Even today, well over a decade since the popularity of online gambling exploded, there are people skeptical about the online casinos and finding it hard to believe that they work with real money. Yes, there are plenty of websites where you can play casino-style games (such as video slots or roulette) absolutely free and only for fun, but the online casinos are a real business and they do offer their customers the option to gamble with real money and win real money.

We should make a note right away that every online casino today offers two versions of its software, the one with “play money” and the other where people play for “real money”. They play-money version can be used to make yourself familiar with the casino or to simply try the games without having to use real money. Of course, any winnings during your fake money play are also fake.

On the other side, if gambling with real money is your goal, you should chose to play the “real money” casino version. This is where you risk real money, but any winnings are also real. A lot of people have been made millionaires by some of the most popular online casinos, but you have to play the real money casino to have that chance.

And we know what’s coming next, the question – if I play the real money online casinos will I get paid? Yes, but only if you chose your casino wisely. If you select any of the best online casinos on our home page, your winnings will certainly be paid. These are only the most reputable gambling websites and they have been paying their customers for many, many years. On the other side, there are more rogue online casinos than there are honest ones, it seems some days. Make sure you don’t chose a bad casino that would be more than happy to let you play for real money and lose real money, but when it comes time to paying you – they find an excuse to not do so. Stick with the reputable casinos when playing for real money and you’d have nothing to worry about.

or Do the online casinos pay?

One of the questions potential online casino customers ask themselves right at the beginning is “Will the online casino pay me?”. We completely understand how many people could be skeptical at first when they encounter the world of the online casinos and gambling. For many it may appear as if the online casinos are more like a fun game and not really involving real money and yes, they could be that, as well, but more on this a bit later. Other are simply concerned with the reputation of the casino and are wondering if that particular online casino would pay its customers. Yet another group may be apprehensive with the whole internet gambling “thing”. No matter the reason of you asking if the online casino pays, we will answer right here and set the record straight.

First and foremost, yes, the online casinos do pay their winning customers, you should always regard the online casinos as you would a traditional casino – all money transactions are real (unless you opt for the play money version) and therefore you should exercise the same level of caution you would at your local casino, including but not limited to money management, beware of signs of addiction, set your limits, etc. Just as certain as the casino will pay you your winnings, even more certain is that they will take real money for your losses, so be careful when gambling, no matter if online or offline.

And while the online casinos are a business like any other, they rely much more on reputation to build their customer base. Review and informational websites like ours wouldn’t dare recommending a casino that did not pay its customers, which brings us to our next point: While the good online casinos will always pay (and pay on time, to boost), the bad casinos will NOT pay you anything. Yes, there are just as many (maybe even more) bad online casinos that there are good ones. And one of the traits of rogue internet casinos is not paying the players. While all of the best casinos are licensed and regulated, the freedom of the Internet itself gives criminals and rogues the ability to create casinos, attract players and then simply rob the of their money. Remember the reputation we mentioned earlier? Well, now is the time to underline it – reputation is everything and if a casino does not posses it – it should not be patronized in any case. If you want to find an online casino that pays its customers, simply see the list on our home page and read the casino reviews to make up your own mind which of the best ones you’d like to visit. But we highly discourage people from simply doing an internet search and selecting a casino simply on their own merit. You will be safe with our selection and will play at a casino that pays.

Finally, let’s talk about the free play casino option, as it’s the one case when the casinos don’t pay. Every online casino will give you two options – play for real money or play for free (with “fake” casino chips). If you chose to play for free, the casino will provide the player with a large amount of play-money. This is done so the potential customer can try out the games available without risking real money. Needless to say, if you choose this option and win – you won’t get paid anything, since you are not really playing with real money. If you want to get paid real money, you should risk real money, as well. Most people know this, but we figured we should mention this just in case a new player gets confused on the matter.

We will begin our casino guides with the most basic information of all – how the online casinos work. If you’ve never immersed yourself in the online gambling world before, chances are you have no idea how the internet casinos really work and may even feel apprehensive about joining one of the recommended gambling websites listed on our main page. Here we will explain in very plain English the basics of how the online casinos work, hence one you familiarize yourself with the workings of an online casino – you should have no inhibitions of joining one.

So let’s start our journey into the online casino world by taking a look at how it all actually works. The easiest way is to imagine the online casinos in the same way you would a regular, traditional casino. You have the main floor, where all the games and slots are located and then the cashier cages, where you can get some money either by check or a credit card. The basic of an online casino follow the same principle. But unlike the traditional casinos, the internet ones substitute all the brick and mortar with a software.

You download the software, install it on your computer and after you open an account, you can either head on to the virtual cashier and buy some chips or if you’ve already done so, just go to the lobby and pick a game you would like to play. To make it easier for the players, the games will be separated into categories, most often table games, video slots and specialty games (Keno, Bingo, etc). If you’ve chosen to visit the cashier, there you will have the chance to buy casino-specific chips, either by using your credit card, bank account, an ewallet or even a voucher, all depending on your country of residence. Once you have funded your player’s account, you are free to go back to the lobby and select your preferred game. As you can see, the process if rather simple and painless. Most online casinos also offer something called “Instant Play”, where you don’t even have to download the software on your PC, but simply play the game in your internet browser.

If you are wondering how it works on the online casino side of the equation – also very simple. The gambling company leases a casino software from one of the major gambling software developers, for example, Microgaming, and after the software has been customized to the particular casino (name, number and type of games, payout percentages, etc). Once this has been achieved, the casino makes the custom software available for download through their website for people to download and use. Since the actual online casino doesn’t have access to the software code, fairness and payouts remain assured, while the casino itself takes care of its customers, handles the money, and so on. Just like a traditional casino, the online casino has a very small margin of profit built into the games, but they make money the same way land-based casinos do – by sheer volume of people.

In a nutshell, the online casinos work in a similar fashion to the land-based gambling halls, with the main exception that there are no halls needed, indeed. Your chances of winning at the online casinos are just as good as at the traditional casino, even better in most cases, since the online casinos don’t have the overhead the land-based do and can afford smaller profit margins and big bonus offers.