If you’re curious about playing craps online, and whether it’s an option for you, or if it’s safe or better than playing live, then this is the article for you. I’m going to express a few opinions about playing online, as well as share a few things you should be aware of before getting started yourself.
Why Play Craps Online?
If you’ve never played craps online before, or any form of gambling for that matter, I highly encourage you to give it a shot.
Playing craps online gives you a lot of flexibility. For one thing, you can get up from your computer at any time, and don’t have to worry about it being your turn, any bets that you have working or picking up all of your winnings so that they don’t get stolen. Your computer (and the game) waits for you.
Another reason is that online, you don’t have to deal with the crowds, drunk people or inconsiderate smokers. At least, that’s something that bothers me.
Now, even if those things don’t bother you, consider this; playing at home means you don’t have to travel. Possibly drive (or fly) for hours, costing you hundreds of dollars in travel, boarding and food/entertainment. Don’t get me wrong, these things are fun, but I’d rather use the money to play more craps.
And above all, if you’re a casino newbie like I was, playing online means you don’t have to deal with the embarrassment of slowing down the game, maybe because you don’t know the rules, slang or all of those different bets. You can learn at home, in peace and quiet.
Where to Play Craps Online
There are a number of casinos online to gamble at, and all of them will have a popular game like craps. So you don’t have to worry about that.
But there are so many casinos out there that I wouldn’t even know where to begin listing them. There are at least tens, if not hundreds of online casinos.
To cut through 99% of the clutter, on this site you’ll find a list of online casinos that we deem worthy of signing up to and playing at. They’re great casinos overall in regards to trust, money safety, bonuses and software. So if you’re looking for a casino, definitely check out our toplists.
Casinos for US Craps Players
If you’re in the USA, finding an online casino is a little bit trickier.
The reason isn’t because playing craps (or gambling in general) is illegal, but because it’s illegal for banks to process the funds between online casinos and players in the US. Because they’re not allowed to process funds, it’s harder for online casinos to move players’ money on/off the site. So many of them don’t bother, and as a result, decide not to accept US players.
This is not legal advice. You need to do your own research to determine if gambling is legal in your area.
Now, there are online casinos that do accept US players. Bear in mind what I said above, though. In order for a casino to receive and send funds, they have to find banks willing to process the funds, even if they’re not supposed to.
What this could mean for you, the US player, is having to wait longer for payments to be processed. As we’ve seen in the last 12-18 months in the poker industry, sites can be shut down altogether. In that case, you might not have access to your funds until they’re released. In a worse case scenario, the casino isn’t trustworthy and won’t have the funds to pay back players.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that if you’re in the US, finding a casino to play at online may be difficult, and once you do, there will be some risks. So be sure to stick to a casino recommended on our site, or one you’ve done a lot of research on, and only keep an amount of money online that you can afford to lose.
Casino Software
Another reason why I enjoy playing craps online is the software. Most online casinos stick to the more well-known software creators/providers, and as a result, give players a really fun experience. Not something that reminds you of a video game from 1988.
For example, here are some things I like about casino software:
- It’s fast. You can play more hands or more rounds.
- All the flashing lights, sounds and sirens are there, giving you a real casino experience.
- Some casinos offer live dealer games. So it’s really like being in a live casino, but from the comfort of your own home.
- The software is easy (intuitive) to understand and use. You don’t need to be a techie to figure them out.
All of that said, the one thing you’ll want to keep in mind about casino software is that many of them aren’t compatible (yet) with Macs. So if you have a Mac computer, you may have to play from a browser or java script version. At the same time though, this isn’t that bad, considering how big casino files are. So it’s kind of a catch 22.
One of the Greatest Benefits of Online Casinos — Deposit Bonuses
One of the greatest benefits to playing craps online are the deposit bonuses. This isn’t something you’ll (usually) find in a brick and mortar casino.
A deposit bonus is a bonus for players signing up and making a deposit for the first time at a casino. These are usually match bonuses, which means that you’ll be matched a percentage of your deposit. For example, many casinos have a 100% match up to $1,000. So if you were to deposit $500, your deposit would be matched 100%, or dollar-for-dollar. You’d be given $500, for a grand total of $1,000.
The size of the bonus will vary from casino to casino, and they can even vary depending on the games you’re going to play. So keep that in mind while shopping around.
Another important thing to keep know about deposit bonuses is that you’ll be required to “clear” them before you get to withdraw your money. The reason being, is that if the casino didn’t have some sort of requirements in place for their bonuses, everyone would take advantage of the free money — just deposit and quickly withdrawal.
So what most casinos expect you to do is play so many dollars before you’re able to withdraw a portion, or all, of your bonus money. This too will vary from casino to casino, and even game to game. “Clearing” or “play through” rates can be anywhere from 15 to 50 times your deposit plus bonus. That means if you deposit $100, and your casino has a 50x deposit plus bonus play through requirement, you’d have to wager $10,000 before you could withdrawal your funds. If you try to withdraw too soon, you could forfeit some (or all) of your bonus and winnings.
That $10,000 is an extreme example. Many casinos have a 15-25x play through requirement, which cuts that amount in half. Much more doable.
Above All, Playing Craps Online is Fun
There are going to be pros/cons to any kind of gambling, live or online, craps or no craps. I hope the information above gave you more insight about why you might consider playing craps online, as well as some things to think about before you do.
The most important thing to takeaway from this article though, is that playing craps online is fun, as it should be. So if you haven’t tried it yet, be sure to — you might be surprised.
