Top casinos feature some or all of the following offers: Deposit bonus. A deposit bonus is available after you complete a casino deposit. Sometimes, you may need to enter a bonus code during the process. Welcome deposit bonuses (available to new players) are typically the biggest offers at online casinos. Most importantly, we list the top USA online casinos right below. Namely, our team invests a lot of time and effort in finding, reviewing, and ranking US casino sites. While researching US online casinos, we consider factors such as legalities, licensing, ownership, bonus information, software platform, and customer support. CasinoAus is the leading guide to Australia’s best online casinos in 2021. We offer reviews on the top Australian online casinos and online gambling games. Our selection of Australian online casino reviews includes pokies and table games. Furthermore, the world’s best software developers are the brains behind these casino.
What qualities do the top online casinos feature?
The best online casino sites excel in a variety of areas. They’re especially adept at including the following elements:
Large game selection
Top-tier Internet casinos feature a large game variety. Some of the most popular gambling sites offer hundreds of games.
They also use software from a variety of providers. When casinos feature multiple providers, they present different looks in terms of graphics and game styles.
Licensing & reputation
Every quality casino should be licensed in at least one online gambling jurisdiction, but based on where you play from, the ideal licenses change.
Preferably, they’ll hold licensing locally, or with blue-chip jurisdictions, such as New Jersey Division for Gaming Enforcement for New Jersey online casinos, the UK Gambling Commission for UK operators or the Danish Gambling Authority for Danish gambling sites.
Casino websites that obtain approval from elite jurisdictions are more likely to be reputable. They’ve proven themselves to top licensing bodies and can be trusted to serve you with integrity.
User-friendly website
A gaming site should never leave you struggling to navigate through different sections of their website. Instead, they should provide a user-friendly experience that facilitates finding relevant sections.
Some casinos try impressing you with fancy graphics and several promotional banners. Unfortunately, this added clutter may make it more difficult for you to navigate these gaming sites.
Fair bonus policies
Most internet casinos offer bonuses. However, each site can differ from the next regarding their terms and conditions.
The top sites feature clear T&Cs that give you realistic chances to earn bonuses. In contrast, nefarious operators instate ambiguous terms and near-impossible requirements.
Mobile compatibility
A solid online casino must be compatible with major mobile operating systems. Furthermore, they should give you a way to use their sites through Android and iOS devices.
Odds are, you play casino games through your smartphone or tablet more than on a computer. That said, you need a way to enjoy casino games on your Android, iPhone, or iPad.
Fast payouts
No quality casino makes you wait on payouts. The best operators ensure that you’re paid in a timely manner.
Insolvent gaming sites, in contrast, may force you to wait weeks or even months on withdrawals. Such operations are usually struggling financially and holding onto your money to stay afloat.
Support for multiple languages & currencies
Online gaming is an international affair that features players from all over the globe. Quality casinos should recognize this and provide support for multiple languages and currencies.
English is the most-common language available at Internet casinos. However, the best operators go beyond English and offer additional languages that cover their target demographics.
The same theme holds true for currencies. Top-tier gaming providers accept and allow wagers in multiple currencies.
Plenty of banking options
You may prefer certain banking options and/or only be able to use specific deposit/withdrawal methods. In this case, you want a casino that provides many options, including the one you prefer.
Here are some banking methods that are commonly available at internet casino sites:
- ACH (e-check)
- Credit and debit cards (e.g. Visa & Mastercard)
- Cryptocurrency (e.g. Bitcoin & Ethereum)
- E-wallet (e.g. Neteller & Skrill)
- Prepaid card
- Wire transfer
Friendly customer support
The best online casinos are synonymous with quality customer service. They feature support departments that are friendly, knowledgeable, and sufficiently staffed to limit the length of time customers spend waiting for assistance.
You’ll benefit from this courtesy and knowledge if you experience an issue or have a question. In these cases, you can look forward to dealing with a professional support staff.
Why joining a top online casino is crucial
You shouldn’t be lured by a big bonus or huge progressive jackpot alone. Instead, you should carefully choose a quality online casino for the following reasons:
Deposit safety
Most gaming operators are committed to their customers. Unfortunately, as with every business, a few bad apples exist in the industry.
Your chances of losing your deposit increase when dealing with rogue operators. The worst casinos will delay payments or not even pay at all.
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Luckily, you needn’t worry about these issues with elite gaming sites. Top casinos make every effort to expedite your cashouts.
Timely payouts
The amount of waiting time involved varies based on the cashout method used. If you withdraw via bank wire, for example, you’ll be waiting longer on your funds than with Neteller or Skrill.
However, reputable casinos do their best to process cashouts in a timely fashion for each payment method. Below, you can see common waiting times on each withdrawal option:
- ACH (e-check) - 1-24 hours
- Bitcoin - 1-72 hours
- Check - 7-14 days
- E-wallet - 1-48 hours
- Wire transfer - 3-7 days
Fair gaming
Most casinos offer fair-and-random games. Nevertheless, you should still seek sites that can assure you of fair gaming.
The best casino sites put their games through third-party testing. This testing ensures that a casino’s random number generators are working properly.
Many operators that receive third-party verification put their certification at the bottom of the website. For example, a casino may place an iTech Labs seal of approval on their site.
Legitimate bonus opportunities
Unscrupulous operators often advertise gaudy bonus offers to lure players. Their deals contain unfair terms that make it impossible to release a bonus.
On the other hand, quality gaming sites feature legitimate bonuses with reasonable terms and conditions. You may not win every time with these bonuses, but at least you’ll have a chance.
Different types of games available at top casinos
An extensive game selection is a hallmark of the best online casinos. Below, you can see the different categories of games available at choice gaming sites:
Slots
Online slots dominate the game selection at many casino sites. They've proven highly popular among gamblers thanks to their diverse array of offerings.
Slots draw the attention of gamblers through exceptional graphics, several bonus features, notable formats (e.g. Megaways), and/or unique themes. They can also offer huge progressive jackpots.
Aladdin's Lamp (GTECH), Aztec's Millions (RTG), Mega Fortune (NetEnt), and Mega Moolah (Microgaming) are examples of progressive jackpots. These games feature multimillion-dollar jackpots on a regular basis.
Blackjack
Any site with a large game selection is bound to feature several blackjack variations. After all, blackjack is one of the world's most popular table games.
Many players gravitate to single-deck blackjack with player-friendly rules. Such games can feature over 99.5% RTP.
Other popular blackjack variants include Atlantic City rules, Blackjack Surrender, Blackjack Switch, Pontoon, Spanish 21, and Vegas Strip rules.
Roulette
Many internet casinos offer a combination of American, European, and French roulette. The latter is particularly desirable because it features 98.65% RTP.
You can also find other interesting online roulette games, like double ball, mini, multi-wheel, and pinball roulette.
Other table games
Some casinos offer plenty of table games beyond just blackjack and roulette variations. Below, you can see various casino games found throughout the industry:
- Baccarat
- Caribbean stud
- Casino hold'em
- Craps
- Pai gow poker
- Three-card poker
- Ultimate Texas hold'em
- Sic bo
Baccarat rivals blackjack in terms of popularity. It offers a low 1.06% house edge when you bet on the banker’s hand winning.
Caribbean stud is an entertaining poker variation that usually offers a progressive jackpot. You can play for this jackpot, which is occasionally worth six figures, by placing a $1 side bet.
Pai gow poker sees you play two hands—'front' and 'back'—against the dealer. It also requires a great deal of strategy.
Video poker
Video poker features an interesting combination of simple rules, complex strategy, and big payouts. Assuming you master the strategy, you can achieve high RTP with this game.
You need to pick certain video poker variations to chase the best RTP. Microgaming's All Aces (99.92% RTP) and RTG's Aces and Eights (99.78%) offer especially high payback.
Scratch cards
Much like lottery instant-win tickets, online casinos offer scratch cards. You scratch off virtual cards to match up symbols and win prizes.
Scratch cards feature much-higher RTP than the lottery tickets offered in land-based convenience stores. You can often look forward to between 94% and 97% payback with these games.
Live-dealer gaming
Live casino games are quite unique compared to standard online casino games. They feature real dealers operating out of brick-and-mortar studios or casinos.
This setup helps you feel like you're actually sitting in a land-based gambling venue. In reality, you're enjoying the convenience of playing through a smartphone, tablet, or PC/Mac.
At a minimum, most live casinos offer baccarat, blackjack, and roulette. Others provide more games, including Casino hold'em, Pai gow poker, Three-card poker, Sic bo, and/or Ultimate Texas hold'em.
Bonuses at the best casinos
You’ll enjoy access to a variety of bonuses at upper-echelon gaming sites. Top casinos feature some or all of the following offers:
Deposit bonus
A deposit bonus is available after you complete a casino deposit. Sometimes, you may need to enter a bonus code during the process.
Welcome deposit bonuses (available to new players) are typically the biggest offers at online casinos. In some cases, welcome deals can be worth thousands of dollars.
Casinos also feature reload deposit bonuses. The reload aspect refers to how such deals are available to existing customers
No-deposit bonus
You don’t need to make a deposit to qualify for a no-deposit deal. Instead, these bonuses become available after you complete registration. Sometimes these bonuses are automatic and in some cases, you might need no deposit bonus codes to activate the promotion
Casinos allow players to withdraw whatever remains from the bonus, plus potential winnings, after satisfying terms and conditions. No-deposit bonuses essentially give you a chance at free money.
Free spins
Free spins provide the opportunity to win through slots without betting anything. You get to keep winnings from free spins after meeting terms and conditions.
Some of these deals are part of deposit bonuses. Other offers don’t require deposits and only call on you to enter a bonus code.
Live casino bet
You can get a free bet at some live-dealer casinos. For example, you might receive a $25 free baccarat wager.
If you win your free wager, you keep the winnings.
Can you win at the top casinos?
Nothing is guaranteed in any kind of gambling. However, you stand a better chance of winning at the best online casinos by paying attention to the following aspects:
High RTP
High return-to-player gives you a stronger chance of winning money in the long run. On the other hand, low RTP reduces your odds of winning.
You can find payout percentages for many casino games by looking at their help screens. Most developers list RTP within the help section.
If you don’t see the payback listed, you can perform an Internet search. For example, you could search “Jack Hammer 2 RTP” and find that it offers 97.1% payback.
Understand volatility
In casino gaming, volatility refers to the fluctuation of short-term results. It offers an indication of how often you’ll win in the immediate future.
High volatility suggests a game offers large prizes but low win frequency. Low volatility indicates a game with low payouts and high win frequency.
Some games with high RTP are also really volatile. In these cases, you could lose plenty of money in the short run due to infrequent payouts.
You should consider games’ volatility if you’re dealing with a small bankroll. Slots, for instance, are highly volatile and can deplete your money more quickly than other games.
Study strategy
Blackjack, Pai gow poker, and video poker are among the most-strategic games. They require you to use extensive strategy to reduce the house edge.
You can still win with these games by relying on luck. However, your chances of earning money improve greatly when you study the strategy involved.
Collect bonuses
Bonuses alone won’t help you beat online gaming. However, they will at least pad your winnings or reduce losses.
You should consider both a bonus’ size and terms and conditions. T&Cs are particularly important with regard to unlocking bonus funds.
You can also join a casino’s newsletter and check their promotions section regularly to find new deals. Using these methods, you’ll stay updated on a gaming site’s offers and cash in on their bonuses.
Best Online Casino FAQs
How do I know if an online casino is secure?First, you should visit the website of the casino you’re considering. Next, you need to check the address bar of your internet browser.
When using Chrome or Safari, you should see a padlock next to a casino’s URL. This padlock indicates that the website is encrypted and secure.
No padlock indicates that the operator’s website is not secure. You want to avoid such casinos because you risk your data being stolen by a hacker.
Licensing alone doesn’t guarantee that a casino is legitimate. However, it increases the chances that you’re dealing with a reputable operator.
Casinos must undergo a licensing process before they’re approved by a gambling jurisdiction. They only receive a license if they pass the application process and can cover relevant fees.
Of course, not all licensing jurisdictions are equal. Some licensing bodies are more heralded than others.
Some of the most respected online gaming jurisdictions include:
Belgian Gaming Commission (BGC)
Danish Gambling Authority (DGA)
France’s French Autorité de Régulation des Jeux en Ligne (ARJEL)
Italy’s Autonomous Administration of the State Monopolies (AAMS)
New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE)
UK Gambling Commission (UKGC)
Many software developers list RTP within games’ help screens. Therefore, you should visit a game’s information section to look for the payout percentage.
If you don’t find the RTP, you can run an Internet search. In most cases, you should find the payback statistics on one or more websites.
A fair bonus deal features clear terms and conditions, low playthrough, and few game restrictions. It also provides you with an adequate number of days within which to both claim the bonus and satisfy the playthrough.
You should always check the T&Cs behind any bonus offer to ensure that a deal is fair. You can also compare bonuses from one casino to the next and see which is the most favorable.
Can I play for free at online casinos?Best Online Casinos 2020
Yes, gaming sites let you try their games for free. Of course, many require that you register for an account beforehand.
Upon finishing registration and being approved, you can enjoy free casino games. However, most casinos require you to place real bets to enjoy any live-dealer gaming because their costs for these games is higher.
Almost every online casino is compatible with Android and iOS devices. Therefore, you can gamble online through your Android, iPhone, or iPad.
Again, you must register for an account before playing free games on your mobile device. You can also place a deposit and enjoy real-money gambling through your smartphone or tablet.
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Other resources for online gamblers
Top Rated Online Casinos
- Get help for yourself or someone you know at The National Council on Problem Gambling.
- Visiting us from the UK? Visit Fruity Slots for UK online casinos, slot reviews and live streams.
- Playing from India? See the guide for the best online casino in India here.