Bonuses/Promotions
In this section of the online casino review you'll discover what the signup bonus is at that site -- typically matching a certain percent of your first deposit -- as well as any other bonuses available at the online casino. Re-deposit bonuses are also popular, whereby the online casino matches a percentage of select future deposits (say, once a month, your first deposit of that month).
Bonuses may be game-specific or day-specific. They may offer cash prizes or free game tokens.
A particularly appealing type of bonus is the Progressive Jackpot, which starts out at a particular level (say, $500), but as each day passes without anyone qualifying to win the jackpot, an additional amount (say, $50) is then added to it. The pot grows this way until someone wins the whole kit-and-kaboodle, after which the jackpot is then reset to its starting level.
Similar to bonuses, promotions are time-based, special events, ordinarily with prizes that are larger and more enticing than usual, sometimes including vacations and automobiles and such.
Software/Graphics
Upon reading a few online casino reviews, you'll quickly notice that there are only a handful of online casino software programs that most online casinos use, namely: Microgaming, Cryptologic, RealTime Gaming, and PlayTech. You will, however, also find the occasional online casino with its own proprietary software.
Each software brand has its own strengths and weaknesses, many of which are quite subjective. You may therefore wish to find an online casino reviewer whose opinions on casinos (or software platforms) that you're already familiar with, you seem to share. That way, you can trust his or her opinion when they praise or condemn a particular online casino software for its:
- Speed and smoothness of game play
- Reliability of the software
- Usability of the interface
- Table view options (Bird's Eye or 3D Player-Centered)
- Selection of automated features (auto-post blinds, preselect bid/fold buttons)
This is also the section of the online casino review where you'll find information on how players are represented in the game (text, icons, flags, avatars), and the quality of the graphics and sound (including background sounds and sound effects).
Games
In this part of the online casino review, you'll find out exactly what games (and how many varieties of each) you can play at each online casino. Games may include Craps, Baccarat, Blackjack, Roulette, Keno, Video Poker, Slots, and others.
Payouts/Cashouts/Security
Here in the online casino review is where you'll learn about the promptness, reliability, and security of payouts. You'll find out about third party audits that the online casino receives (and whether they publicly post the results or not) of their payout percentages and/or the random number generators their games use. You'll learn of affiliations the online casino may have with organizations that require online casinos meet certain ethical standards and comply with certain codes.
Customer Support
Lastly, this is the section of the online casino review that describes the ways available to you for contacting customer support (toll-free phone, email, live chat), the hours (preferably 24/7), and most importantly, the quality (ie. how courteous and responsive).
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