The lockdown in the United Kingdom is not something out of the ordinary considering the outbreak of the COVID-19 throughout Europe and the world. It is a long-known fact that gambling is the number one recreational activity in the UK, or at least one of the preferred pastimes. Back in the day, the more popular forms of gambling were sports betting such as horse races, raffles, bingo, slot machines and of course scratch cards. But with technology developing daily, we can now say that online gambling found the place in each gambler’s heart. This was also proved by the Gambling Commission’s reports for the last few years – showing a high increase in online gambling making them take a leader’s position in the industry.
Gambling you said – are those the interesting online games with bets that can earn you a few pounds on the side? All of that while strictly following UK laws and restrictions during the lockdown? The answer is – yes. Yet, to properly pick an online casino, you do have to be on the lookout for a few things yourself. Here are a few tips.
The UK Gambling Commission have recommended players, especially risk players to self exclude during the lockdown in the UK. Use Gamstop and manually exclude from non-Gamstop casinos using this list.
Keep Things Licensed
It is not recommended but rather a must for the casino that you pick to be licenced by the Gambling Commission. The GC regulates online gambling activities on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
The regulator follows the rules under the Gambling Act from 2005, although a new piece of legislation may soon be on the way. Meanwhile, playing at a regulated casino is clearly important, but the main draw remains the use of bonuses, and this is one of the main things you would want to look out for.
A Bonus Never Hurts in Moderation
Most online casinos have good bonus offers for newcomers. This means that upon entering and depositing a certain amount, you will receive a percentage as bonus. In addition to the percentage bonus, you can receive free spins, a no deposit bonus or even free play money. Regardless whether you are a new player or and old dog, you should know that different conditions apply to each bonus and at each casino. In other words, always look at the fine print.
Free Spins Are Worth Your While
The spins that you could get can be valid for 24, 48, 72 hours or more, again, depending on the supplier rules. Usually, after that period, the unused free spins disappear. In some casinos, the free spins are limited to certain games.
If you are looking to earn a few pounds by visiting an online casino, you have to be on the lookout for the wagering requirement, too. The wagering requirement is set by the supplier and can be 30x, 35x or 40x. In other words, in order to withdraw, you need to make the deposit amount x times.
Always Focus on Great Games
So far so good, gambler! You now know the rules, but now let’s go for the fun part – the games. Online casinos offer a vast variety of games. The usual categories are – Popular, Slots, Card Games, Table Games and Live Games. They can vary, too, of course.
Most casinos list a “Popular” category where the list out the games that receive much interest from the audience. Under “Slots” you can find the all-time classic slot games but with updated graphics and sounds which make each game feel like you are in Vegas – or perhaps the Hippodrome Casino in London. In case you are into card games – those are of course available online – Poker, Black Jack, Texas Hold ’em and many more.
The most fascinating experience that you can receive by visiting an online casino is the live games. Many online casinos feature live games such as – Live roulette, blackjack, poker, baccarat and more. This is the ultimate experience that you can access from the comfort of your home.
Don’t Play to Excess
Gambling can be an addictive hobby some might say. Indeed while there are people that find it more difficult to control the situation while gambling, within online casinos, this can be controlled more efficiently with organisations such as Gamstop where online casinos will set fair betting, playing and/or depositing limits but users can also choose to limit their spending or sometimes even choose the option to cool off for a day or more
There are still UK casinos not on Gamstop that players can still access if they are for the right reasons, as there are special cases such as previous employers, contractual limits or other scenarios where Gamstop is or was unreasonably enforced but we don’t encourage people to actively avoid Gamstop sites if they have chosen to exclude themselves in the first place.
Every trusted online casino has its own website identification which can be found in the address field of your browser before the text – that’s the SSL encryption. Suppliers that demonstrate a trustworthy look also include important information about their licences and management. This would be a logo featuring a link that is leading to the MGA (Malta Gaming Authority), Gambling Commission, TrustPilot, BeGambleAware and more.
