Can I play real money slots online?

Yes, you can. The best way to play, is to find a highly-rated, trusted online casino, using a real money slots guide on a reputable website.

Are real money casinos safe?

Yes. As long as you choose to play at trusted and reputable online casinos, then your money and personal data, like your bank account details, will be safe.

Is online gambling legal?

Yes, in many countries, like the UK, online gambling is legal and Government regulated. However, this is not true for all countries. So, before playing real money, you should check the gambling laws where you live.

Do online slots pay out best?

Online slots generally offer higher payouts than Las Vegas casinos. You tend to get a 90%+ payout rate with a good online casino, as opposed to just 75 to 90 percent on the Vegas Strip.

Can I make money playing online slots?

No, not over the long-term. The casino has a 'house edge', so even if you do win one time, the casino will always win over the long-term. Slots are a form of entertainment, not a way to make money.

How much should I gamble online?

It is important to decide your budget (bankroll) before playing and stick to that amount. Your bankroll should be manageable - for example, like the amount you might normally spend on a regular night out.

Real Money Slots

Real Money Casino Guide: How to play real money slots online safely:

1) Choose a Casino

The first step to playing for real money is to find a reputable online casino. It is always worth testing a few out to see which ones have the games you enjoy the most.

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Depending on where you live and which casino you choose, you get different games to play. So, if you live in the US, you get different online slots to the Canadian players. It is worth trying out at least a couple of different casinos to discover the one the like the most.

2) Choose a Bonus

Once you have found a casino with the games you like, the next step is to choose a welcome bonus. Most players prefer to play using a 'bonus' because it gives more bang for your buck. You get more chance of hitting the jackpot.

Why Take a Bonus?

Most slots players that play online, like to use welcome bonus offers to get more gameplay and more chance to hit a jackpot win. In many ways, the bonus allows you to play like a vip, with higher stakes and bigger potential wins.

Although there are lots of types of bonus offers, most players like to choose a matched-deposit bonus. With this type of bonus, you make a cash deposit, and the casino will match it, to give you extra credits to play.

What Types of Bonus Offers can I Have?

There are two main types of online casino bonus for new players:

1) the matched deposit bonuses

The matched deposit gives you the most bang for your buck, and depending on the terms, more chances to hit a progressive jackpot. Example: you deposit $100, the casino gives you a 100% 'match' of $100, which means you end up with $200 to play.

2) the no deposit bonus / free-spin bonus

This bonus is fun, but not worth much. Here, you get the chance to play without making a deposit. Terms and conditions often mean that you will not win any actual money from the offer.

Bonus Terms and Conditions

All online casino bonuses have terms and conditions. Without them, players would just take the free money and run, bankrupting the casino. The main term is called the 'play-through.'

The play-through is a wagering requirement - having made the deposit, you must play a specific value of bets/spins (based on the value fo your deposit + bonus), before you are allowed to withdraw winnings.

Example 1: 100% match, 30x play-through: You deposit $100, and the casino matches it with $100 (100% bonus), giving you $200 to play with. You then need to spin through 30x times the value of the deposit+bonus before you can withdraw = 30x(100+100) = $6,000 in spins.

Example 2: 200% match, 40x play-through: You deposit $100 and get a $200 (200% match) bonus, giving you $300 in total. You need to spin through 40x times the value of the deposit+bonus before you can withdraw = 40x(100+200) = $12,000 in spins.

TOP TIP: It is always worth checking the T&Cs, because sometimes bonus play-through is limited to certain games, or has a time limits, or even a limit the total you can cash-out if you used a bonus.

3) Deposit Funds to Play Real Money

The best casinos offer lots of banking options, and have 24/7 customer support to help, if you need it.

How to Deposit Funds

Before being allowed to deposit funds, will need to verify your identity. This is necessary, to prevent fraud. It can sometimes take a little time, but once you've done that, you're good to go.

The four most popular deposit methods to fund an account are:

Debit Cards (including VISA)

Credit Cards (including Amex and Mastercard)

e-wallets (including Neteller, Ecopayz, Paypal, and Skrill)

Bitcoin (and some other Cryptocurrencies, like Ethereum and Bitcoin Cash)

Once you have made a deposit, you can start playing for real money straight away.

4) The Fun Bit - Enjoy Playing the Games!

You've chosen a casino, got a bonus, made a deposit - now start to have fun playing the fantastic slots and games. Playing slots is easy because you just choose the value of your bet, click the spin button, and enjoy!

Nearly all the games, including slots, video poker, and table games will work on all mobile devices as long as they are relatively new (less than six years old). The games on mobile are exactly the same as the desktop version, with all the same features and bonus rounds.

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5) Cash-Outs / Withdrawals

If you are one of the lucky ones and you win, you may want to cash out. Casinos vary enormously in their cash-out times, especially between different countries. UK, for example generally offers the quickest cash-outs, and the US being one of the lowest.

Also, different methods take different amount of time. Bitcoin is super-quick in the US, but cheque or bank transfer can take many days, and have quite a few restrictions, regarding how much you can withdraw at a time, and how often you can withdraw.

Top Methods to Cash Out Winnings

The four main ways to cash-out and withdraw your winnings are:
- VISA Debit Payment (as well as other debit cards)
- Bank Transfer and Check (payments that go directly into your bank account)
- e-wallets (for example; Neteller, Ecopayz, Paypal, and Skrill)
- Bitcoin (some casinos may also cash-out Ethereum or Bitcoin Cash)

Using e-wallets to make banking easier

E-wallets like Neteller, Skrill, Paypal, and Moneybookers are becoming hugely popular, especially for US players. They are very secure and allow you to separate your casino play from your bank account, which lots of people find useful.

Setting up an e-wallet account is a bit like setting up a new bank account, but much quicker. You send funds to your e-wallet, and then you can make deposits to the casino easily.

The e-wallets are also great for making a withdrawal - much faster and reliable than a bank account.

Links: Paypal Casinos - Skrill Casinos - Neteller Casinos - Ecopayz Casinos

How Long Does it Take to Cash Out Winnings?

The time it takes casinos to cash-out winnings varies a lot. It can range from a few seconds to more than a week. Mainly, it depends on the casino you're dealing with, but also the value of money, and the method you are using.

Most UK casinos will cash you out instantly or in a few minutes, but some US casinos can take up to a week and also have restrictions on how much you can cash out in one go.

With US casinos, the quickest and easiest way to cash-out is Bitcoin. Bitcoin accounts take a while to set it up and get going with it, but after that, it's a breeze.

Safety Considerations

If you would like to play online casino, you should look to choose one which is trusted, certified, and able to provide a safe playing environment.

You might like to look for casinos that have been accredited by the following highly respected companies:

eCogra (eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance) is a regulatory group specializing in assessing and auditing UK online casinos. Considered the best in the world, eCogra also help with resolving player disputes

iTech Labs are a highly respected Australian company that works on a worldwide basis, verifying casinos for their fairness. They have been in the business for many years and are excellent at testing all games, including video slots, table games, video poker and also, sports betting.

TST (Technical Testing Systems) has been established for over 25 years and is the gold standard in the testing casino games. They perform testing for many bricks and mortar casinos around the world and now also assess online casinos to the same high standards

BMM Testlabs is a genuinely worldwide company that tests games for fairness, as well as compliance services. Working in over 400 areas in the world, they have an incredible depth of knowledge and test a vast number of casinos around the world.

The best casinos are Government regulated and certified for safety and security by an agency like eCogra.

Regulatory agencies are important, because they test all the best online gambling sites, including their random number generators, to make sure that each time you play, you get a fair game.

Whether you play progressive jackpot slots or penny slots, you need to be able to trust the casino. This is why it's so important that the casino's random number generator has been checked and verified as fair, by an industry leading authority.

Responsible gambling

Gambling is a form of entertainment, rather than a way to make money. The casino always has the house edge, which means that over the long-term, it cost money to play.

Because of this, it is important to set limits to the amount you spend.

If you find that your gambling is no longer fun, that you are spending too much time and money, and it is adversely affecting your life in any way, it is essential to get help.

There are lots of excellent, free resources and helplines that can help you (see below). They will give you the support you need and also help you self-exclude.

Self-excluding is a process by which the casinos ad you to a list of players that are not allowed to gamble online. For many problem-gamblers, self-exclusion helps them avoid the 'impulse' gamble, because the process of putting a bet on becomes difficult.

As well as self-exclusion, counseling and therapy are vital tools in helping people with gambling problems. The following organizations are excellent resources, and if you are having a problem with online gambling (or any gambling), do not delay, call them now.

Remember, you don't have to be a high roller to have a gambling problem and also, mobile / smartphone gambling can be just as much of an issue as online.