There are hundreds, if not thousands, of online casinos currently in operation, so how do you choose the best online casino among the thousands? It would be great if they all offered a high quality of user experience – giving you, the player, so many different options to choose from.

But the truth is that not all online casinos are equal, and some are downright dangerous to join given their lack of licensing and regulation. Others simply don’t have the depth of game choice or a variety of accepted payment methods for them to be considered ‘high quality’.

In this article, let’s take a look at how we identify the best online casino; from the variety of games offered and speed of payouts to bonuses, promotions and special extras, we’ll reveal how you can ensure that you only register and play with the finest casino sites around.

Online casino games

This is a pretty obvious one to get us started, but it stands to reason that you’ll want your online casino of choice to offer a wide selection of games.

Whether it’s regular slots or jackpot slots, table games like blackjack, roulette or baccarat, bingo or the best in live dealer action, it stands to reason that the best online casinos are those that deliver quality and quantity in equal measure.

Another consideration that goes hand in hand with this is the software firms that the casino has partnered with. For the uninitiated, the key names to look out for include Microgaming, Netent, Evolution, Novomatic, and Next Gen Gaming, with these award-winning providers delivering the all-time classic and hottest new releases that many players favor.

Resorts Casino offers a mammoth games library – literally hundreds of games await you – that spans across slots, table games and live casino. All of the leading software providers are on board, and you’ll find games with fantastic features such as Megaways Pays too.

They also have a handful of jackpot games you can try; many of which pay out genuinely life-changing sums of money to those lucky enough to scoop the top prize. Maybe you’ll land the online casino best payout available today.

Going live

One of the fastest-growing and most-popular niches of the online casino world is live dealer gaming.

If you haven’t tried live casino games yet, you can try the likes of blackjack, roulette and poker and play against the dealer, with the action live-streamed to your device in real time.

Thanks to some clever technology, you can place your bets on screen that appear as chips on the table, with the dealer then handing out the cards or spinning the roulette wheel.

This is, perhaps, the most immersive and certainly the most interactive way to enjoy online casino gaming. If you haven’t tried live dealer games yet, you’ll find stacks of them available at Resorts Casino.

Licensing and regulation

One way in which you can ensure you are playing at the best online casinos is to only sign up with those that are licensed by a respected authority, and therefore each site is held to the highest of standards.

Some casinos are able to operate using a license secured from a ‘soft’ regulator like the gaming authorities in Curacao, but you always run the risk of those sites not implementing the best security measures or the most reliable payment platforms – there’s no incentive to do so because they won’t be sanctioned if they don’t.

Instead, look for casino sites that are licensed and approved by a more stringent regulator, such as the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. That way, you know that any casino you join is being upheld and monitored by an authority that is actively engaged in improving standards. This also ensures legality in your current jurisdiction, so you don’t need to worry about a site being shut down for operating illegally.

Resorts Casino has been licensed by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement for a number of years, which ensures that they maintain the highest standards of customer care and user experience year after year.

Payment options & withdrawal speed

One of the vital areas that separates the best online casinos from the rest is payments; that is, making them safely and securely using a variety of options that are available to you.

There’s probably fewer than a dozen payment options used in online casino gaming in America, so it’s vital that your casino site offers as many of these as possible. The idea is that it makes deposits and withdrawals so much quicker and easier to action.

Whether it’s PayPal, Skrill, Visa, Mastercard, bank transfer, PayNearMe, or VIP Preferred, it’s very frustrating to join a new casino only to find that they don’t welcome the payment method you wish to use.

So it’s always worth checking in advance. For reference, the best sites like Resorts Casino allow you to deposit using all of the options mentioned above, as well as via your Play+ card. You can even collect your winnings at the cage in Atlantic City if that is preferable. 

About casino withdrawals, it’s crucial that your casino acts upon your cash out request in a timely fashion. Do you want to spend weeks waiting for your winnings to hit your bank account? Do you want to be forced into sending daily messages to customer support staff to track the progress of your payment?

Check out How resorts payment works? if you want to know more!

That’s nobody’s idea of fun. Instead, play solely at online casinos that seek to process all withdrawal requests within 48 hours, so that the vast majority of cash outs are completed within a week – the online casino best payout time you are likely to find in the United States. That’s where you’ll really notice the benefit of playing with reputable sites like Resorts Casino.

Play your way

Once upon a time, gamers had two choices when it came to playing blackjack, roulette, and co: head to their local casino or fire up a sluggish and unresponsive website via a devastatingly-slow internet connection.

These days, the good news is that those woes are behind us, and you can now enjoy your favorite casino games in a variety of different formats. You can dust off your PC or laptop and play via your internet provider, load up a casino using your smartphone or tablet’s browser or even download a dedicated app.

These apps are perhaps the fastest and most efficient way to play casino games, and while some operators only have either an iOS or Android app to offer, the best online casinos like Resorts Casino have both – meaning that everyone can enjoy the finest casino action on the move no matter what device they own. 

Bonuses and promotions

Most online casinos offer bonuses and promotions of some kind, but in reality these don’t always add a tangible benefit to your gaming experience.

Sure, you might get bonus funds or free spins to play with, but if the wagering requirements are so high that you have no chance of getting your hands on your winnings, then what’s the point?

So you should be looking out for deposit bonuses that have fair rollover terms that give you a good opportunity to benefit – whether that be an instant withdrawal or re-investing it back into your favorite games.

There really are plenty of positives to be said about casinos that offer no deposit bonuses, too. These allow you to try out a casino and sample its games without any cost to your bankroll, which has to be considered a major advantage.

Resorts Casino offer a no deposit bonus of $20 when you register via an active promo code, and you can use these funds as you want to on slots, slingo, table games, and so on. The best part? The wagering requirements are as low as 5x when turning over a slots bonus from Resorts Casino.

Use Promo Code: RCFREE

Loyalty rewards

The best online casinos go far beyond simply offering you a welcome bonus and then leaving you to your own devices.

The sites that value their players the most are the ones that offer a loyalty or VIP program, which ensure that you are rewarded for every single bet that you place.

These casino loyalty bonuses typically see players earn points from their gaming activity, and once enough points have been accumulated the player will climb the reward ‘tiers’ and be able to claim perks that include free spins, reload bonuses, and other goodies.

With operators like Resorts Casino, you might even be offered rewards that extend to their casinos in New Jersey and other states – those include discounted accommodation, complimentary entertainment and more besides.

The best online casinos

By now, you should hopefully have an excellent idea of exactly what to look out for when shortlisting the best online casinos – plus those red flags to avoid as well.

If you find an online casino that is licensed and approved by a recognized authority; that offers a wide range of slots, table games, and live dealer action; that delivers generous bonuses and promotions plus an ongoing loyalty program; and that accepts a wide range of payment methods… well, you might just have found one of the best online casinos around.

As ever, make sure that your gambling is responsible wherever you choose to play. The casino is supposed to be a fun place to hang out, whether it’s in person or online.