What is an online casino in India?

Most people have come into contact with online casinos in some way. Several casino enthusiasts visit online casinos and play, while others have only seen advertisements on TV or a news site online. Whether it is for something exciting or not, it is difficult not to get in touch with the phenomenon.

Online casinos are entertainment portals with the main aim of giving you the same experience you get in a land-based casino; you get to play your favorite game titles and enjoy numerous bonus offers, all from the comfort of your home using any internet-enabled device.

There are many online casinos in India, and everyone chooses which games to bring to their site for their Indian players. These most popular casino games on most online casinos today are:  

Slot machines  

We recognize slot machines from land-based casinos and numerous movie scenes. However, online slot machines are something completely different. It is an ocean of games, fun, and entertainment, and there are far more modern and entertaining slots than even the casino operators can keep track of.

It is by far the most played casino game online, and it is for good reasons. There are so many slot variations that each has unique themes and features. A typical online casino usually has at least 500 slots to offer its loyal Indian players, and some larger casinos often go over 1,000 entertaining slot game titles.  

There are plenty of game manufacturers ready to come every month with new innovations in casino games. This is a genuinely thriving market and has popped up an incredible number of new game makers over the last ten years.

There are over 100 companies continuously working on improving casino games, and most focus on slot machines. Still, there is also NetEnt which successfully produces different types of casino games and Evolution Gaming which only focuses on table games and live casino games.

Table games   

Table games include classic casino games and classic table games, which most have been around for half a century at land-based casinos. The word comes from the fact that the game takes place on a table where two or more people sit and play. When online casinos started getting popular, digital tables were introduced, but the name remained.

The most famous are Roulette and Blackjack, and when you play them online, there are several different variants of the games, even if the basis is the same. You should still get as close to 21 as possible in Blackjack.

There is also Baccarat. In short, Baccarat is a card game where you have to get as close to 9 as possible.

The dealer gets two cards, and the player receives two cards. As a player, you should place a bet on who you think will be closest to 9; yourself, the dealer, or if there is a draw.

There are also different variations of poker and video poker that are included in table games such as Texas Holdem. An online casino typically has at least 20 different classic table games for visitors to choose from.  

Live Casino

Nowadays, Live Casino is also a development of table games. You play against a real live dealer, a real person, instead of a digital entity or character in Live Casino. Now it is not a text or digital voice that decides when to place bets on the table, but now it is a real person.

This gives the player extra satisfaction and fun, and more people are looking forward to gaming in a reliable live casino instead of the usual online casino platform. Usually, on most popular online casinos, there are at least 30 different live casino table games to choose from and start playing right away.  

Most Popular Payment Methods in Online Casinos

Credit and Debit Cards

VISA and MasterCard are the two most prominent players in card payments globally. In principle, all adults have either a bank card and/or a credit card, and these two brands dominate. The number of outlets worldwide that accept these payment methods can hardly be counted, and of course, VISA and MasterCard also work online.

VISA and MasterCard have long been number one among payment methods at casinos and gaming sites. Nowadays, competition is tougher, but payment methods continue to be popular.

A debit card is a card directly linked to the balance in an account. When you make a payment or a deposit at the casino, the account is debited immediately. On the other hand, a credit card is linked to a credit offer or money. It’s money you do not have currently, and the purchase/deposit generates a debt that you must pay within a specified period, for example, a month.

Both debit cards and credit cards are widespread payment methods at casinos. In principle, all casino gaming sites, except for pure “account-free casinos,” offer both variants. From this info, it’s easy to deduce that casino gaming sites do not care if you pay with your own money or credit money.

What about other types of credit cards? There are more than VISA and MasterCard. The basic rule is that only these two big ones can be used for online gaming. Sometimes VISA Electron or MasterCard Maestro can also be used. However, Diners Club, American Express, and other card issuers are not accepted. The simple reason is that card issuers charge very high fees to merchants!

Although online gaming companies have generally improved a lot in recent years, there are still sites that charge card deposit fees. The existence of fees is due to the fact that VISA and MasterCard charge fees from each merchant. If you have to pay a deposit fee, it usually is 2.50%. However, it is good to know that the fee is often waived for slightly larger amounts. Do you need to pay fees on withdrawals? The answer is generally no.

The apparent advantage of debit/credit cards is that everyone has one! Also, everyone knows how to use the cards. There are not many other benefits today, and other payment methods are much smoother and easier to use.

A significant disadvantage of cards is the problem of withdrawals. For withdrawals with VISA, you have to wait several days. If you do not want to take advantage of the opportunity to play on credit (which we advise against), there are no clear reasons to use VISA and MasterCard at online casinos.

Neteller – Secure online payments

Neteller was started back in 1999 and is today one of the fastest and most secure ways to transfer money online. As the world’s largest independent company handling online payments, they are responsible for multi-billion euro transactions each year. Neteller’s financial services are used by a wide range of individuals, companies, and industries in over 170 countries.

With Neteller, you as a player can transfer money quickly and easily to the online casino via your Neteller account. Depending on the transfer method you use to top up your Neteller account, this service can take anywhere between a few seconds (e.g., VISA or Internet banking) to 2 to 3 business days (e.g., international bank transfer). All bank transfers are completely free.

As soon as the money is available in your Neteller account, you can transfer the money to a casino, which takes place immediately. Withdrawing money is just as easy; all you have to do is go to your account at the online casino and request a withdrawal via the Neteller option. After the casino has approved the withdrawal, the money is transferred immediately. Most online casinos offer Neteller as a payment option.

Once your money has been transferred back to your Neteller account, you can withdraw it to your VISA card or bank account. The money usually arrives in the bank account within 1-3 days. You can also apply for your prepaid debit card Net+ MasterCard and withdraw the funds directly at any ATM. You can also transfer money to other users very easily.

It is free to register an account, and it costs nothing to transfer money to online casinos from Neteller; the casino must pay the fee. Transferring money to another Neteller account also costs you nothing, but the recipient must pay a fee of 2%.

Skrill – A virtual wallet on the internet

If you are interested in getting your money transferred quickly and easily between your various favorite casinos, look no further. Skrill Ltd is one of the most popular transfer methods online and allows you to transfer money to and from, e.g., an online casino. They offer fast and efficient money transfers online, and all transactions take place immediately without delay.

Skrill is a very safe and good method, and a big plus is that they also offer their customers a so-called prepaid MasterCard that can be used at ATMs worldwide, including in India. The card is linked directly to your Skrill account, and all purchases and withdrawals are deducted from your balance.

At the end of 2010, it was announced that the company would change its name from the previous “Moneybookers” to “Skrill” next year. The name change was then officially implemented in 2011. In connection with this, a completely new website was launched which, with the help of smart design, also works on mobile devices and tablets. Skrill has since increased its market shares and now competes with Neteller.

With Skrill, you do not have to give out your credit card information every time you shop online. You can top up your account using a credit card, bank transfer, or other supported means. Another great advantage of Skrill is that you can withdraw money from gaming sites as quickly as you deposit them.

In addition to the fact that Skrill works completely without problems, it is also completely free. Some banks also insist on charging a small fee for each transaction from Skrill. However, it is completely free to deposit money from all 30 countries in which they operate. It also costs you nothing as a player to deposit money at a casino from your Skrill account, and the casino bears all the transaction costs.

Which casinos accept Skrill?

In principle, all online casinos today accept Skrill as a transfer method. Some high quality casinos in India even offer an extra deposit bonus to encourage you to use Skrill. Examples of such casinos are the popular Royal Panda Casino; since the deposits are processed directly, this is an excellent way to get some bonus money since most high quality casinos in India have deposit bonus offers depending on deposit methods.

PayPal – Safe, fast, and secure payment method

Since July 2007, PayPal has offered its services throughout Europe by operating as a virtual bank based in Luxembourg. Prior to that, the company was registered as an electronic payment method in the United Kingdom under the company name PayPal (Europe) Ltd. PayPal became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the American auction giant eBay in October 2002.

The company has recently changed its policy, and you can now deposit money at the casino with PayPal. They provide instant transfers from one PayPal account to another and offer secure transfers without you having to give out your credit card information or other banking information to the casino. This is something that is very important for many online casino Indian players.

After Paypal started allowing transfers to online casinos, several casino sites, mainly those with a gaming license in the UK, quickly added the company as a payment method. These high quality casinos in India primarily offer software from Playtech, but some also offer games from NetEnt, and Net Entertainment is considered the most popular platform among Indian online casino players.

What Does It Take To Start An Online Casino?

First and foremost, proper capital is required. A few million at least, but the more capital, the better chance you have of being able to stand out.

The next step is that you need a platform to run the casino on. You can either build your platform or (if the capital is good) buy or rent from a reputable platform.

The next step in being able to offer games for money in the casino is that you must obtain necessary licenses that guarantee that the site is managed seriously and safely for visitors. A Malta gaming license from the responsible authority is what is required to be allowed to offer gaming for money in India at least.

After that, a team is required, and there are many places to be filled: programmers, designers, financial advisors, customer service, and more. There are, of course, many more steps, but the basics are capital and licenses. Then you are allowed to start an online casino.

Are Online Casinos Profitable?  

Many online casinos have started up over the years, which have not been profitable. There are significant expenses for staff, licenses, game manufacturers, etc. If you do not get enough visitors to the casino, the money runs out quickly.

But there are also a bunch of online casinos that have done very well. Those who are successful often offer a very nice product to Indian online casino players. They have a large selection of games, they quickly solve problems that customers have, and they solve all transactions quickly and easily.

However, starting a new online casino today is more challenging than about five years ago.

Is It Safe To Play At An Online Casino? 

Like everything about the internet, there are fraudsters, but there is a straightforward thing you can do to avoid these. This is to ensure that the casino has a reputable gaming license.

There are a lot of requirements that an online casino must meet to get the license. Most requirements are for the players’ sake, and the casino has a responsibility to keep track of its customers to avoid gambling abuse. There are several rules that high quality casinos must follow to prevent irresponsible gambling for their customers. For example, casino slot games are controlled by a tool called RNG, which stands for Random Number Generator, a third party manages the RNG, and the slots are random. The transactions of these licensed casinos are to integrate SSL encryption. It is a technology used to ensure that the link between client and customer is encrypted and secure. It is probably never 100% safe to use the internet for financial transactions. Still, these online casinos use the best available security tools, and customers are as safe as possible.  

Author: Thomas Combs