Since its inception several years ago, the internet gaming industry has gone from strength to strength and attracts thousands of players all around the world every day. Although some are professional and/or regular players, many are visiting casino sites for the very first time and are unsure of what to look out for.

With a lot of casinos to pick from it's important to do a bit of research first. You will find some wonderful operators out there who operate a fair and honest business, but as with any industry, there are actually others who are less than reputable. Here are a few things to bear in mind in case you are new to online casinos and games.

Any casino worth their weight will provide excellent 24/7 support to their customers. This may be within the form of either mobile device or e-mail support and there may even be a link to Frequently Asked Questions on their own site. It is vital that you feel confident with the degree of support you are going to receive as there will be nothing more frustrating than waiting for a cheque to arrive in the mail or your banking account and not having a direct way of following up your inquiry.

What will be the Conditions and terms of the Casino?

Conditions clearly on their site. It's worth taking the time to read these prior to deciding to start playing when you will by bound by them if a dispute between yourself and the casino is raised. Privacy is probably the most significant clause players are captivated in and its always good to know if the casino intends to maintain your details secure, or whether they might be made available to a third party (e.g.: their sponsors or advertisers).

In the last few years many banks and bank card providers have made the decision not to process financial transactions made via online casinos. You will find however a number of other effective methods, many of that are extremely reliable and secure. These mainly consist of third party 'brokers' who keep your financial details secure and handle all of your transactions both in and out of the account. A couple of of the more popular providers include Netteller, Firepay and

Paypal. All you will need to do is register your personal and financial details as well as a user name and password so that you can access you account.

Some casinos can even pay any winnings direct to your bank savings account or via a cheque within the mail.

It's also an excellent idea to be clear on the turnaround times for payouts. Some casinos are very reliable and pay quickly, but you can find some horror stories of players waiting months for payments, which is obviously very frustrating.

I've heard about online forums. What are they and how can they help?

Among the great things about the Internet is that it really is quite simple to connect with like-minded people and swap both ideas and information. You will find if you look around, there are some fantastic online poker casino (click home page) player organizations and online forums where regular online casino players meet. Many of these sites will monitor which casinos are operating fairly, while they might also contain a blacklist of which ones to avoid. You will also find a lot of useful tips and strategies discussed which may be use. Remember that most players have a popular game they like to play, meaning that the player organizations are usually dedicated to a particular type of online game - for instance, slots, blackjack or poker. Look for the one with the kinds of games you want to play.

There's a lot of games? How do I choose which one?

The question of which games to play really is a very personal one although the great thing about online casinos will be the choice between literally hundreds of games.

Casino and games reviews tend to be the best area to start as well as can take the hard work out of choosing the best casino for you.

Many casinos will also let you 'play for free' for a short time, so if you're able to try out new games and acquire a feel for the ones you are unsure about. Offers to 'play for free' are certainly worth taking up and also are widely available.

Probably the most important thing to remember with online gaming is the fact that it is a type of entertainment and there to be enjoyed. Take your time to look around and work out what best suits you. Like millions of other players you're sure to soon find out just how much fun online gaming can be!