If you’re playing real money casino games at an online casino, chances are that you’re playing through an offshore operator. These operators operate from a jurisdiction outside your own country.
Most countries allow this type of International gambling activity but, while the operator is responsible for adhering to the laws of the country from which it operates, you are responsible for making sure that all interactions with the operator are legal in your own jurisdiction and that you take any needed steps to protect yourself and your finances.
International Casino Operators
International casino operators are casino platforms that provide casino gambling worldwide. The operator itself may be located in a country like Antigua, Curacao (like Grande Vegas) or Malta where the regulatory framework for licensing such casinos exists. But the operator’s platform itself is accessible to gamers worldwide. So at any time, a Gibraltar-based online casino could be hosting players from Australia, Mexico, Canada, the UK and Great Britain.
In many jurisdictions, there are local operators who are licensed locally, oftentimes connected to an online sports betting or land-based casino operation. But many players prefer to play via offshore casino sites where they can access hundreds of real money games, high-quality advanced tech options and valuable promotions.
History
The first indication that a new era of casino gaming was about to become available to players worldwide came in 1994 when InterCasino appeared on the web. This was followed by The Gaming Club in 1995 and soon by others. The concept of playing real money games in a casino-like atmosphere was immediately successful.
Even dedicated brick-and-mortar casino aficionados liked the idea that, at times when they couldn’t travel to their Las Vegas casino, they could still access all of their favorite games and play for real money from the comfort of their own home.
The early casinos were relatively simple, especially when compared to today’s online casinos. There were only a few basic games available and the gameplay and navigation wasn’t terribly user-friendly. But still, they were popular and the industry grew.
From the beginning, gamers reported that they liked the idea of the online casino because it was convenient, offered complete privacy and, many said, was more secure. There were more game choices at the online casino and more ways to make payment transactions.
By 1996 there were 15 internet casinos that were open to the public and by 1997 there were 200. Online casinos started to compete with each other, each vying to offer the highest number and most variety of games, the best bonuses and the easiest and most secure deposit and withdrawal options.
During the COVID pandemic, online casinos became more popular than ever and, contrary to expectations, the increase in patronage has continued to increase, even after land-based casinos re-opened and stay-at-home advisories ended.
Today’s online casinos feature support for mobile devices, cybercurrency payment options and many other innovations. The outlook is for online casino gambling to continue to grow in the coming years, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, and for new types of games, including virtual reality and augmented reality, to become part of the online casino gaming landscape.
How to Play
If you want to play online, you can get started within minutes. Identify the online casino at which you want to play (hint hint: Grande Vegas) and click the sign-up button. Submit the requested information – usually your name, email address, a chosen username and a chosen password – and then confirm your registration via the confirmation email that will be sent to your email address.
You can always play for free in the casino’s Free Mode but if you want to play for real money, click on the Banking page and link your preferred form of banking to your casino account. The online casinos accept credit and debit cards, various evouchers and ewallet, ewire transfers and, increasingly, cybercurrency payments.
Where you Can Play
The question of whether it’s legal to play at an offshore casino is complicated. A few jurisdictions prohibit it outright while in most regions, there’s no official recognition of offshore casinos (and thus no regulation) but the government doesn’t actively ban online casino gaming.
That means that, if you want to play at an international online casino, it’s your responsibility to look for an online casino that has a good reputation, positive reviews, and proper licensing from a reputable regulatory authority. Jurisdictions that host many of these operators and the casinos’ software developers (Malta, Curacao, Gibraltar, Costa Rica, Finland, etc) also maintain regulatory agencies as part of their licensing process.
If your region doesn’t allow you to play online for real money, the operator is, by law, required to refrain from accepting you as a player at their casino.
How to Choose
Today there are thousands of online casinos that are ready to accept you as their customer. How can you decide where to play? Casino advisors suggest that, when you are checking casinos to find the one at which you want to play, you should look at:
- The number and types of games to make sure that you have access to the games that you prefer.
- The bonuses and promotions that the casino offers to ensure that you’re getting the best deal possible.
- The ebanking methods offered by the casino to be certain that you can link your preferred form of ebanking to your casino account.
- The casino’s customer support line to make sure that your questions and concerns are answered in a timely manner.
Bottom line? GRANDE VEGAS ONLINE CASINO IS FOR YOU!!!!
