The most overlooked aspect of an online casino is usually the Terms & Conditions page. While reading over all of this irritating fine print can be worse than nails on a chalk board, it is actually filled with valuable, informative content that can greatly benefit the internet casino’s players.
It’s not generally necessary to read the entire casino terms and conditions. There’s going to be a lot of jabber about end-user license agreements (you can’t copy or redistribute the software), the casino right to close player accounts without reason (which they would never do without good reason – you are their paycheck after all), and the penalties for abusing the software (cheating, redistributing, etc.), the list goes on…
Instead of listing all of the undesirable content in the casino terms and conditions, we’ll give you a list of all the things you should be skimming over the document for:
Can You Legally Play?
One thing every player needs to know is if they are legally able to play at the online casino. We’re talking about legal age and legal jurisdiction.
Not every country presents the same legal age limit for gambling. If you live in the UK, you can legally gamble at the age of 18. In the United States, you must be 21. No matter where the online casino operates from, your residency determines the age you must be to play online casino games for real money.
Every country has it’s own laws about online gambling, as well. One of the largest issues is whether Americans can play at online casinos. It doesn’t matter what the country says – what matters is what the online casino says. (Not that geographical laws should be disregarded, but we’re talking about casino terms and conditions, not government law.)
If the online casinos says anywhere "US players accepted", you’re good to go. If it only states something to the effect of, “The activities and games of the casino are open only to residents of those jurisdictions where such participation is legal and not prohibited,” then you’re better off looking elsewhere.
If you do not ensure you are of legal age and/or jurisdictional residency, you may find that the online casino has every legal right to withhold your money. You could deposit $20, then turn around and win $2,000, but if you’re not in compliance with the casino’s terms and conditions, you may never see a dime of it – not even your original deposited amount.
Terms of Bonuses and Promotions?
The next piece of information you'll want to look for is the casino terms and conditions, as they relate to bonuses and promotions. Many times, these are found on a separate page, titles Bonus Terms and Conditions, or Promotion Terms and Conditions or Bonus Rules.
It is incredibly important to understand these terms, as a player could lose their entire bonus – bonuses that can be incredibly large at some online casinos – just because they didn’t understand the rules.
Common bonus terms and conditions will state the play-through (wagering requirements) of the bonus, what games can and cannot be played to clear a bonus, and whether the bonus, or any portion of winnings derived from it, can be cashed out.
Not every online casino is going to display a player’s current level of bonus clearing in the cashier or player’s account page. The reputable ones do, but those who are hoping you’ll falter do not. Should you request a withdrawal before completing the wagering requirements of a bonus, the bonus and all winnings derived from it will be lost; swiped from your account, sometimes without warning.
For more information on bonus terms and conditions, see our article:Bonus Rules and Wagering Requirements
What if you break Casino Terms and Conditions?
In most cases, breaking the terms and conditions is just an accidental incident that the player did not even realize he or she was doing, as in the case of not completing bonus requirements before requesting a pay out. Reputable online casinos will often work with the player to resolve the issue. They aren’t looking to lose customers. If the action was obviously intentional, the casino has the right to close the player’s account and withhold all funds.
It can be more of a hassle than anything, especially if you had no intentions of breaking the rules. But to avoid any delays or freezing of your account while they ‘look into the matter’, simply read the casino terms and conditions and save yourself the trouble!
Play at Online Casinos which have Good Terms and Conditions
Duel5 Casino is an online casino powered by B3W Group, licensed in Malta. The online casino offers no download flash gam...
Tower Casino is an online casino powered by Net Entertainment and licensed in Malta. The casino offers no download casin...
Sportingbet Casino is an online casino using Bossmedia software and offering two versions of its software: downloadable ...
Cherry Casino is an online casino launched in 2000 and licensed in Malta. The casino offers downloadable software and so...
UK Casino Club is an online casino offering downloadable software and flash software. The casino is powered by Microgami...