Beginner's Guide to
Online Gambling
Types of Online Casinos
There are a number of types of online casinos at which you can play.
Many of them are Java-based and load directly in your browser. Some
of them use Flash or Shockwave, which also runs in your browser but
may require the Flash (or Shockwave) plug-ins available from Macromedia.
Both of these types are usually referred to as no-download casinos,
even though you have to download graphics and sounds every time you
play. The biggest advantage of a no-download casino is that it can be
played on most computers and operating systems, and many of these will
also work on WebTV.
Then there are the downloadable software casinos, which will only run
on Windows-based platforms. File sizes generally range from 5-15 megabytes,
so you should make sure you are definitely planning to play at this
casino before investing the time to download. If you run Windows, I
recommend that you stick to these download casinos. They are generally
more stable and secure, and once downloaded minimize communications
between your computer and the casino game server, making them ideal
for those of you with dial-up connections.