Choosing which online casino or casinos you want to play at is one of the most important and difficult decisions you will have to make as a new player. In order to make an informed choice you first have to determine what qualities you should search for in a casino. Or in other words: Which criteria should be taken under consideration when choosing between the numerous online casino available to players?

To make a list of criteria which are valid for all players is very difficult. Online casino players come from many different backgrounds and play for many different reasons. Therefore they value different things at online casinos. Some players are only interested in playing at the casinos that offer the highest bonuses. Others want to play with a specific brand of software while some value casinos with innovative competitions above anything else. In fact there might be about as many reasons for choosing casinos as there are players. None the less I have taken it upon me to point out what I believe is the most important criteria when choosing between online casinos. Before I sign up at an online casino I make sure that it does well judged on the following criteria:

Bonuses/Player Benefits: Online casinos can improve their player's chances of winning by awarding substantial bonuses when they deposit money at the casino. All online casinos offer new players a welcome bonus, but the quality of the offer is different from casino to casino. Good casinos offer a large bonus that enables you to try the casino's games with low wagering requirements and few restriction on games. Some casinos also offer some sort of bonus on subsequent deposits and a VIP club where loyal players receive extra bonuses or privileges.

Games Selection And Software: All online casinos offer BlackJack, VideoPoker and Slot games, but the best casinos offer far more games than these and they offer them in a large number of variations. The Recommended Casinos offer more than 200 games or game variations ranging from a simple game of BlackJack against the dealer to sophisticated 5-reel slot machines. Choice matters. It is also extremely important that online casinos use quality software. Casino software should randomly produce the outcomes so that neither the casino or player receives an unfair advantage. The best casinos use software from well-known suppliers, offer lots of information about the software and explain which efforts they undertake in order to secure fair play for their players. The casino software should provide a gaming experience similar to the one you get at a brick-and-mortar casino and it should be functional and easy to use.

Customers Support: Nobody is perfect. Neither are any casinos in the online gambling industry. Something unexpected can happen. The player might have problems getting the casino software to work properly or maybe the player needs to get a urgent question answered. Therefore it is extremely important that online casinos have fast, friendly and competent customers support available to players 24/7. A quality casino will do everything they can to help solve your problems and they will do so through a variety of ways such as live chat, telephone and e-mail.

Competitions And Jackpots: A good online casino has regular competitions with extraordinary prizes as a supplement to everything else the casino has to offer. It could be competitions where players can win a trip to Las Vegas or the Caribbean. The prize could also be tickets to large sporting events or the like. Large progressive jackpots is another characteristic of the best online casinos. The best casinos have many progressive jackpots on many different games where hundreds of thousands of dollars or even millions can be won.

Reputation: Over time an online casino will get a reputation as a result of the good and bad experiences players have had with the casino. In the information age these experiences are shared on the Internet and therefore available for everyone to read. Searches on important gambling sites and on the major search engines will give you a good idea of the opinions other players have about a particular casino. With so many online casinos available there is no reason whatsoever to play at the casinos other players have bad experiences with. You should only play at the ones that gets good reviews from players and those casinos that receive awards for their excellence.

Deposit And Withdrawals: The number of ways you can fund your casino account differ a lot from casino to casino. The best casinos allow depositing via various Credit/Debit Cards like Visa, MasterCard and Maestro, various E-Wallets like NETeller, Moneybookers and Click2Pay as well as Bank/Wire Transfer. When you withdraw money from an online casino you would like to receive your winnings fast. The first withdrawal from an online casino will take longer to arrive than subsequent withdrawals because of identity checks, but it should take no more than a few days. Subsequent withdrawals should arrive within hours. It is also important that online casinos have up-to-date money processing systems so that your act in a secure environment when you transfer money to and from your gambling account.

Clear T&C's: There should be no confusion about what rules the player must adhere to while playing at the casino. The best casinos have clearly written and easy to understand Terms and Condition under which to play. Especially concerning central topics such as bonus terms and when accounts can be terminated by the casino. The T&C section should be easy to find on a casino's website. If the T&C section is hidden away on a distant page then alarm bells should be going off in your head.

 Uniqueness: When you look past minor differences in the design online casinos can seem alike. Many online casinos have similar software packages, games, bonus offers, competitions and jackpots. None the less some casinos manage to stand out from the rest because they have something unique to offer to online casino players. Something that cannot be found anywhere else. Quality casinos have unique features or an x-factor which makes you want to play there instead of somewhere else.