Getting started playing at online casinos is quite simple. Just find a casino that you would like to play at on this website (I highly recommend one of my Top 10 Online Casinos), and click on a link to take you to their website. Most casinos offer both an “Instant Play” and a download option. You will need to set up an account, and yes they do ask for lots of info, but they do have to verify your identity just like showing your ID at a land based casino.

The Free Slot Games above are an example of the Instant Play casino at All Slots. It runs in your browser using flash to display the graphics, and there is usually an extra plugin you have to install. The flash versions don’t offer all the games that you can play with the download version, or the same quality of graphics, but it saves you from having to download and install the casino.

Downloading the casino is always the best choice, as you get the full experience that way. The install is usually a very small download, and games will either download automatically while you play, or one at a time when you click on them to play. Once downloaded, you can go back to that game any time without needing to download it again. Everything you need including the bank, games, and live chat are usually all available within the downloaded program. All important areas are normally accessible through the “Lobby”, this is the first page you see after starting the program and logging in.

Once you are logged in and in the lobby, you are ready to visit the bank. If you would like to claim a welcome bonus, the lobby will sometimes have an easy coupon redemption button for you to click. If you have a coupon code, that can be redeemed in the banking page. If you were offered a welcome bonus and didn’t get any coupon code and there is no button in the lobby, then the bonus will most likely be automatically applied. You can then go ahead and deposit using the payment method you prefer. If you don’t see that a bonus was given after you deposit, go to live chat and ask customer service why it wasn’t. They are usually happy to help and quick to act.

Once that is all taken care of, you are ready to play whatever games you like. If you have taken a bonus, make sure to read the terms and conditions of that bonus before playing.

Good luck and enjoy your online gambling experience!

Depositing and withdrawing at online casinos is quite simple for the most part. I find the easiest method for Canadians to use is Instadebit. Though credit cards are still the most widely used and accepted, some credit card companies do not allow the use of their cards for gambling purposes, and many people prefer using a “Web Wallet” like Instadebit.

There are many different options out there, but not all are accepted at every casino. There are web wallets, bank wire transfers, credit cards, cheques, etc. It is up to you to decide the method you prefer.

Different web wallets have different rules, including country restrictions and/or fees associated with transactions. Instadebit is the best one for Canadians and is free to use, all other countries are restricted from using it. Neteller is popular with players outside of North America, as Canada and the US are restricted from using it. Click2Pay accepts people from everywhere, MoneyBookers is available everywhere except the US, and UseMyWallet is just for US residents. Those are the most popular and widely accepted web wallets available.

Credit cards and bank transfers are also widely accepted by many casinos.

Almost all of the casinos on this site accept Instadebit for deposits and withdrawals, with the exception of 32Red. I have been in contact with a representative of 32Red and they are seriously considering adding Instadebit as an option for Canadian players. Hopefully they decide to use that option as they are one of the best casinos to play at based on player feedback. Update: They added it.

Depositing and withdrawing can be done in the banking page of the online casino, there is always a link to the bank from the lobby. The process is quite simple once you have decided which method to use and signed up with that service if necessary. Once you make a deposit, most casinos have a ‘favorite method’ option that automatically selects the methods you have used and displays them at the top of the banking page.

Usually the casino likes to use to the same method to process your withdrawal as you used for your deposits.

Most Microgaming casinos have a 24 hour ‘reversible’ period, enabling you to reverse some or all of your withdrawal for 24hrs. Many of these online casinos will ‘flush’ your withdrawal right after you request it, by just going into live chat and asking them to do that for you. I know 32Red Casino will flush withdrawals, as I just did that tonight after a decent win there.

The No Deposit Bonus is given to players by some online casinos as a welcome gift, it’s a great way to try out a casino for free. These can also be offered to you by different casinos that you have already played at, maybe to entice you to come back, or just as a good faith measure if you’ve recently lost money there.

The bonus is usually ‘sticky’ meaning it cannot be cashed out when you request a withdrawal. They also usually come with higher wagering requirements than deposit bonuses and a maximum cash out. If you are above the maximum cash out and have fulfilled the wagering requirements, cash out the maximum allowed plus the bonus, this will give you the maximum amount allowed.

An example of this would be High Noon Casino offering a $60 free chip (or no deposit bonus) that comes with wagering requirements and a maximum cash-out of $300. This is a ‘sticky’ bonus, so if you complete the wagering requirements and have over $360, request a withdrawal of $360 to get the maximum $300 cash-out (the $60 bonus is removed during withdrawal).

If you win on a no deposit bonus, you will normally have to verify your ID, and verify the method you wish to use to withdraw by depositing the minimum amount (usually around $25). So if you win it’s not really a no deposit bonus because you have to deposit, but you can withdraw that deposit along with the rest of your winnings without having to play any of it. Remember to read the Terms and Conditions for every bonus you decide to claim.

Almost all bonuses come with Wagering Requirements (WR). This means that you are required to wager a certain amount of money before being able to withdraw your winnings.

Most bonuses at Microgaming casinos have a WR of Bonus x (a certain multiplier, usually 30x). As you wager, the bonus credits are moved into your cash balance, but you must complete the full WR before you can withdraw.

Most bonuses at Playtech and RTG casinos have a WR of Deposit + Bonus x (a certain multiplier, usually 20-30x). I don’t really like this WR system as it throws the deposit in to the equation.

For a comparison between the two systems, we’ll use an example of depositing $100 with a 100% bonus at both 32 Red Casino and Aladdin’s Gold Casino. At 32 Red Casino, the WR would be $100×30 = $3000. At Aladdin’s Gold, the WR would be $100+$100 x 20 = $4000. That’s quite a difference, and consider that 20% at Aladdin’s Gold is almost the lowest offered at RTG casinos, it is usually 25x or even 30x.

The wagering comes from placing bets on casino games. Different types of games are weighted differently when it comes to wagering, that is if you are even allowed to play other types of games with the bonus you took.

If you can play all games on the bonus, blackjack and roulette for example are usually weighted the lowest, and some games don’t count at all. Slots are almost always weighted at 100%, meaning every dollar spent counts as a dollar towards the WR. The WR may seem like a large amount of money to wager, but when playing slots, you win often enough that you don’t really realize how much you have wagered.

Make sure you read the Terms and Conditions for any bonus you decide to take before you start playing. Some bonuses don’t allow you to play certain games, and if you do, they have the right to remove the bonus and any winnings, leaving you with just the deposit that you made.

The Welcome Bonus is something that is offered at pretty much every online casino. It definitely comes in handy, allowing you to bet more for bigger wins, and extending the play time on your deposit. The welcome bonus is usually the largest bonus you will get from that casino, though sometimes they will offer several bonuses, or an ongoing bonus as a welcome gift.

An example would be Aladdin’s Gold Casino who is offering an unlimited 200% deposit bonus for the first week. That means every deposit made during your first week at the casino will be awarded a 200% bonus. Deposit $100 and get $200, giving you $300 to play with. If you lose that, or cash out, you can deposit again and receive the same award.

Bonuses almost always come with Wagering Requirements which usually prevents you from withdrawing until you have wagered a certain amount of money. For this reason, some people decide not to play with bonuses. You can play without bonuses either by not redeeming a coupon before a deposit, or if it is automatic you can ask customer service (via live chat or email) to stop the bonus from being applied to your deposit(s).

Sometimes a bonus is ‘sticky’, meaning it cannot be cashed out along with your winnings, and there can also be a maximum amount you are allowed to cash out. This is usually the case with No Deposit Bonuses.

An example of this would be High Noon Casino offering a $60 free chip (or “no deposit bonus”) that comes with wagering requirements and a maximum cashout of $300. This is a ‘sticky’ bonus, so if you complete the wagering requirements and have over $360, request a withdrawal of $360 to get the maximum $300 cashout (the $60 bonus is removed during withdrawal).

Make sure you read the casino Terms and Conditions before you decide to deposit and play with a bonus. This way you know exactly what the specific bonus conditions are, as they differ from casino to casino.

Most bonuses advertised are for playing slot games, and they usually have an alternative bonus for poker and table games. It is very important that if you take a slot bonus, that you do not play any restricted games (like blackjack and roulette are usually restricted) or you may forfeit any winnings. That is why it’s important to read the Terms and Conditions of the bonus at that casino.

I personally like to play with a bonus, I feel it gives me a better chance to hit a nice win.

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