The Free online casino option is a boon to new gamblers

The advent of online casinos in Ireland and elsewhere in Europe has introduced many more novice gamblers to the experience of playing casino games. Not only do the online casinos offer a far bigger range of casino games than their land based competitors for us to enjoy, but there are also other advantages to be gained by playing casino games online. Many of us remember when we first went to a casino, not really understanding how to play many of the casino games and probably paying to learn. Almost all the online casino operators have now responded to this potentially off-putting problem and have introduced the opportunity to play most of their casino games in a Free casino mode whilst we learn the game. Here at onlinecasino.ie we have detailed the rules and basic strategies of most of the most popular casino games, but the Free online casino facility is without doubt the best way for all new casino gamblers to learn the games. Clearly some of the simplest casino games do not take long to learn, and may require just a few free goes to get the hang of how the betting works and to understand the graphics, but there are some casino games which do require a certain degree of experience and the Free casino option is a vital ingredient in our enjoyment of playing these casino games online. To our knowledge there are no land based casinos in Ireland which offer this facility, so the online casinos have a huge advantage when attempting to attract new customers and we applaud their vision in this respect. (more…)

Problems funding online casinos with Maestro

Here at onlinecasino.ie, we continue to hear of problems when online casino gamblers attempt to use their Maestro cards to deposit funds into their casino account. We have attempted to address this problem before, but it is clearly necessary to raise the issue again. Most of the cards issued by Irish banks carry both the Maestro and the Laser symbols, with Maestro being the debit card function of Mastercard. As you probably know, we would never recommend that gamblers online should use a credit card to fund their online casino account, partly because of the charges which tend to be applied by the card issuers but also because we believe it is important that gamblers do not play with borrowed money. A  Maestro card should therefore be a preferred option if a card needs to be used. When using a Maestro card in Ireland the transaction tends to go through the Laser system and should present no problems other than the potential charges, but if Irish gamblers try to fund their casino accounts from outside Ireland with Maestro they may find that the chip cannot be read and the transaction fails. (more…)

Important choices for new online gamblers

The simple fact that you have logged on to onlinecasino.ie indicates that you have at least a passing interest in joining the increasing number of Irish gamblers enjoying their leisure time playing casino games online. If you are a new player onlinecasino.ie has been set up to help you take the first steps towards getting maximum enjoyment from your new hobby. We constantly monitor what is being offered by the major online casinos, and explain the rules of all the most popular casino games, as well as giving a few tips which we believe may help. There are now a huge number of casino games available online, ranging from the well known land based casino games such as roulette, blackjack and poker to a myriad of versions of slots many of which are based on television programmes. There are also online bingo games and lotteries all of which can be played for small stakes. Before choosing your favourite casino games however, there are two important decisions for the new online gambler to make, both of which may influence their online gambling experience. Firstly it is important to choose the most suitable online casino for your particular needs, and we would suggest that you take a look at more than one of our recommended sites before registering. You can of course register on more than one site so that you always have a range of casino games options to enjoy. Next is how you intend to fund your online casino account, and you will find a range of deposit options detailed on our deposit options page together with advantages and disadvantages of each option. (more…)

Law changes linked to problem gambling increase

In 2005 gambling laws in the UK were relaxed so that more casinos could be opened and bookmakers were free to advertise as we know they do extensively; but in recent general casino news articles these changes are being used as the reason for an increase in the number of problem gamblers. The then Prime Minister of the UK Mr Gordon Brown reversed a previous decision to open a super casino in Manchester but at the same time removed the requirement for visitors to casinos to register 24 hours in advance of playing. Now the Gambling Commission in the UK has released a report suggesting that the number of problem gamblers has increased by some 30% in about three years and is blaming the relaxed laws although at the same time admitting that the  survey which interviewed only around 7500 people was “imprecise” and could be effected by a change in testing methods. (more…)