I have enjoyed playing at land based casinos for several years, but still visit my local casino from time to time, but there are some things that bother me. Being a smoker limits my playing options, as you'll find 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 sort of bonus. You are given the specific amount to play with for one hour and they advertise you could keep the winnings with no deposit necessary. Reading the fine print tells you, for the bonus at Maple Casino, you can only claim up to $100 and also you must deposit $40 to be able to claim it. Together with that, as soon as you claim the bonus, you must wager it 30 times before you decide to can cash out. It does not really seem fair to advertise it the way they do, but you shall find it is still a really good bonus after seeing others.

Every online casino offers a welcome bonus, and it's extremely important to read the conditions of each bonus before you decide to opt to claim it.

It is also very important to do some study on the casino before signing up. There are some online casinos that don't like to pay their winners. A quick Google search of the casino name and adding the term "rogue" should provide you with a wise decision.

Once you choose to make a deposit at an online casino, check out the available payment options they offer. Some methods allow you to play instantly, while some make you wait until funds are cleared. I prefer "Web Wallets" or "E-Wallets" like Instadebit or MoneyBookers, though you can find usually many different options to select from and it's best to figure out which one suits you most. Finding a method that's available for both deposits and withdrawals will be the best way to go, since 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. Some people even recommend sending in these documents before making your first deposit. Once your account is verified, withdrawals tend to be processed quickly in the time stated within the casino stipulations.

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

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