Online gambling guide

By Steve Cheski

When you're not in Vegas or other legalized gambling venues, you still can experience Vegas-style action at one of the many online casinos and/or sportsbooks.

And many is the operative word as there literally are thousands of online gambling operations springing up.

In this extremely competitive environment, most of the sites offer first-time players free bets, cash bonuses or other incentives. Some also allow you to play for fun without depositing any money.

Be sure to check each site's requirements for collecting its incentives before you make a deposit. To prevent fraud, most require you to wager several times the deposit amount before you can withdraw the bonus.

You also need to read the fine print in the casino's terms and conditions. I had to produce notarized proof of identification before I could withdraw my winnings from one online casino even though they let me deposit money with a couple of mouse clicks.

And you never know if an online casino/sportsbook is honest until after you've done business with them. 

A good test is to deposit the minimum to qualify for a bonus, make the required bets, then try to withdraw some money and see if you encounter any difficulties.

I try to keep accounts at two sportsbooks and compare the lines side-by-side before betting. Sometimes there'll be a discrepancy of a half a point to as much as 1 1/2 points between the two books so you can bet at the one with the more-favorable line.

If you're going to play in the casino, it's a good idea to play for free first if the site has that option. Every site's casino procedures are slightly different so it's possible to get confused and lose money because you clicked the wrong button.

I have played for several years at the casino/sportsbook recommended in the box at the top of the page and found it to be honest, reliable and easy-to-use.

Good luck!

Steve Cheski, the webmaster of all-lasvegas.com, is a veteran online bettor with several years' experience in casinos and sportsbooks. He plays blackjack, Texas hold-em and bets on football, basketball and baseball and won the 1999 PredictIt baseball handicapping contest.

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