Exploring a new destination, and all the adventure that comes with new sights, sounds, smells, and tastes is energising, and there are plenty of ways to stay entertained. 

But then there’s the time you spend in transit – actually traveling from point A to point B. And this is a lot less interesting!

There are plenty of ways to stay entertained during your downtime while traveling, especially now that the world has become more connected, and it’s easier than ever to travel with a WiFi connection.

You can run with the more traditional passtimes, like reading a book, people watching, or doing airport yoga between the seats, or you can binge watch Netflix, scroll the hours away on social media, or fine tune your casino skills with online games.

Gambling has evolved throughout the world much since the first games of dice in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) in 3000 BC. And while land based casinos are still a big tourist draw, online games are now also part of the lives of modern day tourists.

But with this new online landscape, what are some of the considerations to finding an online casino when you’re moving through countries? After-all, you want the best gaming experience possible, while still safe guarding your money and data. 

​Tips to Finding an Online Casino When Traveling

What’s the Reputation?

Just the same as you would consider the reputation of a hotel or tour operator, the same should go for an online casino. So make sure you research reviews.

When it comes down to it, it can be difficult to determine if an online casino is reputable or not until you’ve personally won a large sum of money and need to withdraw your winnings.

Being that the internet is a largely unregulated space, there are plenty of instances where online casinos have defrauded their customers, and the following are examples of conventional cheating practices:

➤ The casino is not willing to pay out gains that are 100 percent real in the first place.

• Their justification for this may be as follows: “It was a software glitch that should not have occurred.” We are able to reimburse you with 10% of your wins.”
• They advise you that you must play through a particular quantity of your wins before you can withdraw your money.
• The casino has implemented absurd withdrawal limitations that will keep you from cashing out for years to come.
• They may put a stop to your withdrawals for many weeks or months.

➤ A casino is selling games that have been altered and have a lower potential return to players than the games that are being marketed.

➤ The casino claims that you have engaged in bonus abuse and is thus unwilling to pay up your gains.

So it’s important to find a casino with a solid reputation – there are plenty of different review sites, casinoorc.com being one example. But do thorough research before you log in or download anything to your phone.

Is it an Offshore Casino Site?

Since you’re traveling, and every country has different laws and regulations, it’s very important to check if it is permitted to gamble online from the country you are traveling to.

If the country you’re visiting doesn’t allow online gambling (and many don’t), it won’t be possible to find local sites, and you may find many offshore sites are even blocked too.

However using apps like a VPN will allow you to route your internet usage through your home country (and is a good idea anyway for secure internet when you’re making financial transactions), and access offshore sites which are legal in their country.

This is a grey area of law, which means that they are not under any jurisdiction. Though if you’re in a country that prohibits gambling, it’s best to consider whether circumnavigating this law is worthwhile, or if you do so in private (ie in your hotel room vs in a public place with people watching).

Once again, read reviews of any offshore site before you dive in. Sportslens is an example of a reliable source of information for the most legit offshore online casinos.

What Games Does the Casino Offer?

Every one of us has a favorite game. And this will be one of the biggest considerations when choosing an online casino, especially with so may available.

Most of your favorite floor games from land based casinos have online versions, Baccarat is popular, roulette is easily played online (though it’s not quite the same watching an online wheel vs the real thing!), blackjack, poker, you name it!

Do make sure you confirm the rules before playing though, as online adaptations may have slight variations in rules across countries, and from the in person to digital equivalent.

How Professional is the Support Team?

In a land based casino you have floor staff, door staff, and a concierge. And there’s usually someone who can understand English. But online casinos vary quite considerably in the support they offer.

Generally speaking, the quicker the response time, the better. Solving your concerns or problem in minutes is much superior to attempting to do it over the course of many days.

We recommend looking for a casino which offers 24/7 support, and in a best-case scenario, this would be in the form of a live chat.

If customer service is only available by email or via a phone number that is never answered, warning bells should start ringing and it may be best to find a different website

How Good are the Bonuses & Terms?

For online casinos to attract and retain players, bonuses and promotions are essential components of any overall marketing strategy. Some people earn a living just off of bonuses. 

In order to prevent bonus seekers from abusing promotions, casinos have implemented a variety of regulations or terms and conditions which you must obey while taking advantage of them.

If you fail to comply with these terms, the casino has the right to revoke your bonus and take your winnings. So while it’s important to check for bonuses, also make sure you read the fine print so you know the terms and conditions.