When you have eyed an online casino to play at after a careful selection process it is time to register and to start playing. Even though this might sound quite straightforward many people make lots of mistakes during this process – something which can have bad consequences later on. That is why we will lead you through the registration process step by step to ensure you will not make any mistakes and will not face any problems when paying out your gambling profits.

Subscription form

You can register at the online casino of choice by clicking on ‘subscribe’, ‘register’ or other similar terms. You will quickly note that the casino will require a lot of personal data from you. The top tip which we can give you here is to take this as serious as filling in your name and other personal details when for example booking a flight ticket. A small mistake (never mind intentionally giving false details) can cause a lot of problems later on.

Just like when you are playing at a physical casino you will see that it is a requirement with online casinos to be an adult – which at most casinos means that you need to be at least 18 years old (although there might be some casinos with a requirement of 21). Often you need to ID yourself by sending a copy of your passport, driving licence or national ID card. Many casinos do not ask this during the registration process, but might demand this when you request them to pay out your gambling profits. Make therefore sure that you are giving your real name as listed in your passport. Certainly do not use an alias and do not lie about your age if you are a minor.

Why can’t I play anonymous?

Online casinos are strictly regulated by state or national gambling authorities and do have to abide to the laws in question. This way a casino ensures that no underage gamblers are playing and can actively observe potential illegal activities such as money laundering. If the casino does not fulfil these legal requirements it can run into problems with the police and national gambling authorities – with the ultimate consequence that it might even face closure. This is why online casinos are very strict when it comes to the registration process of players.

It it also important to always give your real nationality and home address as in some countries offering online gambling to citizens might be forbidden. Most casinos are fairly relaxed about this, but it can be that American citizens might only legally gamble at American online casinos for example. Check your prospective online casino what their rules are.

Erroneous information

If some personal details might change in the course of times, for example when you move to a different address in a different city or state, you are obliged to tell the casino about this and update your account.

Even though it is theoretically possible to give false information and to outright lie, this will go against the terms and conditions of every online casino. The casino therefore always has the right to close your account unilaterally if they would find out about this. This means you will also automatically forfeit any gambling earnings on your online account. It might even be the case that you are committing a crime if you are willingly defrauding the casino. Therefore watch out and be honest.

Verification

To check and verify your personal details and to make sure you are indeed the person which you say you are, an online casino might have several steps to verify your account. These steps can be:

– A confirmation email in which you need to click on a link to activate your account. This proves that you are indeed reachable on the email address which you have provided to the casino.

– Giving the personal data from your passport or ID card, such as document numbers.

– Uploading and sending a copy of your passport or other legal identity card.

How does an online casino handle my personal data?

A casino will always handle your data and documentation which you might have sent over in a reliable way. Some might be sceptical when they have to sent over a copy of their passport or identity card online, but do not forget that this is almost always a requirement when you gamble in a physical casino in most countries of the world, where casino employees will also make a copy of your identity card or note down your data.

For more information we advise you to carefully read the terms and conditions of the online casino you will start playing at. Every casino is bound by law to publish these terms visibly on their website. It might be a big read most of the times, but you can find exactly what your rights and obligations are, and what the rights and obligations of the casino are. If you are worried about your privacy and how a casino is handling your personal data this is often a good start to learn more about it. It is of course always possible to contact the online casino if you have specific questions about your privacy.

Accepting the terms and conditions

When registering at an online casino you will often have to tick a box which means you have read and accepts the terms and conditions. You can of course tick this box without reading it at all, which is what most people do on the internet and is fine for the majority of people as long as you are playing at a reputable online casino. But if you have specific questions, for example if you are worried where and how a casino is encrypting and physically saving your personal data and if they can pass it on to third parties, we advice you to read it.

Most online casinos will not simply give your data to third parties and will handle everything with care. You can therefore in most cases when playing at a reliable casino that your data are not visible for others, will not be sold on, and nobody will ever find out that you are gambling and how much money you are winning or losing.

The big exception which always counts is that a casino has to cooperate with local gaming authorities and other government agencies which regulate gambling. An example can be a police investigation when there is a substantiated suspicion of criminal activities. But as long as you are a honest, hard working civilian and not a member of the mafia involved in money laundering, this is not something you should be concerned about.

Differences between casinos

Even though many casinos might look similar at first sight, the terms and conditions can easily differ a lot from website to website. There are many gamblers who want to gamble on a variety of websites at the same time – as there are sound reasons to do so. Playing at multiple casinos does not only mean that you have access to the biggest variety of bonuses, but it also means that you can choose from the biggest variety of casino games.

Do make sure that the rules which are valid for one specific casino might not be the same in a different casino, even though the terms and conditions and registration forms might look alike. Do study the casino before you start playing and try to read the specific terms of each casino.

Deposit money and start playing

After you successfully registered it is time for the next step: to deposit money on your online casino account to make sure you can directly start to play and hopefully earn that big jackpot before going to bed after some hours of gambling. Most gamblers choose to pay and play with a credit card as this is the most customer friendly and often also fastest way to deposit money.

For a more thorough overview when it comes to paying with your credit card at online casinos, as well as the pros and cons of many different payment options, you can check out our special page on this topic. There you can also find special advice when it comes to earning great bonuses by paying with your credit card.

Bonuses

Online casinos often promise beautiful bonuses after you have successfully completed your registration and have deposited your first amount on your online casino account. Sometimes these bonuses are given as cash amounts (for example a fixed 200 euro registration bonus), but are often given as percentages. It can be that a casino promises you a 100% bonus (sometimes even double this) on the first amount which you deposit with your credit card or any other payment form. This means that if you transfer 500 euro to the online casino, the house doubles your money and gives you an extra 500 euro to gamble with.

These bonuses are there for newly registered gamblers, but also for those who are playing for a while longer at a certain online casino. Because of the fierce competition between online casinos, casino management often tries to do everything to lure you as a new customer and to prevent you from moving your business elsewhere.

Waging requirements with bonuses

Of course, the casino will never give you the bonus straight away free for you to withdraw immediately and cash out in your own pocket. If that would be the case the entire world would register for an account and the casino would be bankrupt! There are always a certain number of requirements linked to the bonus, which means that first you have to wage the amount a few times in some bets before the bonus is fully released and ready to be cashed out.

The world of bonuses is a gigantic advantage which the online gambling world holds over physical casinos – and many gamblers manage to get their share of profit out of it. That said, there are many misconceptions about bonuses, especially with those who are gambling online for the first time. At onlinecasinocreditcard.com you will therefore find a special guide where you can read all you need to know about bonuses. Also at our main page you will always find the latest bonus offers by online casinos and their latest promotion campaigns.