Our online casino reviews are now even more relevant

When online gambling first became widely available it was the big bookmakers who led the way by introducing comprehensive online sports gambling sites. This was of course extremely successful because not only did it save people the hassle of having to travel to the nearest betting shop, but these sites also offered a much wider range of betting options. When the online sports gambling sites had proved to be popular and had established a strong customer base, the bookmakers went one step further and started to introduce gambling games on their sites, and the online casino was born. Initially no one knew whether there would be an appetite for playing casino games online, but we now know that not only did existing casino customers take to the idea the online casinos also attracted a much wider audience. It was this new group of casino games players that onlinecasino.ie was set up to help. First we provided a comprehensive description of the rules of the most popular casino games to help new players enjoy the wide range of games available at the online casino sites, but as more and more online casinos were launched it quickly became apparent that we needed to do more. The result was the regular online casino reviews we carry out and the resulting list of recommended online casinos you see on our home page. Even those who were regular visitors to a real casino in Ireland may have needed some help with the rules of some of the casino games we could now play online, because none of our real casinos offered traditional casino games such as baccarat, backgammon or craps, and very few gave us much opportunity to play poker. However as the online casino sector has expanded and new specialist sites have come on stream so our online casino reviews have become even more relevant for casino games players looking for something different.

The big bookmakers were the driving force behind the introduction of online casinos and their sites are still very popular with a large number of people in Ireland. The main advantage of playing casino games at one of the online casinos operated by the big bookmakers is that a player who is also a sports gambling enthusiast can do it all on the same site. It is also true that the major bookmakers have been expanding their range of casino games for a long time, so in terms of sheer numbers the choice of casino games on these big online casino sites is often much greater than that at the newer smaller specialist online casinos. If we are to take a look at the online casinos operated by the big bookmakers we have to start with arguably our most popular bookmaker Paddy Power. The Paddy Power online casino is a good example of an online gambling site which allows its customers to navigate easily from the sports gambling pages to the huge range of casino games available in the online casino section. As you would expect from a respected company such as Paddy Power the whole site is well managed with excellent safeguards for our data security and privacy. Another plus for the Paddy Power casino is that the online casino section of the site uses software supplied by Wagerworks, which means that many of the casino games are exclusive and not available anywhere else. Managing an online casino account can also be a problem for some people, but Paddy Power allow their online customers to deposit or withdraw money from their accounts using cash at any of their high street betting shops.

Ladbrokes also offer this facility to their online customers in Ireland, and of course have a huge high street presence across the country. The Ladbrokes casino was one of the first to be introduced as an extension to the online sports gambling site so that customers had the opportunity to play casino games and enjoy sports gambling on the one site. Most of the casino games are currently supplied by Microgaming, but Ladbrokes have also recently agreed a deal with Playtech which will certainly lead to new games being introduced.

Playtech also supply the online casino software for the William Hill casino site, which again forms part of a big comprehensive online gambling site with access to sports gambling and casino gambling on the same site. Playtech is of course the biggest and possibly the most influential online casino software company in the world, so the William Hill casino as you would expect is as good as any of the major online casinos available in Ireland.

Before we go on to examine the small specialist online casinos which have come to the sector over the last couple of years we should not ignore the other online casinos operated by major bookmakers such as Bwin, Betfred, Bet365 and 888 Holdings, all of which deservedly feature on our recommended list and have done for some time. Each of them offers a wide range of casino games and all the features such as the Live casino and Free Play we now expect of every online casino.

When it comes to the new specialist online casinos we should begin with one of the first and the one specifically designed for Irish casino games players, the All Irish casino. In common with many other online casinos, the All Irish casino is registered and licensed by the Lotteries and Gaming Authority of Malta. The casino software is supplies by NetEnt, one of the smaller but well respected casino software suppliers which of course means that many of the casino games are exclusive to the All Irish site. However the most unusual and innovative feature of the All Irish casino is the Live casino which is actually streamed from a real casino in Malta instead of a studio. The nearest you can get online to the real thing.

Many of the other new online casinos also offer a different approach to the concept of online casinos, but if you are looking for entirely new casino games the look no further than CasinoCasino and CasinoLand. CasinoCasino provides online access to slots games from Amatic Industies for the first time, whereas CasinoLand offers a range of casino games from a whole range of software companies on the same site.