New casinos are a dime a dozen nowadays but there are probably more pros and cons when it comes to joining new online casinos. Operators have access to powerful platforms that allow them to set up a new casino for both desktop and mobile devices relatively fast. With the influx of these operations, how can players go about choosing a new casino to patronize? Should they just register with the first online casino that pops up on their preferred search engine’s results page? Are players better off sticking with more established brands? These questions (and more) are going to be answered in our guide to joining new casinos.
Pros of New Casinos
- Sign-up Bonuses
- Regular promotions
Signup Bonuses for New Players
Owing to the cutthroat competition, it’s often a challenge for operators to come up with new casinos. It is for this reason that you’ll notice new casinos are more likely to offer generous sign-up bonuses as opposed to their more established competitors. These sign-up offers typically range from plain match bonuses, free spins, or a combination of both. To sweeten the deal, some new casinos also offer no-deposit bonuses that players can enjoy when they register for accounts. If you want to find bonuses for new casinos, check out CasinoGuide website here https://www.casinoguide.co.uk
Ongoing bonuses for players
Aside from welcome bonuses, new casinos also offer promotions for its players to take advantage of. Depending on the operator though, these promotions can either be regular (weekly, monthly, and/or even daily) or seasonal. While sign-up bonuses are important for converting players, promotions play an even more crucial role in a new casinos growth since they are often the only tool operators can use to retain players. Much like sign-up bonuses, these promotions are available to players in the form of match bonuses, slot-specific free spins, and cashback bonuses.
Cons of New Casinos
- Shady operators
- Unreasonable bonuses
Shady Casino Operators
While this might not be true for all, it can’t be denied that there will be new casinos that can’t be relied on to provide honest services. Players who don’t research diligently might end up registering to an online casino with an operator that has a less than stellar reputation. There have been instances where players ended up losing their money due to operators not paying out their winnings. Aside from not processing withdrawals, shady operators have also been known to offer fake or rig their casino games to make players lose out on their wagers.
Unreasonable casino bonuses
Make no mistake, it’s not just new casinos that are guilty of providing unreasonable bonuses. With that said, there is some truth to new casinos offering bonuses that are disadvantageous to players. Additionally, these types of bonuses can at times be offered by new casinos run by reputable operators. Players who inadvertently take advantage of these bonuses without reading the new casino’s terms and conditions could end up having to spend more just to get their winnings or in some cases, withdraw their balance.
Just to summarize, unreasonable bonuses are more in the form of having really bad terms and conditions of the bonus where the casino operator takes advantage of players that never read the fine print. This is why casino affiliate websites exist where they can point these out to players to ensure they don't get caught up in bad casino T&Cs.
What to look for in a new online casino
Now that you have somewhat of an idea of the pros and cons of new casinos, let’s then talk about what you need to consider when joining one.
New Bonuses and Promotions
Most players decide to join a new online casino because they might have come across its welcome bonus offer. Now make no mistake about it, bonuses can be a good thing. They help players get more value out of their deposits and allow them to try out more of an online casino’s games and services. However, not all bonuses are alike. At first glance, most new casinos might have better bonuses than others. Your eyes might even light up when you see a new casino offer a welcome bonus package that would give you north of $/€1000 on your first 3 to 4 deposits. If you looked at the terms and conditions though, you might see that the online casino will require you to wager 40x or sometimes even 50x the bonus and deposit amounts. So instead of enjoying the winnings that might result from the use of these bonuses, you end up having to continuously deposit and wager to ensure that the online casino will process your withdrawal request.
With this in mind, players should do well to read up on a new casino’s bonuses and promotions before they decide to register and subsequently, fund their new accounts. As mentioned earlier, unreasonable bonuses aren’t necessarily an indicator that an online casino is bad. A new casino might offer an unreasonable bonus but it can also make up for it with other promotions or a genuinely rewarding VIP Program. In cases like this, you can opt to not get the bonus and just go about wagering on the new casino’s games. If you do end up winning then you’ll end up having an easier time withdrawing the funds from your account.
Games can make or break your casino gaming experience
Aside from the prospect of winning, players are also drawn to aesthetically pleasing casino games. Just look at how casino gaming software developers like NetEnt, Microgaming, Play’n GO, Lightning Box Games, Mr Slotty, and others constantly come up with new titles on a regular basis. While bonuses might play a role in a player’s choice for an online casino, it is the games (along with promotions) that often determine whether he stays or not. An online casino might offer thousands in bonuses but if its casino games are limited or of low quality then you might not enjoy wagering.
Thankfully, operators have wisened to their players’ preferences and most new casinos nowadays can be expected to offer titles from various developers and publishers. As for the fairness of these casino games, players can check if the online casino has a seal from an independent RNG testing service like iTech Labs. Additionally, players can opt to seek out online casinos that also feature provably fair casino games developed with blockchain technology. These type of casino games are great since they allow players (as well as casinos) to verify if the result of each spin was truly random. It should be noted though that not all new casinos will have these types of casino games.
Players who prefer to play on the go would be glad to know that most of the casino games developed these days will work on both desktops and mobile device. With that said, there are new casinos that are targeted mainly at players who prefer to use their internet-capable smart phones and tablets. These typically feature casino games optimized for mobile devices though they could still be played on your desktops/laptops.
Looking up the operator and license
Arguably one of the most important considerations when joining a new casino is its operator. Joining a new casino that has an operator that already has a stellar reputation will more often than not result in an enjoyable casino gaming experience for a player. An experienced operator can be expected to provide its players with outstanding services and offers. In addition, most experienced operators will include features in their more established brands on their new casinos. Examples of these features are its customer support team, VIP program, and in some cases operators might also incorporate bonuses similar to that of their other brands.
Another important consideration when considering new casinos is the operator’s license. Most players might brush off an online casino’s license to operate as inconsequential but it actually offers a lot of protections for them. Should an online casino commit shady practices, players can always get in touch with (or send their complaints to) the license-issuing institution. As of this writing, the licenses that carry the most weight are the ones issued by the UK Gambling Commission, Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner, Malta Gaming Authority, and the Swedish Gambling Authority. There are some online casinos that have one while there are also others that operate on 2 or more of these licenses. Oftentimes, the online casinos that do have 2 or more of these top licenses are also managed by top operators (like ProgressPlay Ltd and Nektan Limited). Online casinos with licenses issued by the Government of Curacao can also be considered but only if their operators are already established (Direx N.V. would be a great example).
Make no mistake, a reputable operator and license from a top jurisdiction isn’t the be all and end all when it comes to choosing a new online casino. However, new casinos that do have these licenses and/or are managed by a reputable operator will more often than not provide quality service.
VIP Programs are a plus but…
You seldom find a new casino that offers a VIP Program so if you do come across one then it’s probably worth considering. With that said, the availability of a VIP Program shouldn’t be considered a non-negotiable. While there are others that offer these immediately, most new casinos typically offer a Loyalty or VIP Program a few months after they started operations. It should also be noted that the bonuses or offers players can get through these programs might also have their own wagering requirements. Much like when choosing bonuses, players will need to read through the new casinos’ VIP Program details as well as their terms and conditions.
Check Out Independent Casino Gaming Portals
Another good way to check if a new casino is worth it is if it’s able to get good ratings from independent casino gaming portals. Sites like ThePOGG, AskGamblers, CasinoGuide, and SlotsRoom all regularly conduct reviews on the newest online casinos. What’s great about the independent casino gaming portals listed is that they’ve been around for quite some time now and they can be counted on to offer unbiased and in-depth reviews.
You should note though that the reviews these independent casino gaming portals make will have variations and deviations from each other. This is due to the fact that these sites make use of different review formats. With that said, players should still be able to check on whether a new casino is worth joining regardless of the review format used.
Aside from the reviews, these independent casino gaming portals also feature community forums that can prove to be even more useful when considering new online casinos to join. Players can use these forums to ask other players for information on an operator that they might not be familiar with or whether a new casino’s sign-up bonus is worth getting. Also, if possible, try to visit as many of these sites as you can instead of just browsing on one of them. It’s likely that one independent casino gaming portal might have a review on a new casino that the other site has yet to cover. By visiting as many sites as possible, you’ll get to come across more casinos.
Starting Your Search for New Casinos to Join
Now that you already have an idea on how to pick a new casino to join, it’s time for you to start your search. We would personally recommend to browse the independent casino gaming portals we listed down earlier. Once you’ve settled on a couple of new casinos, it’s then time for you to further research about them. Diligently check their operators’ track records (Google is your friend) and if you come up short then inquire in forums and message boards. Also check on the new casinos’ licenses and if they’re able to provide their service to players in your jurisdiction. Then before you register and fund your account, make sure that you’ve also thoroughly read the new casinos’ terms and conditions for their bonuses and promotions (if they are offering them).
Following these tips and guidelines aren’t going to guarantee that you’ll come across the best new casino. There’s dozens of new casinos debuting on a regular basis so what may be the best now could end up getting overshadowed in a week or two by one that has even better features and offerings. With that said, the tips and guidelines in this article are definitely going to save you a lot of heartache and money. In following these, you should end up with a new casino that offers reasonable bonuses and promotions, has a great management team, and features a good selection of titles from the top developers in the industry today.
