What new online casinos are

Recently created online casinos allow you to play for real money by using a variety of games, including slots, table games, and live dealer games. New online casinos are often comprised of a new site layout, new payment options (payment rails), and many different types of software providers to supply the various games offered on these sites. New casinos can be operated by existing gambling companies entering new geographic areas or by smaller companies who start with only a few games and then continue to build their library over time. Most new casinos online are designed to use mobile devices as the primary method of accessing the site, have fast and simplified sign-up processes, and generally offer a much clearer path through the site than older gambling sites that were designed primarily for use on desktops.

Since the vast majority of new casinos online have very limited histories, most of the process used to evaluate new casinos is based on verifiable information. Factors such as licensing, ownership, testing of games, and processing payments are generally considered more important than the marketing language used by the casinos. Depending on how modern a casino is, it may have a very modern looking lobby, however, they typically utilize the same third-party software platforms used to build the majority of European online casinos so the majority of the difference between a new casino and an older casino will be the terms and limitations and the quality of customer support rather than the visual design of the games.

Licensing and oversight

To evaluate how a website will be regulated and what dispute resolution options are available, the first factor of evaluation would be whether that site currently has a license. Most of the newer online casinos will generally be licensed through either the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), Gibraltar, the Isle of Man, or Curaçao, depending on the geographical area they mainly wish to operate within. For example, those casinos licensed by the MGA or UKGC will generally provide consistent, accessible information regarding the name of their company, details of their complaints channels and responsible gambling tools. Conversely, because there is less regulation regarding those casinos that are licensed by Curaçao, the detailed information that each of these casinos provides regarding the name of the licensor, the name of the sub-licensee, and the publication policies of the casino should be evaluated more thoroughly.

Independent testing also has an impact on evaluating online casinos. Many new online casinos obtain an RNG certificate and have the games attached to their websites tested through independent labs. By linking to an independent lab's certificate, the online casino should verify that the listing of the independent lab on the certificate matches the list of game providers shown on the homepage of the casino.

Ownership and track record

New online casinos could either be from already existing entities or new to the gaming landscape. Generally, if the new casino launch is connected with a parent company that runs an online casino in other jurisdictions, then the policies and procedures in place will be similar/what you might expect based on experience and having seen it before. Look to larger ecosystems when determining an operator's identity; i.e., operators that operate on the same platforms as (for instance) LeoVegas, Betsson, Kindred, or Entain, where the customer-facing portion of their business may change while the compliance and payment stack (what is used to process payments) will remain the same.

When looking for smaller launches to identify them as legitimate, search first for corporate registration details and who the payment service provider is for any sort of credit card transaction processing, and then look for a customer support footprint (how easy it is to find information about getting help with your account). Once you have found a registered address associated with the operator and have identified the operator has a written complaint process and a dedicated operator email (registered domain) to reach customer support, dealing with either an account review or contacting customer support to follow up on the status of a withdrawal should be much simpler if it takes the operator longer than expected to provide you with your requested service.

Game libraries and providers

When a new online casino opens, they will usually add some classic casino games to get started. After that, they will add additional gaming providers via through agreements. Therefore, the first lobby that you see might contain a combination of casinos that have many slots in volume (by supplier) and at least one supplier for live dealer games. For example, slot providers typically include NetEnt, Microgaming, Play’n GO, Pragmatic Play, and Red Tiger. Live casinos generally use Evolution, Ezugi, Pragmatic Play Live, and Playtech for live gaming.

New customers who are comparing different casinos tend to look for Titles they may already be familiar with that they will recognize, in order to see if they have a real small cosmetic change or not, and/or if the casino has legitimate games or just some poor substitute. Some examples of popular slots found at many casinos include Starburst, Gonzo’s Quest, Book Of Dead, Sweet Bonanza, and Big Bass Bonanza. Customer favorites among table games are European roulette, blackjack variants, baccarat, and poker side games. In addition, looking to see how many different RTP versions are available for the same slot (if multiple options exist), will give you insight into whether or not a supplier has given their customer options in terms of returns.

Live dealer coverage

Many new casinos online will start offering a live casino section in order to compete against more established casinos quickly due to the availability of multiple tables from a single supplier. Common suppliers for the live casino section would be Evolution which supplies both Lightning Roulette as well as Crazy Time and standard tables, and other suppliers (such as Playtech for their branded studios, and for different variants of roulette), Pragmatic Play Live & Ezugi, all of whom typically supply tables at a more regional level or with lower minimum bets. As a general rule of thumb, check the limits on tables since many online casinos will list their live tables, but will only offer a small number of betting options or ranges during peak times.

Jackpots and tournaments

Due to the nature of their networks and partnerships with casinos and other operators, online new casinos often have no access to major networked progressive jackpots initially, but will add them over time. Microgaming's and NetEnt's jackpots typically become available at online casinos after they have reached a steady enough level of traffic and have been reporting those figures to their respective networks for a reasonable length of time. Online casinos frequently host slot tournaments and maintain leaderboards where players can compete for prizes; however, key elements that you need to look for when determining how competitive an online casino's tournament is include scoring criteria, minimum gaming per entry (Wager), and whether winnings will be paid as cash or redeemable credit.

Bonuses and terms

A matched deposit, free spins, or staggered deposits can be used to create a variety of bonus types at new internet casinos. The main impact the terms have on the games played is where the true value of a bonus lies. Wagering amounts, game contributions (some games won't contribute the same towards your wagering), maximum bet size, and time frame all affect the true worth of the bonus. Even though a welcome bonus might look similar at 2 different new internet casinos, slight variations like excluded games or withdrawal limits, will have drastically different outcomes.

You will also find some new internet casinos that offer no deposit bonuses as part of your registration, verifying your identity, or the initial deposit of a small amount. The details to look for are caps on how much you can win, what games are eligible for winning, and any additional deposits you must make before you can withdraw.

Each online new casino bonus may be limited by your country, payment method, or account history, so the eligibility portion of the promotion is equally as important as the headline.

Newly established online casinos often provide a short summary of bonuses on their Promotions page and specify the complete rules in the Terms section. By reading both of these locations, players may avoid any surprises like maximum limits on how much of their free spins can be converted, or that specific slot machines will not contribute at all to their wagering requirements. While no-deposit bonuses are useful for evaluating the performance of games and/or the stability of the site when accessed through mobile devices, they also often have the greatest restrictions out of all types of offers available from any online casino.

Payments and withdrawals

How you make payments often determines how you experience a new online casino day-to-day. Most likely you'll have options to use your Credit, Visa or MasterCard. Note also that availability of card payments is determined by processing partners and each casino's region. If you're looking for fast withdrawals, you may want to use eWallets like PayPal, Skrill or Neteller. For bank transfers, most are determined by where you live. New online casinos also typically accept prepaid vouchers such as PaysafeCard; some new online casinos may allow you to make withdrawals only using another verified payment method (or bank transfer) if you made a deposit with a prepaid voucher.

Cryptocurrency is becoming more popular among new online casinos, with Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and USDT being some of the more common forms. Points of consideration related to practical uses of cryptocurrency as a form of payment include: Fees charged for using a cryptocurrency network and the time required for a cryptocurrency transaction to settle. Whether the new online casino converts cryptocurrency in its own internal wallet to fiat currency or keeps separate records of balances held in cryptocurrency .

Sometimes new online casinos will have withdrawal limits based on the type of payment method used; check to see if you will experience any limit changes before you deposit at a new online casino.

Withdrawal timeframes

The speed at which your withdrawals will be processed by the casino you’re playing at will vary based on how long the Internal Review Process is for any particular method of withdrawal as well as the Verification Status of your account. Most new online casinos advertise a fast withdrawal processing rate. However, when evaluating this claim, you should also look at what the stated time frame for processing your approved withdrawal is as well as when they have a cutoff time for same-day processing. In general, eWallets often process faster than cards do and bank transfers may take several business days to clear depending on the receiving bank.

Verification and checks

Identity verification is the norm in highly regulated environments, and these checks will generally take place on first withdrawal, different deposit method and unusual gameplay activity (also known as Identity Threat). Your documents are usually Government, Utility Bill, or Documented Payment Method. Some newer casinos allow playing until you need to upload documents; however, your withdrawals will stop until verification is complete. Consistent use of account detail elements, including the formatting of names and addresses, will help you avoid the back and forth with customer service.

Mobile and platform design

More and more newer online casinos launch with a mobile-first site instead of a downloadable app. The best responsive web platform has functionality for filtering games, searching for games, changing account settings and accessing the website with mobile devices without having to use a desktop computer.

Indicators that the usability has been examined in a practical way can be evidenced by the following: how long it takes for games to load under a 4G connection; does the lobby retain game filtering? Does the payment page open in the same browser/web session, so that you don't have to log in multiple times to access your payment method?

Some operators offer native apps on Android but due to App Store policies, accessing via an app on iOS is often still via a web browser. If there is a native app available, verify how often it is updated and what permissions are required, as there can be significant differences between white label and “built by” apps, with white label apps typically falling behind their corresponding web-based offering.

Digital casinos that were recently created will sometimes utilise platform providers, such as EveryMatrix, SoftSwiss or Playtech IMS, as their software provider; these combinations of factors could determine how easy/hard it is to navigate through the digital casino’s website; how payment processing occurs and how quickly new games are added to the digital casino's website.

Responsible gambling tools

Responsible gaming measures are more than an operator's compliance requirement. When an online casino is new, it will not have established long-term trust with players so being able to offer tools to limit players' gambling behaviour is critical in building that player/operator trust. Common ways to do this include the use of deposit limits, loss limits, session reminders and cooling off periods. 

Self-exclusion options vary from regulator to regulator. The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) and many European online casinos will offer players structured exclusion periods as well as links to national support services. 

Other tools that help players keep track of how much money they have spent and how long they have played for include reality checks and activity statements. 

One consideration regarding how the above tools will be implemented is if the limits will apply immediately or after a delay and if players must wait for a specific amount of time before increasing their limits. 

The operator clearly displays the responsible gambling settings within an account area (rather than hiding them in a long policy document) if it has the expectation that players will use them.

Sports and hybrid sites

New online casinos are frequently created as hybrid products, combining a sportsbook and a casino lobby in the same place. This can be more convenient for players because they will have one balance and one account history, but it also creates more complicated rules regarding promotions, settlement times and bet restrictions. The sportsbook may be run by Kambi, SBTech, OpenBet or a proprietary solution, which then affects the market depth and live betting stability.

In order to clarify if deposits are shared between products or separated according to wallet type when a sportsbook exists, deposit methods should first be checked. Some hybrid sites use a single wallet; some require that the player make an internal transfer from the online casino to the sportsbook section. Similarly, the degree to which bonus funds may be used in different ways will also vary among new online casinos.

Customer support and service quality

Service quality at new online casinos is essential due to the ongoing testing of methods and policies on a broader scale. How long it takes to get through to a live chat representative and how quickly you receive an email response along with the type of response you receive (template or no template) can indicate the way that your dispute may be resolved in the future. A good piece of information is whether the casino provides an identification number for each ticket created and if they will be able to provide an estimated time frame for when your verification or withdrawal will take place.

The number of languages serviced is another factor to take into consideration. Many European online casinos provide support in more than one language, however, smaller casinos may only support the English language. With respect to payment issues, document verification and bonus disputes, it is beneficial for support teams to reference the specific clause of the casinos terms and then provide you with what is required as evidence to proceed.

Security and fairness

In terms of security, new online casinos have implemented HTTPS for the entire website as well as providing extra layers of security for your players' accounts (i.e., two-factor authentication when available). The password rules associated with each platform will be different, in addition, each platform may provide login alerts and device management options.

There are different forms of payment security offered and they usually include the use of tokenization for debit and credit card payments. A third party typically manages the payment processing; however, the casino will have this payment security outlined in their security and privacy policy.

There is also a concern regarding fairness. To ensure fairness to customers, all digital games have been tested with an RNG and all live dealer games have been verified by the studio facilities where they are manufactured or created. Many live dealer game suppliers will publish the rules for their table games as well as how they will shuffle cards and display the results. The only item you will not be able to check for fairness on are the online slot games which are required to be pre-loaded and not clones of other slot machines. The only method of checking whether a slot machine is a clone is by verifying the providers name and the game information panel that displays on the title of the game.

Reading the fine print

The way that terms and conditions differ between a new online casino versus an established site is very prominent in the overall design and experience... Even if the overall look and feel of the room is similar between both types of casinos. Withdrawal limits will vary from daily to weekly and monthly. Some casinos will have different caps for withdrawing cash depending on how you win (i.e. if it was from a casino bonus). The account terms may include dormant account fees, handling of chargebacks, or country restrictions rather than being included in the promo rules.

Rules for games also vary greatly. Certain games (particularly table games) have different contributions to wagering requirements than other games (like pokies). Also, live dealer games might not even be play with promotion bonuses. A welcome bonus may also have a maximum withdrawal amount associated with it, so this will be contributing to your overall winnings. For players looking to find out about all of their options when searching for new casinos online, these are going to be major determining factors in whether or not they will feel confident in choosing to continue playing at the site.

Examples of what appears in new lobbies

New casino releases are generally a combination of several types of games (slots and table) visible on the homepage. For example, some of the most popular games to showcase on the homepage may include Sweet Bonanza from Pragmatic Play, Book Of Dead from Play’n GO and Starburst from NetEnt. There is also usually live casino games available on the homepage, which include Evolution gaming's Lightning Roulette and Crazy Time, etc.

Common table games available in this section are typically European roulette, blackjack and baccarat; however, often some of the additional games in these sections include a game show element.

Several of the newly launched online casinos also provide localization early in their development by providing local payment options as well as local language packs and game categories, such as crash games and instant win games. This can often be facilitated by gaming studios such as Spribe, which has provided many of the same game types mentioned above in addition to more traditional casino games. An important factor to check for both local and new game types is whether or not the rules, RTP's and limits are clear and easy to find.