Online casinos turn over billions of dollars every year, and new players are walking in through their virtual doors every day to see what all the fuss is about. That includes a lot of people who might think twice about entering a land-based casino because they would be worried about making some rookie error. It’s great that the ability to play online gives newcomers the confidence to try out casino games. But at the same time, there is also the potential to make beginner blunders in cyberspace. Here are some common pitfalls to avoid if you are new to online casino gaming.

Don’t Pick The Wrong Casino

A $500 bonus is great, but not if it’s from a sketchy casino with a bad reputation and no license. We could spend half an hour discussing what makes a good online casino, but suffice it to say you should look beyond the apparent generosity of the welcome bonus. Use an independent review site like Gamble Online USA to narrow down the choices to only those casinos that get a four to five-star rating.

Don’t Pick The Wrong Games

Every casino game has a house edge, which is the advantage the casino has over the player. There’s nothing wrong with that, a casino is a business and it has salaries to pay and profit targets to meet. However, some games have different versions with a significantly higher house edge. For example, American roulette, with its extra “double zero” only benefits the casino – as for triple zero roulette, don’t go anywhere near it! Likewise, always play traditional 3:2 blackjack. Some casinos offer 6:5 instead, which only means smaller rewards and a higher house edge.

Don’t Play For Profit

If you are short of money and need an extra windfall, don’t expect to find it at the casino. Remember what we said earlier about casinos needing to turn a profit – sure, players will sometimes win a big prize, that’s all part of the fun and excitement of casinos. But most of the time, players will spend more than they win. Only bet what you can afford to lose, and accept that the fun of casino gaming has a cost. If you get lucky and enjoy a winning night occasionally, that’s an extra bonus.

Never Chase A Loss

People understandably get concerned about problem gambling. It really stems from two things. The first we have already covered, walking into the casino with the expectation of a win. That will end in disaster because it is simply not how casinos work. The second is loss-chasing. We’ve mentioned that on average, casino players lose a little more than they win. Sometimes, players have a great night and walk out with a profit. Sometimes, they are really unlucky and incur loss after loss. When that happens, the worst mistake you can make it to think you are “due some luck” and gamble more to try to win back your loss. Doing so just lands you in deeper trouble. Spend what you can afford to lose and then walk away. Perhaps next time you will have better luck!