Gambling is one of the favourite hobbies of those in the United Kingdom. From sports betting to bingo to playing at casinos, there is a type of gambling that appeals to nearly everyone. Some are more solitary, others have a great community element.
With the struggling state of many High Streets across the United Kingdom, it is often casinos, and betting shops that seem to be flourishing and keeping the streets active and alive. This is an impressive testament to their popularity, considering how much competition these brick-and-mortar businesses now have from online competitors.
Online casinos have been rapidly growing in popularity since they were first developed in the 1990s. In the last decade in particular, they have eased into the mainstream and now have a massive number of regular players.
Amid this popularity, online casinos have diversified to appeal to the most players, and to find a niche for themselves. An online casino guide is an important resource when you’re making decisions about where to create an account, since all of this variety can be confusing.
In this article, we’ll break down the different types of online casinos and explain what makes them different. We’ll also take a brief look at the most common types of bonuses that are offered, because these are often a key way in which online casinos attract new players.
Online casinos
Online casinos are the most convenient and accessible way to play all of your favourite casino games. The top online casinos have extensive game libraries. Slot machine games are typically the casinos’ most popular, with most of the best online casinos offering hundreds of titles. Table games are also hugely popular, with poker, blackjack and roulette offering the most varieties. Online casinos also sometimes offer keno, bingo and other games inspired by board games and game shows.
Mobile casinos
Most online casinos have an app, or at the very least are mobile compatible. However, these versions of their site usually do not provide access to the full game library. In fact, most traditional online casinos that are mobile compatible only offer a very small number of their most popular games.
Mobile casinos, on the other hand, know that their users deserve to have access to the full variety of games and don’t have to worry about working across platforms. They will offer the same types of games as a regular online casino, including slot machine games, table games and even some live games.
One thing to keep in mind with mobile casinos is that they are specifically designed for mobile devices. If you prefer to play casino games across a variety of platforms, depending on whether you’re at home or out and about, mobile casinos might not be the right choice.
Live casinos
Live casino games are the most advanced type of casino game, and this is where we are seeing the fastest and most exciting tech advances. Live casino games feature a real dealer, who the player can interact with. The most popular live casino games are table games, especially poker and blackjack.
Live casinos will typically offer a huge range of live casino games alongside a smaller library of slot machine games and regular table games.
Progressive jackpot casinos
Progressive jackpot casinos are online casinos that focus on progressive jackpot games. Progressive jackpots can be offered on any type of casino game but are most commonly associated with slot machine games.
Progressive jackpot games are games where the potential amount that a player can win grows ‘progressively’ as players contribute. The more people are playing, the higher the jackpot can grow. Progressive jackpot games typically have the highest payouts of any game.
In some cases, the player pool for a jackpot game comprises every player in a particular region. In others, it is only the players at a specific online casino that make up the player pool. In either case, the most popular progressive jackpot games will have the most players, which means the jackpots will grow the fastest and reach the biggest totals.
One important thing to keep in mind with progressive jackpot games is that while they have the highest jackpots, they can only achieve this by not paying out as frequently.
Crypto casinos
The popularity of crypto casinos reflects the mainstream rise in the popularity of cryptocurrencies. Many of the leading online casinos will accept only the top cryptocurrencies as a deposit or withdrawal method. Crypto casinos, on the other hand, will typically accept a wide range of cryptocurrencies, instead of just Ethereum and Bitcoin. It is common to find crypto casinos that also accept Litecoin, Doge, Binance, Tether and many more.
The real difference between regular online casinos and crypto casinos is that crypto casinos operate using the blockchain, in the same manner as other transactions involving cryptocurrencies. The blockchain is important because it is essentially a ledger that records every interaction. Since the blockchain is keeping a detailed record, the casino doesn’t need the same level of personal information from players.
This all means that crypto casinos allow players to have anonymous accounts. This leads to increased security and privacy. Most people who invest in cryptocurrencies are already very focused on protecting their information online, so this is an ideal option.
Types of bonuses
With so much competition in a crowded market, online casinos often use welcome bonuses to attract new players and get them interested in playing, but without the usual risk. While some bonuses are too good to be true, the majority are actually a good way for players to try out a casino and get familiar with the games before making a financial commitment.
Free spins are the most common type of bonus offered. Casinos will offer anything from 25 to 200 free spins on their leading slot machine games. Sometimes these spins will work on several games, but often they will only work on a single game chosen by the online casino. Either way, free spins help players learn how to play slot machine games and how the various betting strategies work.
Deposit bonuses are also frequently offered. Typically, these are matched deposit bonuses. With these bonuses, the initial deposit that a new player makes will be matched by the online casino, up to a certain amount. In some cases, this bonus is spread out across the first three deposits a player makes. These bonuses give new players a much deeper pool to play with while learning the ropes of all of the various games.
No deposit bonuses are the least common type of bonus because they don’t require new customers to make any deposit before they begin playing. A no deposit bonus is free credit that new players can play with (subject to certain restrictions) to explore the online casino and get a feel for what games they prefer.
Final thoughts
Every type of online casino has its own pros and cons. The type of online casino that will appeal to a certain player might have nothing to offer someone else. If you have no interest in card games or interacting with others, why would you choose to play at a live casino?
The best way to ensure that you’ve chosen the right casino for you is to do your research beforehand. Reading an online casino guide can help you find the type of casino that will interest you, and reading reviews can help you pinpoint the exact online casino that will be the perfect fit.
