New Vs. Established Casinos…What to Choose 🤔

Whether you’re a new player (like I was last year) or not, there’s one thing that just about every online casino player seeks – a site that offers the best iGaming experience.

As such, many players (me included) have pondered if it’s better to opt for new online casinos over established brands. Some players believe that established brands offer greater security and reliability over new sites. Others believe that new online real money casinos offer better benefits than iGaming operations that have been around for a long time.  

What are these new online casinos benefits? My post this week focuses on what they are and if they’re worth choosing new sites over established ones.

The Benefits of Playing at New Online Casinos

Based on what I’ve read, the following are the main benefits commonly associated with playing at new casinos online*.  For each benefit listed, I’ve also included a “Reality” section that explains how much of a benefit I think it truly is.

*Note when I say “new” I mean any online casino that is no more than a year old.

Competitive Welcome Offers & Promotions

The online casino market is flooded with sites, and new ones launch all the time. This means there’s plenty of competition. For new casinos to compete with brands that have stood the test of time, they need to draw in new players. The easiest way to do this is to offer a generous welcome promotion. That’s why you’ll often see new casinos offering huge welcome bonuses/packages to new players. This could mean, lots of bonus cash to play with or loads of free spins. Welcome offers are widely considered to be the best promotion offered by any online casino. That’s because no other promotion after that point typically compares with its value.    

🌟Reality – New online casinos do tend to offer sizeable new player perks to attract customers. They could be bigger than what a long-time brand is offering, but not always. Moreover, do keep in mind that a new player offer isn’t everything. Once you’ve claimed it, it’s gone. If you want more out of your experience than just a great welcome offer, basing your decision to try a new online casino on this alone, may not be worth it for you in the long run.

Advanced Tech, User Experience & Gamification

It should come as no surprise that new real money casinos online use optimal software and design. After all, since they’re new to the scene, why wouldn’t they employ the latest iGaming technologies, right? The cross-platform experience is often seamless and the user experience for desktop and mobile are near flawless. This is obviously a huge perk as being able to play on whatever device you like best is a huge benefit. Additionally, new casinos are also more likely to integrate gamification features as part of the experience. This delivers a more engaging and interactive experience, linking game play with the opportunity to complete challenges and earn extra perks.

🌟Reality – A casino doesn’t need to be new to deliver advance tech or an awesome user experience.  Moreover, what I’ve discovered when checking out different new online casinos is that many are operated by the same companies and are built off turnkey white label platforms. As such, it’s not uncommon for one casino to be a cookie-cutter of the next. They share the same promotions, games, payments, layout, and user experience, with the only difference being the theme. New doesn’t always mean a better or unique experience.

Game Diversity

New online casinos usually have a large games library that covers an array of categories including slots, jackpots, card and table games (roulette, blackjack, baccarat, etc.), video poker, arcade-style games, scratch cards, lotto, bingo, live casino, etc. Most of the games – if not all – are also fully compatible with mobile. Naturally, the more game variety, the more entertainment you can try and enjoy.

🌟Reality – An online casino’s game diversity has nothing to do with whether it’s a new or an established brand. It has to do with how many software provider partnerships an operator has. If the operator has partnerships with several gaming studios, they can offer a greater number of games, it’s as simple as that. Game diversity may also depend on your jurisdiction.

Best Payment Options

Beyond offering standard payment methods including credit cards and wire transfer, new casinos online supposedly offer all the best payment options. This includes everything from credit cards, debit cards, and prepaid cards to eWallets, bank transfer, mobile payments and crypto. In addition to their wide payment variety, another benefit of payments at new casino is they are secure and fast.  

🌟Reality – The payment methods available at a casino has nothing to do with whether its new or established. Like casino games, it has to do with the number of payment platforms the operator has access to/partnered with.  That said, I will say this: from what I’ve seen, it does seem to be more common for new online casinos to offer mobile and crypto payments compared to online casinos that have long been established. However, regardless of what payment methods a new casino might have, ultimately, what options are available to you is subject to your jurisdiction.   

Responsible Gaming

Responsible gaming has become commonplace in the industry, so it’s almost a guarantee that any licensed, new online casinos will provide players with tools and protections to help them play safely and stay in control. This is a huge benefit, because responsible gaming tools are an important part of gambling online and should be used by all players. I personally love them, because I like how easy it is to set limits. I never want to gamble more than I initially intended or play for longer than I had initially planned.

🌟Reality – Responsible gaming measures are not unique to new online casinos. All legitimately licensed casinos in Ontario are required to have responsible gambling measures in place. This is also the case for many other respected gaming authorities in the iGaming industry, for instance online casinos with licenses from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) and the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA).

Responsive Customer Service

Quality customer service is imperative to retain players, and new online casinos must work doubly hard to ensure that their customer support is topnotch. This means providing multiple communication options (e.g., live chat, email, telephone, messaging programs, etc.) and language options. Their customer service needs to be reliable, available around the clock, and respond promptly to customer queries or concerns, as well as resolve issues.

🌟Reality – The reliability of a new online casino’s customer service is not always easy to judge without having experienced it firsthand. Since the casino hasn’t been around for very long, unlike established sites, there might not be enough reviews/feedback from actual users to find out how good or not its customer service is.

Top Security Protocols

New online casinos tend to employ top-of-the-line security protocols, including a minimum of 128-bit SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) to safeguard the transfer and holding of personal and financial data; KYC (Know Your Customer) checks; firewalls; and anti-fraud and anti-money laundering measures. Each of these security measures helps to ensure a safe online gambling experience.

🌟Reality – Just because an online casino is new doesn’t mean its automatically safe or unsafe.  It also doesn’t mean that the site is using the most up-to-date security and anti-fraud software. Always investigate the security protocols employed by any site where you choose to play.

Bottom Line: New Vs Established Casinos – Are New Online Casinos Better?  

I think the answer depends on what you want out of your personal playing experience.

Consider the following:

3 Good reasons to try a new online casino

• You want to claim a competitive welcome offer.
• The new casino offers the games you like or different games than where you currently play.
• You want to try something new or simply conduct your own comparison.

3 Good reasons not to try out a new online casino

• You want your first experience to be with a brand that’s been around for a long time.
• The casino isn’t licensed by a local gaming authority or one that you trust.
• You currently like the site(s) where you play, so why try another?

In my opinion, the “new vs established casinos what to choose” debate boils down to this:

New online casino players – Investigate online casinos that interest you and choose a legitimate and reputable brand based on the casino providing you with the experience you want and the security you need, not on whether it’s new or established.

Existing online casino players – If where you currently play provides you with everything you like and enjoy, decide whether it’s worth it to you to go through the whole sign-up process at a new casino just to claim a welcome offer.

For me, as long as it’s safe, whether a site is new or established doesn’t matter to me. I’m also not someone who jumps at the chance to try new casinos when they pop up. Mostly, this is because I prefer not to have my personal info, financial details, and contact information in the hands of several online casinos. Plus, just like land-based casinos, from what I’ve seen on the surface, many licensed iGaming sites offer the same types of games and experience, anyway.

Ultimately, established or new, the overall experience at a legitimate online casino and the reason we’re all there is the same – to play real money games for the chance to win cash.  All the other stuff that defines the brand (themes, promotions, games, etc.) are a matter of personal preference.  New doesn’t mean safer and it also doesn’t mean better. Whether or not a player thinks new online casinos have more benefits than established brands is subjective. What’s considered a benefit to one player won’t be to another.

I say, make your decision based on what you like and on what feels comfortable to you, not on the age of the online casino. 😄

Until next time, good luck and have fun.

Mia 👩‍💻

**All links and images in this post are for informational purposes only. I’m not affiliated with anyone.