As in all industries, there are legends that are woven and this is also the case for online gambling and especially for gambling on casino games.
At CritiqueGame.com, we’re putting an end to misunderstandings, and that’s one of the reasons why we’re bringing you the ten fake online gambling legends founded by Internet users. Fire away!
Legend #1: Online gambling is illegal
In most cases, online casinos are regulated by responsible and responsive jurisdictions.
If you live in Europe, the United Kingdom and Malta are the main jurisdictions governing online gambling. It is legal for players to gamble in most countries, it is the responsibility of the casino company to ensure that they take legal bets.
Some jurisdictions such as the United States, France, Italy, Denmark and Germany have limits, but certainly not the players, it’s really not a problem in most cases.
And in France, is it legal? Yes, it is legal, and don’t let any moron tell you otherwise Winamax is taking legal bets online right now.
If you are in Belgium or Luxembourg you can play at a number of online casinos “legally” by taking advantage of Netent, WMS, IGT, and NextGen games.
And of course, when in doubt, always check your local laws, but make sure you talk to someone who knows what they’re talking about.
Legend #2: Online gambling encourages minors to gamble
Most online casinos have very strict rules about knowing who you are and they require identification documents to prove who you are.
Underage players are not an online problem, and our New-Online-Casino.org team has been active for several years, we have handled hundreds of complaints and special cases. None of these cases involved a minor player at an online casino. A 19 year old girl who claimed to have reached the age of majority in a casino that considered 21 to be the age of majority. The age of majority is 18-19 in most cases, unless you are in the United States and alcohol is served in a gambling establishment, then it is 21. But if you gamble from home, no one will serve you alcohol, right?
That’s not what happens with online gambling.
Legend #3: Click on your mouse, lose your house
This was the motto used by a number of opponents of online gambling who were, and still are, ignorant of the facts.
Online casinos can limit your gambling. As a player, you have control over how much you can deposit and how much you can bet.
Many casinos allow you to limit your deposits. Some, like Cresus Casino, have pop-up windows that remind you how long you played and how much you lost during your gaming session.
I’d like to see that happen in a physical casino (a member of the casino staff comes up to you and tells you, beware, you’ve already played €50 roulette in 30 minutes). It will never happen. Land-based casinos can’t effectively control their players on the spot, it’s simple to understand.
In fact, they’ll encourage players to stay, hang out, “here are some tickets to a show – and we’ll get your room ready for you”. It might cost a few dollars at a casino, but the player feels refreshed and compelled to keep playing.
Legend #4: Online casinos don’t pay
Well, that depends. If you’re not careful and don’t care about the site you’re playing on, you could be in trouble. But 98% of online casinos pay.
Indeed, even though the online casino industry has been going on for 20 years, there are still some rogue casinos. I mean REAL thieves, those set up by scammers using stolen software and so on. In the end, you are the one who needs to do a simple research on the status of online casinos.
To do this, you can use our site and check out our reviews of the various online casinos, where you will find advice on payment methods and player winnings.
Legend #5: All casino games are rigged
That’s not true, the odds of the games being fixed are the same as in Las Vegas. Yeah, if you play in the right casinos.
You need to be sure that the online casinos where you play are compliant with their regulations.
Finally, you also need to make sure that the casinos read the list of their gaming providers you can usually find this either on their “About Us” pages or on their “About Us” pages “pages, player security, or at the bottom of their main page where you can find information on current licenses.
Legend #6: You need a bonus to win
Most bonuses are set up to favour the edge of the house. Described as free money – it is not.
That was in 1998, when some casinos gave you $30 to try them out. The bonuses are now full of terms and conditions and betting requirements that I personally can’t always understand
If you want to win, deposit your own money and don’t use bonuses, set up a bank roll with a decent wagering limit, and when you have a big hit, make a withdrawal. You win without bonuses, and without the inaccessible wagering requirements.
Legend #7: Casino operators are all crooks
Well, I can attest that the operators are not crooks. In any industry where money is at stake, which covers most industries, you will have bad experiences.
But believe it or not, major licensing authorities conduct background checks on operators. Kahnawake, UKGC, New Jersey, Gibraltar, Malta, and so on. Vigorous screening is a fact that every time, it’s certainly not recreation.
So, yes, it’s important to know where the casino you’re playing at is licensed. If they claim to have a license in Costa Rica, they may have a license, but it’s not a gambling license, it’s a license to have an online business, the same one you would need if you were selling pens online. So that’s a big red flag.
Seriously, there’s more player fraud than operator fraud. So the scammers come mostly from the player communities, not the operators.
Legend #8: Online casinos are allowed by offshore tax havens
Offshore is a matter of perspective, many online casinos are licensed in Malta, Malta is part of the European Union, and in the past Malta has been labeled as a tax haven. A tax haven? Not exactly, Malta does not allow secret bank accounts and fully cooperates in the exchange of information at the request of authorities in other countries.
The United Kingdom is not a tax haven and not an offshore tax haven either, especially if you live there (in this case you know it).
Finally, the majority of online casinos are not licensed by offshore tax havens.
Legend #9: Online gambling is run by terrorist organizations that launder money
There’s no evidence of that and his ideas are wrong. Most of the gaming companies that we find online are transparent companies with real employees behind the digital portals. Many of the online casinos are actually publicly traded and there is no evidence of money laundering.
And take the gaming provider Playtech for example, the company is present in several online casinos, they are not only listed on the stock exchange, but they also have their roots in Israel. Have you ever heard of terrorist funding from the Israeli regime? We haven’t.
The people who make the connection between terrorism and money laundering in casinos are simply ignorant people who talk without really knowing what they are saying. There is no proof of what they are saying.
Legend #10: The gambling site always wins
Bullshit? Yes, this one is not a legend (except for the lucky ones). Casinos know that humans love to gamble and play for a long time on the same gaming platform, the longer you play, the more you will lose, the more the real money gaming platform wins. Yes, the house always wins unless you know when to stop and make the right decisions on your behalf.
Players want to play, but they also want to win big. That’s why it’s extremely important for you as a player to know your limits, to understand why you like to play certain games. Self-analysis is a must.
Most players play to enter the “zone”, the zone is where they can relax and get lost in a long session of Video Poker, Blackjack, or slots. The world goes away and it’s you and the game. If that’s your concern, then look for games that don’t cost you hundreds of Euros with no winnings, or most of your games are progressive games with low stakes.
Understand that when you make a big win, the casino expects you to play it so that they can maintain their theoretical rates, it is your choice as a player to cash out or not.
But that’s the casino game, you win or lose and that’s the way it is. As long as you keep your head on your shoulders that you know you are paying for entertainment, that you have set limits and that knowledge is power, you should have a good time without losing any of the madness to be able to pay the rent at the end of the month.
In conclusion, don’t believe too much in the urban legends about online casinos and make up your own mind about online gambling.