Are Online Casinos Fair?

The RTP (Return To Player) of slot machines at both land-based and online casinos is set at the factory when the software is written. In the case of online casinos, game software providers such as Microgaming are subject to extremely strict regulation and frequent 3rd party auditing. The same level of stringent regulation holds true for the online casino operators themselves, which must abide by rules put in place by industry watchdogs such as eCogra, governing standards such as fast payments, safe and secure storage of player details and fair and honest gaming.

“The underlying philosophy of eCOGRA is based on the achievement of the objectives of player protection, fair gaming and responsible conduct by operators, software providers and relevant service providers. Accredited organisations are entitled to bear the eCOGRA seal, indicating to players and other stakeholders that operational systems and games are fair and continuously monitored to consistently high standards.” - eCOGRA

It is clear that in a somewhat vague and often deceitful online world, the multi-million dollar online casino industry is keen to both meet and exceed an extremely high level of regulation, which serves to quickly weed out any sub-standard operators.

Winning Money Online - Is It Really Possible?

The mathematics behind ‘payout rates’ and the fairness and honesty of casino operators aside, the question remains – is it really possible to beat the house at an online casino?

By definition, the odds at any casino, be it traditional or online, are always stacked in the favour of the house. If this were not the case, casinos would be bankrupt and Las Vegas would not be the money printing machine that it is.

But the casinos also need to pay out sometimes too, or else there would be nobody playing there. This is how players such as I.R. were able to hit a $3.3 million jackpot while playing at Golden Tiger Casino.

There are numerous ways to increase the player’s edge, or rather reduce the advantage that the house holds over the player, but that advantage, however slight, will always remain. It is therefore player skill, sheer luck, or a combination of the two that can eventually set those jackpot bells ringing.

The inherent privacy of the online casino creates both appeal and distrust. The faceless nature of online casino gaming provides a welcome shield of anonymity for the player, but at the same time creates a stark division between player and casino. All operations are concealed; all winners are merely text appearing on screen; all losers are unspoken. There are no cries of joy or tears of loss from adjacent tables; the experience is completely and utterly singular.

Even with strict regulatory bodies guaranteeing the authenticity of winners, it is still human nature to warrant a certain disbelief of the existence of any winner at the online casino. That is, of course, until the winner is you.

Overnight Millionaires

Online casinos do their utmost to prove that their winners do exist, a recent example being a Finnish man named Klaus E, who demolished all odds by winning an incredible $5.5 million on an online slot game. What made Klaus’ win even more unbelievable was the fact that the multi-million dollar jackpot was hit after wagering a mere 50 cent bet. To put this into perspective, this lucky Finn clicked his mouse button once to win 11 million times his original outlay!

Then there was the lady mentioned earlier, who won a $3.3 million jackpot at Golden Tiger Casino, which is part of the Casino Rewards group. The amazing thing about her win is that she was playing the Mega Moolah slot game on her mobile phone.

A similar event occurred some months later with first time gambler A.D. netting a colossal €3.8 million payout following a jackpot win, again on the Mega Moolah online slot.

“I like to play online because it's convenient, you can play from home. It's like a hobby, and at the same time you can win something. I like the regularity and the service is good at Casino Rewards: if you need, there's always someone available to assist you, so it becomes something very normal, like playing at home. If I need, they're there 24/7, the assistance is there, and that is very important. I will keep playing of course! If you are meant to win you will... even small amounts!" – A.D.

It is also apparent that these enormous wins are not isolated cases. The Winners List at popular online casino, Golden Tiger (which is currently offering an attractive free money sign up bonus) shows huge sums of money being paid out every day via online blackjack, video poker, roulette and slots, often to reoccurring names – no doubt players who have somehow learnt how to do the impossible and beat the house.

By its very nature, when it comes to gambling there are both winners and losers. Whilst at the online casino, you may never hear about the losers, one thing is for certain – there is without doubt a lot of money to be won by sitting at your computer, clicking your mouse and keeping your fingers tightly crossed...

We don’t want to mention any casinos here without testing them ourselves first. We signed up to Golden Tiger Casino to test the sign up process and the bonus offer, and can report that everything went very smoothly, and we received the welcome bonus as advertised. We are very impressed with everything that the casino has to offer, from the welcome bonus to the massive range of casino games they have available.