Gambling at online casinos is a favorite pastime for millions of people. But whether you're interested in playing 5¢ Slots, 25¢ Video Poker, or playing $50 hands of Blackjack, it can be hard to know where to start. With so many online casinos out there, how can you find the best online casinos to play at?

Read Who plays lottery? Gambling states statistics for 2002 at Gamble Tribune.

Is it safe depositing money with an online casino?
All casinos listed here use 128 bit encryption security to transfer information and funds confidentially and securely. What this basically means is that transacting with these casinos is every bit as safe as transacting with major banks and financial institutions on-line. If you're comfortable buying at Amazon.com, then you should be comfortable depositing at a good online casino All banking transactions are protected by 128-bit data encryption, the same level of encryption that is used by Fidelity Investments and other giant financial institutions!

Let's talk about credit card fraud:
We are not aware of this ever occurring. Besides the factors we have mentioned above, the casino never receives your credit card number in the first place. Rather, the information goes to a third party. I would be far more worried about giving my credit card to a teenager in a restaurant and having her disappear for 30 minutes than I have about credit card fraud with online casinos.

Licenses:
To operate internet casinos and sports books licences now issued by governments around the world. The first to issue licences were Caribbean and Pacific Island Governments, most notably in Antigua Barbuda, St Kitts, Dominica, Curacau and Vanuatu. More recognised jurisdictions have also recently started issuing licenses, including Australia and gaming commissions of North American Indian territories.
To be a licensed online casino requires a minimum $100,000 annual licensing fee!

Your personal security (including credit card details and other personal information) is also guaranteed under license agreements in many, if not all, jurisdictions. Most casinos and sportsbooks use secure servers to conduct all of their transactions, and all information about you is held offline. Many also take out insurance against fraud.
Many of the jurisdictions require that the licensee posts bonds of cash or insurance as part of the license requirements.
As an example, the groups licensed in Curacao have to post an amount of money equal to the average win in a special account in order to guarantee that they can pay winners. To even get a license, those who apply have to go through some extensive government checks.

Do I have to pay taxes on my winnings?
Paying taxes on your winnings depends upon the jurisdiction in which you reside. Certain countries have strict privacy laws and the casinos will not have financial information disclosed to anyone. Your winnings are up to you to declare.

How do you know outcomes are random and you're not being cheated?
In order to prove to players that game outcomes are random, many casinos and casino software developers are having their game return to player rates reviewed by independent auditors. Microgaming, and all its licensee casinos for example, has Pricewaterhouse Coopers review historical return to player rates, and post the verified outcomes for players to see. Returns are verified in the range 96% to 99% across all games - returns consistent if not better than terrestrial casinos.

Do many people actually gamble online with real money?
It might surprise you to know that recent estimates suggest that somewhere in the order of 10 million people have actually placed real money wagers via the internet, and the majority of these would have been placed at internet casinos. Results of a survey published in PRNewswire (22 March 2001) claimed that approximately 8 million people gamble with real money online at the moment.

How do you begin playing?
1 Download and install the casino software. Every quality online casino allows you to download their software and play it without cost.
Do so. Get a feel for the game and the rules. The odds are the same whether you are playing for free or playing for real.
2 Register and open an account. The next step is to register with the online casino. This involves giving some ID details (name, address etc), and establishing your player username and password. You can now play the casino software for free to see what it is like, and if you choose, open a real money account and play for real. The best online casinos make it easy to deposit money into your casino account. You can do it with a credit card, and your account will be credited instantly. You can also send checks, money orders, paypal, Firepay or use Western Union or bank wire transfers or even over the phone depending upon the casino.

So where do you recommend that I gamble?
Easy, begin by playing at the casinos which have been around for a long time, and have established themselves as reputable operators. There are quite a few out there, but we can only vouch for the ones that we have played and been happy with.
Online gambling is a competitive business and many casinos will offer a lot to get and keep your business. Many will offer sign-up bonuses to new customers, adding 10 to 50% of their initial deposit to their bankroll. Some will randomly deposit money in customer accounts and others will give away vacations for specified levels of total money bet.
The rules are usually better than in physical casinos.
You don't have to travel long distances. The casino is in your own home.
You don't have to suffer real casino annoyances.
You don't have to feel obligated to tip.

Due to the fact that countries are continually changing their laws on online gambling - Even different states and counties may have separate regulations we can take no responsibility with what is now current However online casino players from the following countries may be eligble to gamble online:

Albania Alberta Ashmore Cartier Islands Algeria Afghanistan Argentina Anguilla Armenia (Republic) air Armenian S.S.R. a Azerbaijan Azerbaijan Alaska Alabama Anguilla Andorra Angola Antigua Barbuda Arkansas American Samoa Australia Austria Aruba Antarctica Arizona Bahrain Barbados British Columbia Burundi Belgium Bahamas Bangladesh Belize British Indian Ocean Territory Brazil Bermuda Islands Bosnia Hercegovina Bolivia Solomon Islands Burma Botswana Bhutan Bulgaria Bouvet Island Belarus Byelorussian Brunei California Cambodia China Chad Sri Lanka Congo Brazzaville Congo Democratic Republic China Croatia Cayman Islands Colombia Chile Cameroon Canada Colorado Canton Enderbury Islands Comoros Costa Rica Czechoslovakia Connecticut Cuba Cape Verde Cook Islands Central African Republic Cyprus Canal Zone dcu District Columbia Delaware Denmark Benin Dominica Dominican Republic Eritrea Ecuador Equatorial Guinea England Estonia Estonia El Salvador Ethiopia Faroe Islands French Guiana Finland Fiji Falkland Islands Florida Micronesia (Federated States) French Polynesia France Terres australes antarctiques franaises Djibouti Georgeia Kiribati Grenada Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greenland Gambia Gilbert Ellice Islands Gabon Guadeloupe Greece Georgia Georgian Guatemala Guam Guinea Germany Guyana Gaza Strip Hawaii Hong Kong Heard McDonald Islands Honduras Haiti hu Hungary Iowa Iceland Idaho Ireland India Illinois Indiana Indonesia Iraq Iran Israel Italy Israel-Syria Demilitarized Zones Côte d'Ivoire Israel-Jordan Iraq-Saudi Arabia Neutral Zone Japan Johnston Atoll Jamaica Jan Mayen Jordan Kenya Kyrgyzstan Kirghiz Korea (North) Korea (South) Kansas Kuwait Kentucky Kazakhstan Kazakh Louisiana Liberia Lebanon Liechtenstein Lithuania -Lithuania Central and Southern Line Islands Lesotho Laos Luxembourg Latvia Latvia Libya Massachusetts Manitoba Monaco Maryland Maine Mauritius Madagascar Macao Michigan Montserrat Oman Mali Malta Minnesota Missouri Mongolia Martinique Morocco Mississippi Montana Mauritania Moldova Moldavian Malawi Mexico Malaysia Mozambique Netherlands Antilles Nebraska North Carolina North Dakota Netherlands Newfoundland Niger New Hampshire Northern Ireland New Jersey New Brunswick New Caledonia Northern Mariana Islands New Mexico Vanuatu Norway Nepal Nicaragua Nigeria Nova Scotia Northwest Territories Nauru Nunavut Nevada Northern Mariana Islands Norfolk Island New York (State) New Zealand Ohio Oklahoma Ontario Oregon Mayotte Pennsylvania Pitcairn Island Peru Paracel Islands Guinea-Bissau Philippines Prince Edward Island Pakistan Poland Panama Portugal Papua New Guinea Puerto Rico Portuguese Timor Palau Paraguay Qatar Qubec (Province) Runion Zimbabwe Rhode Island Romania Russia (Federation) Russian Rwanda Ryukyu Islands Southern South Africa Svalbard South Carolina South Dakota Seychelles Sao Tome Principe Senegal Spanish North Africa Singapore Sudan -sk Sikkim Sierra Leone San Marino Saskatchewan Somalia Spain Swaziland Surinam Western Sahara Scotland Saudi Arabia -Swan Islands Sweden Namibia Syria Switzerland Tajikistan Tajik Turks Caicos Islands Togo Thailand Tunisia Turkmenistan Italiano Deutsch Espagnol Francais Nederlands Svenska Indonesian Dansk Norsk Portugues Suomi Turkce Francais English play free casino games Japanese Svenska Italiano Espagnol Deutsch Portugues Nederlands Tragaperras Gratis España Españoles España Apuestas Casino kasino im Netz Linea Apuestas Casinos Kostenlose Casino Apuestas Casinos Gratis Deutschland Casino French Netz Turkmen Tokelau Tennessee Tonga Trinidad and Tobago United Arab Emirates Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands Turkey Tuvalu Texas Tanzania Egypt United States Caribbean Islands Uganda United Kingdom Islands United Kingdom Islands United Kingdom Ukraine United States Pacific Islands Soviet Union United States Utah Burkina Faso Uruguay Uzbekistan Uzbek Virginia British Virgin Islands Vatican City Venezuela Virgin Islands United States Vietnam -Vietnam North Vietnam, Vermont Washington (State) West Berlin Wallis and Futuna Wisconsin West Bank of the Jordan River Wake Island Wales Samoa West Virginia Wyoming Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Maldives Saint Kitts-Nevis Marshall Islands Midway Islands Niue Saint Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla Saint Helena Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Macedonia Slovakia Spratly Island Czech Republic South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Slovenia Canada United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Yemen Yukon Territory Yemen (People's Democratic Republic) Yugoslavia Zambia