it's a virtual, "cyber-version" of a regular brick-and-mortar institution. Also referred to as "virtual," and/or "Internet" casinos, these websites enable people to place bets on traditional games, and include:

online blackjack - online slots - online video poker - online roulette wheels

and just about all of the best games you are experienced with.

Are the Odds Any Better Online?

Generally speaking, odds and payback percentages for casinos online are about the same because they are for brick-and-mortar casinos. In fact, here in the Digital Age, you might locate a great site deal of the exact same technology employed in online games while you will in Las Vegas, especially with online slots; modern digital slot machines use random number generators. The better reputable websites that offer online games will publish verifiable payout percentage audits.

Are Online Casinos Dependable?

This is certainly a common - and quite valid - issue. Those who run online gaming web sites often lease software from a reputable third party, and as indicated earlier, will often publish payout audits.

In spite of this, following the old advice of caveat emptor is wise when playing games on the World-wide-web. You will discover documented cases of fraudulent casinos, but interestingly, this fraud usually has little to do with the virtual games themselves. In general, the fraud involves unreasonable delays or outright refusals to pay withdrawals.

The great news is that on the web, reputation spreads fast. When fraud on the part of a casino website has been documented enough times, the on-line gaming community labels it a "rogue casino;" online player's forums often maintain lists of such dishonest casinos, and these don't remain online for very long.

It works both ways, incidentally; some players try to cheat by signing up with multiple identities in order to claim sign-on bonuses, or take a screenshot and alter it with graphics editing software so that you can create a faked image of a winning online video poker hand or online slots jackpot in order to attempt to claim winnings. Such players can be tracked and may find themselves locked out permanently.