I have enjoyed playing at land based casinos for several years, and still visit my local casino from time to time, but you'll find some things that bother me. Being a smoker limits my playing options, as you will discover designated areas or rooms for smoking in Canadian casinos. I also hate how crowded it can get. People are constantly bumping your chair when trying to walk by, and it can take ages to get a drink. My wife and I go together, but can rarely sit side by side and play the slots. In which case you see some couples sitting at two machines but only playing one.

I had thought about trying an online casino for years, but never did because I was always concerned about getting ripped off. Finally one night when I had the itch to play slots, but did not want to bother with the annoyances at the casino, I decided to try playing online.

I had played at Maple Casino for fun as a 'guest' for quite a while and always enjoyed the games, so I signed up for a real money account and claimed their one hour free play bonus offer. Many casinos offer this type of bonus. You are given a certain sum of money to play with for one hour and they advertise that one can keep the winnings with no deposit necessary. Reading the fine print tells you, for the bonus at Maple Casino, you may only claim up to $100 and also you must deposit $40 as a way to claim it. In addition to that, when you claim the bonus, you must wager it 30 times before you can cash out. It will not really seem fair to advertise it the way they do, but you shall find it is still an extremely good bonus after seeing others.

Every online casino offers a welcome bonus, and it's quite important to read the conditions and terms of each bonus prior to deciding to decide to claim it.

Additionally it is quite important to do some study on the casino before signing up. You will find some online casinos that do not like to pay their winners. A quick Google search of the casino name and adding the term "rogue" should give you a good casino idea.

As soon as you elect to make a deposit at an online casino, check out the available payment options they offer. Some methods enable you to play instantly, while others make you wait until funds are cleared. I prefer "Web Wallets" or "E-Wallets" like Instadebit or MoneyBookers, however you will find usually a number of different options to choose from and it is best to figure out which one suits you most. Finding a method which is available for both deposits and withdrawals is the greatest way to go, as it is much faster once they process withdrawals to the method utilized for depositing.

At most online casinos, before you can withdraw any funds you need to provide identification, as the casino has to abide by money laundering rules and regulations. I recommend sending within the required documents, via email or fax, before attempting to make a withdrawal. A lot of people even recommend sending in these documents prior to making your first deposit. Once your account is verified, withdrawals are usually processed quickly within the time stated in the casino conditions and terms.

There are several online casinos that are trustworthy and safe to play at. These casinos obviously realize the value of running a great business and being fair to their customers. Having happy customers, especially with an online business, is quite important because if things go wrong it's posted on related forums quickly.

If you keep these few simple tips in your mind, you can have a great time gambling at online casinos without having to worry about getting ripped off or running into issues.