The Best Online Casinos 2024

As any online casino patron will tell you, gambling online is a tremendous amount of fun. The thrill and excitement of the slots, live-action games, and classic table games are just like they would be in a traditional land-based casino. Many people prefer to play online as it's significantly more straightforward.

As we'll see, the best online casinos have perks, rewards, games, and other incentives typically not found at their land-based counterparts - thanks mainly to the fact that online casinos don't have anywhere near the same level of overhead.

Online gambling is fun, and at GambleGuys, our mission is to provide you with all the news, reviews, and information you need to have the best experience gaming online.

We have countless online casino reviews across multiple markets to bring you all the hottest gaming action. However, while these reviews can help you decide whether to try a casino out, it's also worth learning about what makes an online casino the best. Put another way, what can you look out for the next time you're trying to evaluate whether to try a new casino or not?

This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about the best online casinos. From what makes an online casino the best to the games they offer, here's how to pick your next favorite online casino!

What Makes a Casino One of the Best?

No universal answer provides all the traits and characteristics that make a casino the best. Indeed, if there were something that made a casino unequivocally the best, there wouldn't be so many of them!

Many different casinos cater to different people, desired gaming levels, and so on, whether online or on land. Some casinos aim to capture the high rollers. Other casinos aim to be more fun and accessible for those who want to send the online casino $50 (or the equivalent in your preferred currency) and have some fun with it.

With that all said, a few characteristics make some online casinos objectively better than others. One of the most obvious ones is the speed of processing deposits and withdrawals. A casino that takes a week to receive your money and a week for you to withdraw it is not as good as one that can do both nearly instantaneously. After all, people seldom want to wait to put money in or take cash out!

Another prominent trait of the best online casinos in 2024 is that they have comprehensive customer support and a wide variety of methods to contact them if you have questions or concerns. Most online casinos offer both email and live chat support. Some of the best ones also provide a phone number to call and speak to a live agent about any concerns you may have. The method isn't as crucial as the responsiveness. You'll want to resolve your issue promptly, and having responsive customer service is the way to do that!

Similarly, the best online casinos must have all the games you want to play! They should have a wide selection of all your favorites, from slots to table games - the more games, the better, usually. You always want to have something fun to play! Additionally, if you're into sports betting, the best casinos include a sportsbook.

What Do the Best Online Casinos Offer?

The best online casinos offer everything you'll need to make your playing experience enjoyable. While there are many traits of the best online casinos that we'll discuss later, there are three primary characteristics you should consider when considering joining a new casino.

All the best online casinos have the latest and hottest games from multiple gaming providers. You should be able to find any slot you want, ranging from the simple three-reel machines of the past to some of the most engaging, high-RTP games of today. Many casinos also offer games tailored to specific regions, so those visiting an online casino in France might have a slightly different game selection than someone from Germany.

Aside from the best games, the top casinos have superior customer support. One of the categories we assess in our reviews is customer service, and the best casinos almost always make it very easy to contact them. When gambling, knowing that help is just a mouse click away is remarkably comforting!

Whether you're having an issue with a game, wondering about the status of a withdrawal, or have a question you can't find an answer to on their website, knowledgeable support staff makes online gaming significantly better.

Casinos typically offer three customer support methods: online chat, email, and phone. Most casinos provide chat and email, and many of the best casinos offer these two methods. However, some casinos also have live agents that players can reach via phone. That's a little rarer to see nowadays, but when a casino does offer it, there's a good chance it's one of the better places!

Lastly, the best online casinos offer numerous deposit and withdrawal methods - or at least the ones you want! Most of the best places offer plentiful methods for depositing and withdrawing money.

Every casino provides credit card deposits, but the better ones offer ways to deposit money via your bank account or even with crypto. Even if you don't necessarily need one of these alternative methods now, knowing that a casino has thought through all the possible ways a prospective player might want to add or take out money shows that they care about the customer. That attention to customer experience usually means they are one of the better casinos.

Generous Casino Bonus and Fair Conditions

The world of online gaming is competitive. To entice players to join, most online casinos provide welcome bonuses now. These bonuses can be pretty substantial now. Indeed, it's not uncommon to see welcome bonuses exceeding one thousand pounds, dollars, Euros, etc. And many online casinos now provide these bonuses over two, three, or even four deposits, so if you don't have luck with the first bonus round, you'll have another chance with a future deposit!

As deposit bonuses have grown in size, there has, unfortunately, been a trend in the online gaming world to make these bonuses harder to utilize fully. Some online casinos have put in restrictions that make claiming bonus funds hard. These restrictions include having unrealistic rollover rates (like having to wager your deposit 200x before you can cash out) or severely restricting the games that are bonus eligible (like only two or three slots that have a high house edge).

The best online casinos don't have these unfair restrictions. They have reasonable wager requirements (typically 30-40x), and they don't restrict the games that are bonus eligible. Many online casinos restrict the eligible games list to slots; however, the best casinos allow players to secure their bonus on most slots available in the casino, not just the low return-to-player ones!

Of course, our GambleGuys casino reviews always have a section dedicated to bonuses. We walk through the bonuses and their structure, which significantly influences our overall rating. We want all players to get the most enjoyment out of their gaming experience, and having a sizeable welcome bonus (as well as generous recurring bonuses) goes a long way toward making gaming more exciting!

Since bonuses are a core part of the online gaming experience, let's dive deeper into what you should look for when cashing in on free casino money!

The Best Casino Welcome Bonus

The best casino welcome bonus typically has three main components:

• The bonus is generous
• It has a reasonable rollover requirement (typically 30-40x, as noted earlier)
• It has an appropriate match

Using real-world examples, here's what each of these components means.

"Generous" is a relative term, of course, but the idea behind a sizeable welcome bonus is to incentivize you to sign up for the casino. It's a way of giving you some extra money to explore all the games that the casino has to offer. Giving you an additional 10 pounds, euros, dollars, etc., won't likely make that much of a difference in your gambling. Yes, it might give you a couple of extra spins on a slot machine, but it will not make a significant difference overall. Giving you an additional 1,000 pounds, euros, dollars, etc., likely would. Most casino bonuses, now, are a few hundred, so if you see a bonus that seems unreasonably tiny, that's probably not a casino to try.

Look for free spins, too. Many online casinos give a cash bonus and a set of free spins. For example, you might get 200 free spins on your favorite slot on your first deposit. Some casinos even have promos where you get a set of free spins on your first deposit and free spins on a certain number of subsequent deposits. The best online casinos give players lots of playtimes!

Next, rollover means how often you have to wager the money before cashing it out. For example, if you deposit 100 and get 100 in bonus funds with a 30x rollover requirement, you'd have to wager 6,000 before you cash out. If that rollover were 40x, it would be 8,000. The higher the rollover requirement, the longer it will take to get to a point where you can cash out, and also, the higher likelihood, statistically, that you'll lose the funds. The best casino welcome bonus has reasonable rollover requirements. If you see anything 50x or higher, that's probably a sign it's not the best.

Lastly, casinos typically issue bonuses by matching some of your funds. Some casinos have a no-deposit bonus - which is the best - but most will match your first deposit with some percentage. For example, a casino might match 100% of your first deposit up to 1,000. What you don't want to see is a tiny match. For example, you wouldn't want a casino to only match 50% up to 100. That would mean you'd only receive a 50 bonus! The best casino welcome bonus is usually at least 100% match, but some are now even higher than that!

Promotions and Tournaments

While much of the focus has been on the welcome bonus, that's only one aspect of a well-thought-out rewards system.

Truly great online casinos have multiple recurring promotions and tournaments that reward players for their continued patronage sufficiently. These promotions typically involve free slot play, matches (similar to what you'll find in the welcome bonuses), and other perks. There may also be tournaments where players compete for a prize (like an all-expenses-paid trip somewhere).

Most casinos have two types of promotions and tournaments: recurring and one-off.

Recurring promotions are standard in online casinos, especially the top ones, as they are ways to bring in players on certain days of the week. For example, an online casino might offer a 100% reload bonus every Tuesday. If you want to take advantage of some free money (obviously, there are rollover requirements), fill up your account every Tuesday! Or, there might be a slot tournament every Friday where the player with the highest win gets some prize.

One-off promotions happen once, as the name suggests. An excellent example of this would be a poker tournament offering an all-expenses-paid trip to Vegas.

When looking at the promotions and tournaments of a casino, it's important to distinguish between the regular promos and the one-off ones. The best online casinos frequently have strong recurring promotions that entice players to return to the site. They also have excellent one-offs that make gambling on the site exciting (after all, you never know when that promo you genuinely love will happen!).

VIP Program

Another way online casinos like to reward frequent players is through a VIP program. These programs typically have loyalty tiers where extended play unlocks higher ones with more perks. For example, gambling 100 dollars, euros, pounds, etc., per month might unlock one tier, but gambling 1,000 would open a higher one that earned more cashback, more tournament drawings, etc.

At land-based casinos, VIP programs typically give out perks like free hotel rooms, free tournament entries, free buffets, and access to other amenities around the casino. Online casinos don't have hotels or buffets, so the perks are slightly different. The higher-end VIP programs typically provide cashback on losses, free tournament entries, expedited deposits and withdrawals, and other bonuses that make more sense in the online world.

When evaluating a VIP program, be realistic about how much you're likely to gamble and pick the casino with the VIP program that will benefit you the most. Some VIP programs pay remarkably well in the lower tiers, while others are only really worth it at the higher end. The key to taking advantage of a VIP program (if the casino offers one) is to find one that works the best for you and your playing style. Decide what rewards you'd like most (points, tournament tickets, prizes, etc.) and search the best casino reviews to find the perfect casino with the best VIP program for your playing style!

The Best Online Casinos Have a Fantastic Selection of Games

Of course, the best online casinos have a fantastic selection of games. If it has been a little while since you've played at an online casino (or if you're new to online casinos in general), you're in for a treat.

The selection of games has grown significantly over the years, and it's only getting better. Slots have become more immersive, live table games do a fantastic job of recreating an authentic casino experience, and the classic table games make all your favorites more enjoyable.

And the best online casinos have everything you could imagine - tens of thousands of slots, hundreds of live table games with every rule imaginable, and just as many classic games waiting for you to play. There's truly something new and exciting to play every day!

Old and New Slots

Most gamblers love to play slots; the thrill of the spinning reels, the flashing lights, and the potential for big wins all make slot machines a favorite among gamblers. The joy of these games carries over to online gambling, too. The online world contains fantastic games with intricate graphics and in-depth stories. Online slots push the boundaries of what's possible in these games - in a good way!

At the best online casinos, you'll find all the best slots (and new slots, too!). You'll find classics like Reactoonz (slot review), Jammin' Jars (slot review), Book of Dead (slot review), Book of Ra (slot review), Fire Joker (slot review), Mega Moolah (slot review), and more. You'll also have access to all the new slots when they come out, as most great online casinos pair up with multiple game providers. That means you'll be playing the latest Megaways slots and the highest-payout slots the moment they come out!

And you should know that most online slots feature higher RTP rates than what you'll find at land-based casinos. RTP stands for "return-to-player" and represents how much, on average, a player will get back on what they gamble in the machine. The higher the RTP, the better odds the player has. The lower the RTP percentage, the more the casino wins on the game in the long run.

Land-based casinos frequently have games in the 85%-93% RTP range. However, slots in online casinos have RTP rates of 96% or higher (usually). Indeed, we reviewed all the best RTP slots and found some games as high as 99%! You won't find that if you head to Vegas!

If you want to learn more about these games, the best place is to look at Twitch slots. People show off all the latest games, so you'll always find something new to play! The best part is that when you watch these slots over Twitch, you won't be gambling any of your money!

No matter what type of games you enjoy, you'll find the perfect slots at the top-rated online casino. The world of online gaming has everything from three-reel classic slots to the fanciest ones with multi-reels and bonus games!

Table Games

With classic casino games, you can experience the thrill of all your favorite games on demand. Most casinos will offer all the games you know and love, including roulette, blackjack, poker, baccarat, craps, and keno.

While many people love the live dealer games (more later), computer-generated classic table games are enjoyable for various reasons. Limits are usually relatively lower for classic table games than live dealer variants. They are lower as there's less overhead for the casino to offer classic table games.

Classic games also are always instantly available - no more waiting for a seat at the table! And classic games sometimes have unique and exciting rule twists that keep the game feeling fresh. For example, you can usually find single-deck blackjack or blackjack with other unconventional rules.

If you love to gamble at the tables in a land-based casino, you might find the classic table games a nice change of pace. It's all the fun of the table games in a convenient, easy-to-access package!

Live Dealer Games

If you have ever been to a land-based casino, you likely know how exciting the table games are. There's something uniquely thrilling about the best live games - where you are with a bunch of other people eagerly anticipating the dealer busting in blackjack, the point being made in craps, the player winning in baccarat, and many different outcomes for live games.

Fortunately, the best live casinos replicate this environment remarkably well. At the top online casinos, you'll find live roulette, live poker, live blackjack, live baccarat, and so many more games. No matter what you enjoy playing, you'll find it.

Many online casinos now offer unique, entertaining games you won't find at any traditional land-based casino. For example, you might find games like Deal or No Deal (game test and review), Crazy Time (game test and review), Lightning Roulette (game test and review), and Infinite Blackjack (game test and review).

Some games, like Deal or No Deal, are based on game shows or concepts you know and love. Others, like Infinite Blackjack, take a game you already know and change the rules to provide a uniquely entertaining experience. These games allow you to "spice things up" by playing the games you know and love... with a twist!

Indeed, no matter what you enjoy playing, the best online casinos will have the live games you want. And, given that each game has high-end production quality, you'll find that they easily recreate the thrill of the table games you'd find at land-based casinos!

The Best Casino Providers for Slots and Table Games

Part of what makes online gambling so enjoyable is the selection of well-designed games. Even compared to most land-based casinos, the online selection of slots and table game variants is significantly more immersive, creative, and fun. There's truly no limit to what online game developers can do!

Some slots captivate you with a theme (like candy or luck), and others mesmerize you with incredible graphics and music. Still, others will insert you into fascinating storylines, where you'll play to see what happens next. And some games will even explore territories and ideas that were once considered too off-limits for these types of activities.

The best casino providers have tens or even hundreds of games you can play. Here's a small sample of what you can find in today's online casinos.

Evolution Gaming is arguably the biggest provider of casino games on the market today. Evolution Gaming casinos feature live roulette, blackjack, craps, three-card poker, Texas Hold'em, and more. Indeed, this company has also upped the bar by creating "game show"-like experiences, like Dream Catcher, Monopoly Live, and Deal or No Deal, that are indeed unlike anything you will ever experience at a land-based casino. These developers set the bar for what live games should be like, which shows through the awards they have won.

If you're looking for quirky, entertaining games that you won't find anywhere else, Nolimit City is the provider you want to try. These developers are unafraid to broach any topic, including those that are taboo. Tombstone RIP (slot review) and Remember Gulag (yes, about those Gulags) are some of the best games they have produced. They are unapologetic, heart-pounding experiences that are sure to captivate players everywhere.

Pragmatic Play is another provider that excels in quality and innovation. If you're ever visiting one of the many Pragmatic Play casinos, you'll see a massive selection of games. You'll find all your favorite live games, including roulette, blackjack, baccarat, and more. However, you'll also find twists on those live games - like speed roulette or ONE Blackjack. And, Pragmatic Play is also one of the premier slot providers, creating classics like Wolf Gold (slot review), Sweet Bonanza (slot review), The Dog House (slot review), and more.

Bottom line: if you want entertainment, today's top game providers will deliver everything you could ever want. The best casino providers create experiences that are unlike anything you have ever had!

A Wide Range of Payment Methods

As noted earlier, the best online casinos have many casino payment options. In more region-specific reviews, like Canada or the UK, for example, our reviewers at GambleGuys make sure that the payment methods a casino offers are ones that people would expect.

However, you'll generally want an online casino to support at least a few core payment methods. You'll want to make sure they accept credit cards. Many people choose to make deposits with VISA or MasterCard, and having an online casino that supports those is essential. Indeed, even if you don't usually deposit with those methods, knowing that you have that as a backup option is crucial.

You'll also want a casino to offer the ability to deposit and withdraw from your bank account. In some regions, that might be through an intermediary third party (like Neteller). In others, casinos might be able to initiate direct bank transfers, assuming you feel comfortable providing your bank account details online!

These are two methods to deposit and withdraw money; most casinos offer others, as well. Perhaps equally as critical as the payment methods supported is the time it takes to complete a deposit or withdrawal. Deposits should be as close to instantaneous as possible in the best online casinos. Withdrawals almost always take some time to approve, so even in the best places, they'll usually take a few hours to a day or two at minimum.

Crypto Options

In recent years, crypto has exploded as one of the more popular ways to move around money. As such, it should be no surprise that Bitcoin casinos have started popping up (as well as casinos that support Ethereum, Litecoin, and others).

If you are interested in using crypto to make deposits and withdrawals from casinos, you should know these exist! Indeed, here at GambleGuys, we did an in-depth guide to crypto gambling. This post covers everything you'll need to know to use your crypto at online casinos.

However, for a short version, the best crypto casinos take advantage of all the benefits of crypto - enhanced security, speed, reduced transaction costs, and anonymity - to provide gamblers with a fantastic experience.

The top casinos also allow deposits and withdrawals with multiple cryptocurrencies. The best crypto casinos take at least the top three currencies: Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Ethereum. However, many will take other coins, like the ever-popular Dogecoin or even lesser-known coins like Tether.

Most online casinos will convert your crypto balance to a fiat currency (like CAD, GBP, or USD) when you gamble at the casino. So, for example, you'll take 1 BTC, convert that to USD, and then when you're ready to withdraw, convert the USD back to BTC. However, recently there have been some online casinos that actually let you gamble in the cryptocurrency itself. So, instead of doing $1 per spin in USD on a slot, you'd do 0.000060875 BTC, or whatever the exchange rate is at the time. If you love crypto and want to gamble in crypto, know that it is possible - if you look for the best crypto casinos, that is!

The Best Online Casinos Have a Stellar Mobile Experience

Online gambling has evolved over the past few years, as has most of the internet. Even just ten years ago, mobile sites tended to be slower, clunkier, and a degraded experience as compared to what you could see on a desktop or laptop.

Now, the world has changed. Mobile sites often provide as good an experience as their desktop counterparts (sometimes even better!). Online casinos are no exception. Most, if not all, new slots are mobile-friendly, meaning you can play your favorite games on a phone or tablet just as quickly as you can on your desktop or laptop computer. And some games even work on even smaller devices like Apple Watches! Animations will be just as fluid, the storylines just as rich, and the action as fast-paced!

Plus, having a first-class mobile experience means you can play online anytime you want - waiting for the bus, on your break at work, or just sitting on the sofa hanging out with the dog. No matter where you are, as long as you have your phone and a good internet connection, you can play all your favorite slots and table games!

Our reviews look at what devices a game or casino supports. Almost all games support Apple and Android phones and tablets. Every game supports a desktop or laptop computer. As noted above, a few games even support super-small devices, like watches - although you'll probably want a more substantial device to play on so that you can read the symbols and have an easier time pressing the buttons!

Reliable Customer Service

Many of the top-rated online casinos have reliable and prompt customer service. Nothing feels worse than wondering why your withdrawal is taking longer than expected and nobody at the casino is willing to respond to you. That's why, at GambleGuys, we extensively explore each casino's customer service options. We seek to rate customer service on two axes: contact options and speed.

The ways you can contact customer support are essential, as we each have our preferred communication methods. Some people love to pick up a phone and talk to a knowledgeable agent on the other end. Others like to text a support line or use WhatsApp. Still, others want to send an email or start a live chat on the website.

The best online casinos have multiple choices, so you'll be able to get assistance regardless of how you prefer to communicate. Most have at least online chat and email. Some casinos offer other methods, like phone numbers, text support, or even channels like WhatsApp.

Regardless of how you choose to communicate, the speediness of responses is also essential. For example, you wouldn't want to wait a week to hear back about the status of your withdrawal! Or, you wouldn't want to wait a week to hear back on the status of your KYC (know your customer) verification. Instead, you'd probably like to understand the status of each of these within a day.

Fortunately, the top casinos provide customer support that responds as quickly as possible. You'll usually be able to chat with someone using online chat within minutes. Email often takes a little longer, typically generating a response within hours but sometimes within a day. Lastly, phone support should be mostly instantaneous, minus any hold times.

While you hope you'll never have a significant issue, having prompt, courteous customer service can make the difference between having a stellar experience and having a poor one. Fortunately, we take a deep dive into customer support options as part of every review we do here at GambleGuys!

The Best Online Casinos Have a Proper Valid License

Sadly, gamblers often overlook the licensing aspect of a new online casino. However, it's one of the most crucial things you can verify, as it shows that a casino has the legal authority to operate and that there is some recourse if you have any complaints. A valid license shows that a proper government body has validated that a casino is fair, honest, and will be a good custodian of your funds.

There are four gaming licenses, in particular, that prospective gamblers need to know.

Curacao gaming licenses are among the most popular, as they demonstrate significant trustworthiness to players. These gaming licenses show that the Curacao government has vetted the parties involved in the casino and has certified that the business plan, KYC process, and more are all legally compliant. It also verifies that the online casino operator is a legitimate company.

The Malta Gaming Authority is another widespread licensing agency. Many casinos (especially those in Europe) receive their license from Malta. What makes Malta somewhat unique is that players can publicly search enforcement records - so you can see if the authority has ever sanctioned the casino you want to try.

UK residents will want to take notice of UK Gambling Commission licenses. Only casinos that have one of these licenses can provide gambling services to UK residents. Therefore, if you live in the UK and see a casino without one of these licenses, it's not authorized to conduct business there.

Lastly, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission is another licensing agency that has been providing licenses since 1999. Operating out of Canada, this license demonstrates that a gambling place treats players fairly, is not associated with crime, and will not provide services to underage persons. In short, a permit from here demonstrates that a casino provider is trustworthy!

Bet on Sports in the Sportsbook at the Best Online Casinos!

While most of the discussion has been about traditional table games and slots, many of the best online casinos now offer a sportsbook where you can engage in both traditional sports betting and other non-traditional propositions (as we will discuss in a little bit!).

If you have never seen an online sportsbook before, you will likely be surprised at the number of betting options these places provide. Indeed, most sportsbooks offer a way to bet on any sport imaginable - from baseball to football to rugby to darts and everything and anything in between! Some places even have parts of their sportsbook dedicated to e-sports or current events (like politics). Others offer the option to bet on horse racing.

One of the exciting additions to sports betting in recent years (and you can find this in the best sportsbooks) has been the introduction of live betting. With live betting, you can place wagers on the game as it's happening in real-time. For example, if you're watching football (or soccer in North America), and one team goes up 1-0 in the second half, the odds of each team winning will dramatically shift, and you can place a bet with those new odds! The team down a goal will inevitably pay big, so you can take the gamble and go with the underdog or bet on the more likely outcome!

Live betting is also a fantastic way to hedge your bets. For example, if you bet on the team that went ahead by a goal to win the match, you could put a small wager on the zero-goal team as a hedge.

These live bets make watching sports entertaining and are a hallmark of the best sportsbooks at modern online casinos!

How to Find the Best Online Casinos

Whether you are looking for a casino for the first time or have been gambling online for a while, finding the best online casinos is imperative.

You'll want to get the maximum bonus, the best customer service, play all the hottest games, and know that the business you're dealing with is trustworthy. Look at their license, what they offer, and customer support options. See what live games they provide, if they offer support for various payment methods, and if they have a solid mobile experience. And make sure they have generous but fair promotions and bonuses.

These are all signs of a good casino !

But if you want to be sure that you're gambling at the best online casinos, check out our casino guides! In our online casino reviews, we break down everything you need to know about new online casinos, from the games they offer to the customer service they provide to the licenses they have.

Our expert reviewers evaluate casinos online across all the data points listed above, considering regional variations. For example, our experts for GambleGuys Canada would ensure the casino lists Interac as a payment method since it's so common. We apply this same expertise across all our regions: GambleGuys Norway, GambleGuys Sweden, GambleGuys Germany, GambleGuys French, and GambleGuys Australia.

Indeed, here at GambleGuys, we've got your back if you want anything related to online gambling! From the latest games to the hottest casinos, our reviews contain everything you need to find the perfect online gaming entertainment!