There are an incredibly large number of online casinos on the market. Every week some close down and others take their place. All of them can be divided into several types. We will talk about them next.
Download vs Instant Play Casinos
As technology advances, you no longer have to waste your time picking up and traveling to a land-based casino. Gambling is now available in the comfort of your own home. There are two ways to play casino games: through downloadable or browser-based versions. Knowing the advantages and disadvantages of each, it is easier to decide which option suits you best.
The download casino is a gaming platform that requires you to download a special casino client software to your PC. Only if you have it, you can get the full range of features. Some may think that this option is outdated, but this is fundamentally mistaken. Downloadable casino software has many advantages. First and foremost, it is a more stable game. This version of the casino does not depend on the quality and speed of the Internet connection, nor does it have a preference for computer power. Instead, players get:
- An even larger selection of games. On this website, you learn about them
- Improved protection against hacker attacks
- Wide range of settings
- An even more user-friendly website interface and the inclusion of more additional features
- The software is more stable, with almost no hang-ups during the game
- Even better graphics quality.
The downloadable version of the casino is always free. The link to download the casino on your PC is always located on the casino’s official website. If you can’t find it on the pages of the gaming portal, ask the online chat specialists. Once requested, they will be happy to provide it to you. You will only have to follow the tooltips that pop up. Downloading the client version is very easy. No special knowledge is required and the download and installation process takes no more than a few minutes. After that, everything is done in the same way as in the browser version of the site.
The browser-based version of the website is a third-party software-independent version of the casino. Designed to be instantly downloadable, the playground opens directly in the browser. There are a lot of positives in this, which has made such sites the most popular for more than 5 years. Judge for yourself. By downloading the casino site in your browser, you don’t have to download the software to your device. This, as you understand, saves the memory space of the device, which is often in short supply. As for the game range, it is almost as good as the downloadable games.
Moreover, with the advent of HTML5 technology, all providers have completely switched over to this unique technology. Thanks to it, both websites and instant download games are available on any device. This is especially handy if you want to play in a place where you don’t have a PC with a downloadable version of the casino on your desktop. However, I should warn you that Instant Play casino has a drawback. If you have a slow internet connection, you are likely to be somewhat disappointed with it.
Crypto vs Fiat Currencies Casinos
Until a few years ago, any online casino would only accept payment in fiat money. In the mid-2010s, another type of currency appeared, dividing all online gambling establishments into two types. Since then and until now all casinos are divided into two types: crypto and fiat currencies casinos. A cryptocurrency casino may be named as any gaming site that accepts deposits in at least one digital currency. At first, such places did not arouse players’ confidence. The reason was the lack of understanding of how cryptocurrency works and how it is protected during transactions, as well as their unpredictable volatility. Now, digital currency has as much value as fiat money for many reasons.
Both types of online casinos differ from each other in several ways. First and foremost are privacy and security. Of course, in fiat casinos, the operators take care of the security of their customers’ data, but in the case of crypto casinos, the level of this protection is several times higher due to the nature of the blockchain itself. Privacy is perhaps one of the brightest and most positive features of this currency. Thanks to its decentralised nature, information about all your winnings at a cryptocurrency casino will not reach government authorities. This is also convenient for those players in whose country online gambling is banned.
Another advantage of crypto casinos is that there are either no or very few fees. This is due to the fact that blockchain validators do not affect as many transaction resources as a centralised payment system. Fiat casinos often have to pay double fees. One part goes to the operator, the other to the payment system through which the transaction passes. Even in cases where there is only one side commission, this amount depends on the size of your transaction. This is especially “painful” when the amount to be withdrawn is substantial.
At a time when there are great opportunities to improve one’s life on all fronts, it is not surprising that there is such great demand for such establishments. Fiat establishments, meanwhile, are not far behind their modern ‘brethren’. Players seeking stability and simplicity continue to visit fiat casinos.
International vs Local Online Casinos
Geographically, all online casinos are divided into International and local online casinos. In the first case, the gambling establishment has the right to provide its services in several jurisdictions at once. In order for a casino to be called international, the operator must obtain the appropriate license. Currently, only about 10 countries in the world are competent to issue such a document. They are, for example, Kahnawake, Malta, Costa Rica, Gibraltar, the UK and others.
For the convenience of their customers, casino owners connect a wide range of payment systems, covering all permitted markets. To avoid the language barrier, the operators also translate their portal into several languages at once. The wider their choice, the more geographical areas the playground will be able to cover. The same is true for fiat money. While cryptocurrency is available in every country in the world, classic money is much more complicated. The operator has to make sure that his clients don’t lose their money on currency conversions. All of this takes a lot of work, but there are many times more customers.
Local casinos are casinos that operate for one country only. Such establishments are not characterised by a wide selection of games. Their number can barely reach 500 titles. At the same time, such establishments are careful about their reputation. It is easy to lose the trust of players within one country, which threatens the operator with bankruptcy. Being a client of a local casino, a player is safe from fraudulent actions of the administration and poor service. It is much easier for players to go to court to protect their rights and prosecute the casino owner.
Cashback vs Welcome Bonus Casinos
Before opening a playground, every operator takes the issue of promotions very seriously. No issue is as carefully considered as this one. The variety of promotional offers is capable of confusing any newcomer. There are two types of offers that virtually every online casino has. These are the cashback bonus and the welcome bonus. Both cashback and welcome bonus are marketing tools to attract and retain customers to the casino website. Perhaps this is where the similarities end and the main differences begin.
A welcome bonus is given to new customers. A few years ago, this offer was only valid for the first deposit. Now it has expanded to 4-5 first deposits. For each deposit, the casino administration increases the player’s balance by the amount, which is specified in the casino bonus rules. Often it is 50% – 100% of the size of the deposit. There are also restrictions on the maximum amount of the bonus. For example, if the welcome bonus is offered as a 100% bonus up to 200 USD, then if you deposit 500 USD, the administration will credit you only 200 USD. Also, the welcome offer often includes free spins. Their number depends on the operator and its bonus program and can even reach 500 spins.
Cashback is also a cash bonus. It is aimed at retaining old customers. This type of bonus is often given out once a week or a month. Under this bonus, the operator undertakes to return to the player a certain amount of all the money lost by the client over a certain period of time (week, month, day). This amount, like the welcome bonus, is set as a percentage and rarely reaches 5-10%. Some operators include such a bonus as a cashback in their loyalty program. In this case, climbing up the levels of the VIP program, customers get more “tasty” terms of rebates. So, if the ground floors of the program are set at 2% cashback, reaching one of the highest levels you can even get back 30%!
Remember that any gift from the casino administration will have to be wagered. Very often both of these offers have roughly the same wagering conditions. That said, the welcome bonus has a more significant amount than the cashback bonus. This is in addition to the fact that to get the cashback you must first lose a certain amount. A welcome bonus at this time is given on the fact of registration and the first deposit. The difference is obvious.