There are a vast amount of online casinos available to today’s Internet gamblers and with so much choice, it’s important that you make the right one. We’ve been reviewing online casinos at CardSharkIsland for over 7 years so it’s always worth checking out whether we’ve reviewed a casino before playing there. If we haven’t reviewed the casino yet then the following checklist can help you make the right decision.

Casino Software

Just as there are many different casinos on the Internet, there are also a lot of different providers of online casino software. The three main software providers are Microgaming, Playtech and Cryptologic and if the casino you’re thinking about trying uses any of them, this is usually enough to guarantee that it’s a reputable establishment. However, this isn’t to say that a casino is automatically untrustworthy if they don’t use any of these software platforms. There are many reputable casinos that don’t use them such as PartyCasino and 888.com.

Payment Options

Most online gambling operations use similar banking methods such as credit card, debit card, Neteller, Moneybookers, EcoCard etc. If you don’t recognise any of the payment methods offered by an online casino it should set the alarm bells ringing and if you don’t find a lot of other operations offering it, we recommend that you stay clear.

Message Boards/Forums

There are a plethora of communities on the Internet covering every subject imaginable. As such, there are several very good online casino message boards covering both player issues and general industry information. Not many casinos manage to escape the attentions of the players on these forums, so it’s always worth checking out what other players’ experiences have been.

eCOGRA

Currently there is no official regulation of the online casino industry. However, eCogra is an independent standards authority for the online casino and online gambling industry. You should always check to see if the casinos you play at are listed on the eCogra site.

Common Sense

Yes I know it sounds obvious but you would be amazed at how many emails we receive from players who’ve fallen foul of a dishonest operation. As with anything in life, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is. If a casino you’ve never heard of is offering huge bonuses and making wild claims about their service levels that sound unlikely, then stay away!