An online casino, often called an internet casino or virtual casino, is an online version of the conventional casinos found in actual brick and motor buildings. As a form of online gambling, online casinos allow gamblers to wager and play casino games from the comfort of their homes. The advantage with online casinos (compared to brick and mortar casinos) is that they offer higher payback percentages and odds. They work by buying their software from software manufacturers such as Realtime Gaming, Playtech, Microgaming, International Game Technology, Amaya (previously CryptoLogicInc) and others. The same rules of gambling are followed.

The Major Types of Online Casinos

There are two major types of online casinos each with its distinctive features and requirements. While some firms may offer only a single type, there are those firms which offer both types of casinos online.

  1. Web-Based Online Casinos

For this type of games, the users are allowed to play the games online, but they cannot download the game to their computers. For this reason, they are also referred to as flash casinos as they were originally meant to run on flash players installed on browsers. The specific plugins needed for this type of online casinos are Java, Macromedia Shockwave, and Macromedia Flash which should be embedded into the browser. Modern games allow play through HTML interfaces and can thus be used with such Apple devices as iPhones, iPads, and iPods since they do not support flash software.Given that the games require animations, sounds, and graphics to run in real time, lots of bandwidths are needed.

  1. Download-Based Online Casinos

These types of casinos allow the users to download the games to their computers and can thus be runon their computers. However, the local application has to connect to the service provider to allow playing. Owing to the local caching of the animations, graphics, and pictures, this type of games run faster and require less bandwidth compared to their web-based counterparts. The problem comes in when the application is large to download or has malware and other types of malicious software.

  1. Live Dealer Casino Games

For this type of online casino, an individual runs the actual playing on a screen, and the users can communicate with the controller in real time. Using OCR (optical character recognition) software, the controller is able to display the results on the computer for all to see.Given the inclusion of a human controller, a cameraman and other members of a crew, this type of online casino is more expensive to run.

  1. Virtual Casino Games

Rather than using a human being as the controller of the gambling process, virtual casino games rely on the PRNG (pseudorandom number generator) technology to run the gaming process. This software ensures that games are unpredictable and fair to all players especially when implemented correctly. One can also use the ‘provably fair’ concept to ensure that the online casino is not rigging the play to make it unfair.

Bonuses Offered by Online Casinos

Bonuses are offered to attract players and encourage gambling in various ways. Among the most common types of bonuses offered include;

  1. Welcome Bonuses; offered when one makes their first deposit with the online casino.
  2. Insurance/Cashback Bonuses; these bonuses are offered in line with the losses incurred by the players as per the online casino’s rules.
  • Referral Bonuses;they are offered to the referee and the referrer.
  1. No Deposit Bonuses; they awarded even before the player makes their first deposit.
  2. Comp Points; they are offered to be later exchanged for other comps, prizes or cash.
  3. Non-Cashable Bonuses; they cannot be cashed out but can be lost in a bet.

Online Casinos in New Zealand

Among the most popular online casinos in New Zealand are;

  • JackpotCityOnline Casino
  • Leo VegasOnline Casino
  • Spin PalaceOnline Casino
  • CasinolandOnline Casino
  • BetwayOnline Casino
  • CasinoRoomOnline Casino
  • Lucky Nugget Online Casino
  • Spin Palace Online Casino
  • Gaming Club Online Casino
  • Casino 888 Online Casino
  • Mummy’s Gold Online Casino and others.

All these online casinos can be accessed from around the world, but their New Zealand subsidiaries have been created to cater for the local players.