Top-tier real money online casinos now offer upwards of a dozen viable payment and payout methods, ranging from traditional to niche.
Depositing funds is streamlined and quick, with low minimum thresholds of $5 – $10 and most methods supporting instantaneous transactions. Withdrawal speeds have increased significantly, and it isn’t uncommon for returning players to receive funds within 1-2 business days. Some real money online casinos will even process withdrawals instantaneously.
Here’s an overview of the most common cashiering methods you’ll find:
| Payment Method | Deposit Time | Withdrawals? | Withdrawal Time | Additional Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credit & Debit Cards | Instant | Debit only | Within 24 hours | Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and AmEx (at select casinos), no business accounts |
| Online Banking | Instant | Yes | Up to 3 days | eCheck (ACH) services provided by VIP Preferred and Trustly |
| PayPal | Instant | Yes | Up to 2 days | Only verified personal accounts with an associated bank account |
| Play+ Prepaid Card | Instant | Yes | Up to 4 days | Must register with Play+ prior to making an initial deposit |
| Venmo | Instant | Yes | Up to 2 days | No business accounts |
| Cash at Retail Stores | 15 minutes | No | N/A | Accepted at many retail outlets including Family Dollar, CVS, 7-Eleven, and Walgreens |
| Gift Cards | Instant | No | N/A | Must be purchased at select retail stores |
| Cash at the Casino Cage | 15 minutes | Yes | 1 hour | Deposit and withdraw from a casino’s land-based partner, at its casino cage |
| Apple Pay | Instant | Yes | 1 day | Users must add a card to their Apple Pay wallet |
| Wire Transfers | 3-5 business days | Yes (higher minimums) | Up to 3-5 days | Much higher deposit minimums ($100+), but also higher maximums |
It’s worth noting that many transactions, including Trustly ACH and PayPal, are conducted behind secure banking portals. This means you’ll log in directly to your account from the vendor’s website, and all your sensitive information will be hidden from the online casino.
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Mobile compatibility and casino apps
Nearly every real money online casino is available as a mobile app for Android– and iOS-powered devices. We recommend downloading them from the Google Play or Apple App Store, as they’re superior to mobile browser platforms.
The best mobile apps provide an experience that’s just as enjoyable as playing on desktops yet smartly compartmentalized for different smartphone and tablet devices.
They should incorporate touch controls and be relatively free of geolocation errors, lag, and software glitches. Game icons should “snap” to the screen, and players should have multiple filtering options. Account management features should be hidden behind conveniently placed menus.
If the casino also offers online sports betting, it should be integrated with the casino app, and funds should be shared between the two verticals.
One red flag is if an app has significantly fewer games than its desktop platform. That isn’t the issue it used to be, but some mobile casinos have yet to port over some of their most popular games.
All real money casino apps are free to download.
Security and trustworthiness of real money casinos
Regulated and legal real money casino apps offer far more safeguards and security features than offshore sites. These are designed to help protect your identity and funds.
You can usually tell if a site is regulated because it’ll have a stamp of approval from a recognized state gaming regulatory body on its homepage, like the NJ DGE. If not, just scroll to the bottom of the screen to view a site’s licensing information.
Online casinos protect personal information via SSL technology and provide players with additional tools to safeguard their accounts, such as 2FA (two-factor authentication).
In addition, all new registrants must undergo extensive Know Your Customer checks. This allows casinos to verify customer identities, protect against fraud, detect potential risk factors such as compulsive gambling, and prevent minors from gambling.
Furthermore, regulations mandate that online casinos hold customer funds in separate accounts, distinct from operational funds. This ensures that casinos will be able to honor all payout requests.
Lastly, thanks to services like Trustly, players can conduct transactions from secure bank portals hidden from the online casino.
Tips and strategies for playing at real money casinos
If there’s one piece of advice we can offer new players, it’s to only play at licensed and legal real-money online casinos.
Beyond that, our experience on the felt has taught us the following valuable tips:
- Maximize deposit matches: Deposit matches are one of the best ways to flip the house edge. If a casino offers a 100% match up to $1,000 with a reasonable wagering requirement, and you can afford to deposit $1,000, go for it.
- Read the terms: Promotions are riddled with terms like wagering requirements, game contribution rates, and expiry dates. These terms dictate the quality of a promotion, so consider them essential reading.
- Know what a good wagering requirement is: Divide 100 by the wagering requirement to determine your cashback rate. For example, if the turnover is 10x, the cashback rate is 100/10 = 10%. Add that to a game’s RTP, and you’ll get your expected return. If it’s over 100%, you have an edge.
- Play the odds: Slots are immersive and fun, but the RTPs are lower, usually around 94-97%. However, games like Blackjack, Baccarat, and video poker consistently offer 99% RTPs or higher. In either case, always check the Game Info tab for a game’s return, and do this before placing a wager. Be especially wary of side bets.
- Learn essential strategies: There’s no excuse not to play perfect strategy online. All the information you need is only a click away. We recommend eventually memorizing strategies, but in the meantime, look them up.
- Manage your bankroll: Your gambling budget should be a part of your entertainment budget. Pick bet sizes that align with your budget. Slightly bigger unit sizes are fine if you enjoy low-volatility games like Blackjack. However, if you’re chasing crazy jackpots, you might consider dividing your bankroll into at least 1,000 units.
- Chart our VIP tiers: It’s good to know how much play you’ll need to reach each VIP tier. Find a tier that’s within reach and offers benefits you enjoy, and aim for it. Don’t overreach because even the best VIP programs don’t award enough kickbacks to overcome the house edge.
- Set limits before placing wagers, not after: Use responsible gaming tools to set deposit and wager limits. Do it before placing your first bet. This ensures that you won’t bet more aggressively than originally intended.
Real money casino customer support
Customer support teams are your direct line to the online casino. It’s important to pick casinos with knowledgeable, responsive agents who are preferably on call 24/7.
In addition, the best real money online casinos have deep knowledge bases that provide clear and actionable answers to common queries and are constantly being updated.
For tougher questions, the three primary ways to contact customer support are typically:
- Email: Favor casinos that respond within one business day, and that answer emails throughout the evening.
- Live Chat: We’re looking for Live Chat options that don’t rely too heavily on AI. A real person with in-depth knowledge of the product should be a few clicks away. The Live Chat option is often 24/7, but not always.
- Phone: Some online casinos allow you to speak to agents directly via voice. Phone convos tend to lead to the quickest resolutions. You can typically use this method during regular or extended business hours.
Don’t read too deeply into Trustpilot reviews because they’re often flooded with players complaining about their bad run of luck. However, you may find some useful clues about the quality of a casino’s support team.
Responsible gambling at real money casinos
Real-money online casinos provide an array of responsible gambling initiatives. As a baseline, they have useful links to resources like the National Council on Problem Gambling and Gamblers Anonymous.
They’re also mandated to support responsible gambling tools to help players control their habits before they spiral. At a minimum, they include:
- Deposit limits: Set daily, weekly, and monthly limits on how much you can deposit
- Time limits: Set limits on how much you can play per day, week, or month before the system automatically logs you out
- Wager limits: Limit the amount you can wager. Some casinos go further and allow you to cap your bet size.
We highly encourage players to take advantage of these tools before betting, as that’s when you’ll make the most informed decisions regarding your monetary and time budgets.
If these tools aren’t effective, players can take more drastic measures. A cooldown allows players to effectively shut down their account for a predesignated period, usually between 3 and 30 days.
Self-exclusion is the most drastic step, as it effectively bars you from gambling on any state-regulated online casino for 1 year, 5 years, or a lifetime. You may also be excluded from the online casino’s land-based partner, although that varies on a case basis.
If you suspect that a gambling problem may be brewing, we recommend reading through a list of problem gambling warning signs to see if you you’re potentially at risk.
Conclusion
Before registering for a real money online casino, think about your goals. If it’s just to have fun, consider casinos with vast game libraries loaded with your favorite titles. If value is the name of the game, then you’ll want casinos with high RTP gaming options, frequent promotions, and robust VIP programs.
Regardless, do your homework first. The recommended casinos on this page are a good starting point, and by claiming their sign-up bonuses, you’ll receive a healthy bankroll boost.
Throughout your gambling journey, it’s critical to remember two things. The first is to gamble responsibly by harnessing responsible gambling tools. The second is to always choose legal and licensed online casinos, as they’re the safest and most secure gaming options.
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