One of the many benefits to gambling online is the number of choices you have for where to play.
It is uncertain how many casinos exist. We would wager that the number exceeds 100. This presents a considerable number of choices, each of which is only a few clicks away.
Due to the easy accessibility of online casinos and the vast differences between them, we are quite sure that many of our readers have multiple accounts at these virtual gaming establishments.
But is that a good idea? Does it make sense to have accounts at more than one online casino?
That’s not an easy question to answer. It’s one you got to answer for yourself.
What we can do, however, is provide you with the pros and cons of registering with multiple services. Along with suggestions on how to make sure the good things are upsized and the bad things are downsized.
By the time you finish reading this page, you should have a good sense of whether becoming a member of multiple sites is a good move for you.
The Pros and Cons of Joining Multiple Casinos
Let us examine the various benefits. Here are the reasons why we think it is a fantastic idea to have multiple casino accounts and how you can make the most of them. What's more, these accounts offer different special benefits at different times.
The 10 Pros of Joining Multiple Sites
1. Your bankroll’s diversified when you split it up across multiple casinos.
You minimize the loss of money when a casino decides to close and not pay back its customers.
Tip: A good bankroll rule is that each unit should be 1-2% of your total bankroll. So if you have $1,000 to play with and want to bet $1-$2 units, that means you can split your bankroll between 3-5 casinos. You should definitely join the casinos we recommend on our site, as they are the safest options online.
2. Multiple casinos means multiple deposit and reload bonuses.
Suggestion: Choose casinos where the extra incentive is reasonable in relation to the amount you're willing to gamble. For example, if you have $300 to play with and the only way to get extra money is to take a 200% offer that gives you an additional $1,000, you're really better off with a 100% match that gives you $500. The risk of maximizing that first bonus and then going bust is not worth it.
Once you have built up your bankroll, move on to a casino that offers a slightly larger bonus. This will ensure that you are getting the most out of each promotion.
Extra Tip: Don't overlook bonus percentages. You'll get much more out of the larger match percentage bonuses than the larger dollar bonuses. And there's less risk.
To illustrate, a 200% match offer will provide a greater return than a 100% match offer. It also involves less risk of my own money.
3. You can clear bonuses from casinos with identical offers and games.
Identifying the easiest offers to clear is the first step in developing a repeatable system - if we can even call it a system - for clearing casino bonuses. Once you know which offers present the least resistance, you can target them at every casino you might play at. Clearing bonuses becomes much easier when you target offers that are inherently easy to clear.
Tip: This tip is especially nice for Americans, since so many US-based casinos are identical - or close to it. The first place you should look is at Real Time Gaming casinos, since so many of them have similar sibling casinos. Then, while you're checking out a deal, write down how you do it. Once you find something that works, take it to another casino and repeat the process.
4. Get access to a larger variety of games.
Different software companies supply casinos with their games, which means you get a unique variety of casino games no matter where you play. Most of the games you'll find are the same from casino to casino, such as Blackjack, Jacks or Better and Craps. The gameplay is identical (or very close) no matter which casino you play at. But the graphics differ from one casino to the next, meaning that two identical games will still look and feel different, which serves to give you a pace of gameplay that changes just enough to keep things interesting.
Tip: Make a note of the games and variations you like to play. They may be the same game, such as blackjack, or different games, such as blackjack and slots. Next, find two or more online casinos that offer the games and variations you want to play. Look for casinos that operate on different software platforms; this virtually guarantees a unique look and feel to the game at each licensed casino you join.
5. You can test casinos.
You can make side-by-side comparisons of the games. You can also check out the banking options each site offers, as well as the processing time, fees, and even the promotions and support. It's easy. Just pick a few of your favorite sites and compare them. The winner is the one you should take your business to.
Tip: Sign up with several casinos and fund each one. The deposits don't have to be large, especially if your goal is to find a single casino where you can comfortably pass the hours.
Take a specific part of the AA components-be it games, banking, or support-and test it. Make the tests the same to accurately measure results.
Consider a banking institution, such as Visa. Make a deposit with them. Then collect the relevant data: how long it took to complete the transaction, whether there were any fees, how smooth the process was, etc. Do the same exercise with all the banking institutions you want to consider.
Once you find the best casino overall, you can deposit and spend all your time there.
6. Play multiple games simultaneously (if that’s an option your current casino doesn’t offer).
Suggestion: Find a couple of casinos that offer the types of games you like to play. They can be the same type of game or different. Then, set both casinos to run and start both of the games (2 or more) that you want to play.
7. Many casinos have different themes.
The theme alone can make it feel new or different, even if the exact same games and promotions are offered. This is especially true when it comes to background music.
Suggestion: Check out our reviews. Check out the forum reviews. Then make a shortlist of casinos with aesthetics you like. Then join as many of them as your bankroll will allow. A good rule of thumb is to take your per-hand/round bet size and multiply it by 50 or 100 to come up with a figure that should cover the entry fees for as many places as you want to play.
8. Sign up to 2+ casinos and pit them against each other for better offers, bonuses and other perks.
Suggestion: Although we are not aware of anyone who has done this (on the Internet), it's a good idea to try it. You should try to become a member of more than two casinos. Contact one of them and ask about their promotions. See if they can hook you up with some free spins or perhaps a deposit bonus.
After you receive an offer, take it to another casino and see if they are willing to match it. Better yet, see if they are willing to make a better offer.
You do not want to abuse this tip. We recommend that you follow through with every offer you are given. But this can be a great way to get multiple (and better) offers from online casinos.
9. Play different game variations.
In one city, you can play Perfect Pairs and Downtown Blackjack at one casino, while at another casino you can play Pontoon and High Stakes Blackjack.
Suggestion: Make a catalog of all the variations you like to play. Identify 2-3 casinos where you can play most, if not all, of them. Then, assuming the casinos are legitimate and everything else checks out, become a member of each one.
10. You can try newer casinos without as much fear or risk.
This may mean that you forgo your bonus in order to make a smaller initial deposit and evaluate the site before possibly committing to a larger one. But that's all right, because you'll have a fully-functional online casino account that allows you to take full advantage of all the offers, benefits and games.
Tip: There are a couple of steps you need to complete.
In order to start enjoying these benefits, you must first find and join a legitimate casino. This is the most important first step. You need to feel comfortable depositing your entire bankroll here. You should have about 80% of your bankroll in this casino.
Then find a new casino that intrigues you and seems worthy of a test run. We recommend that you do not wager more than 20% of your bankroll or features in one place. This is an exploratory mission. Think of money deposited at a new casino as not being accounted for with the expectation that you might get it back. It's much more prudent to view any potential return as a byproduct of your exploration. You didn't come here to just chill and play with Monopoly money. These are real dollars, and it's perfectly fine to expect them as part of your exploration of the uncharted territory of a new joint.
The 5 Cons of Joining Multiple Sites
Let us examine the other side of this issue. Here are some arguments in favor of limiting your casino access: 1. You can minimize the chance that you'll end up playing at more than one casino at a time. 2. You can reduce the number of special offers and promotions you'll have to keep track of. 3. You can reduce the number of comped hotel rooms you'll have to try to use before they expire.
1. You run the risk of losing big bankrolls
Joining multiple casinos owned by the same parent company can be risky. If that company has a history of cheating players or decides to close its casinos for any reason, a player who has joined several of its casinos is likely to lose a significant portion of his or her bankroll compared to a player who has joined casinos from a wider variety of parent companies.
Before you decide to join a casino, make sure you do your research. A great resource for this is our reviews. You should find out who manages and/or operates the establishment.
Make sure that no less than 2 of the casinos you join are different owners/operators. After that, how many you join depends on how much risk you're willing to take.
2. You’ll spend less money at any one casino.
This makes it difficult to earn comp points and other VIP rewards that require a concentrated effort to earn anything of value.
Solution: There’s not one good fix for this. But there are some ideas:
- Avoid complex, multi-tiered VIP programs at casinos that require you to accumulate a certain number of points each month to maintain your status. Instead, opt for programs that reward you with cash back for the points you earn
- try to find casinos that offer the best point-to-cash ratios
- look for casinos that offer you the chance to earn multipliers (for points and/or cash)
- play more at casinos whose point-to-cash ratios, multipliers, etc. are mixed in such a way that you have the chance to earn more points at the pay-to-play sites on top of what you're earning at the no-pay sites. And don't forget to take your divided attention into account;
3. You have more to keep track of.
Keeping track of your bankroll is essential if you want to continue playing. You will also want to keep an eye on your comp points, as they can dictate where and when you play.
The casinos provide you with this information - they display it either in the lobby or in your player account. But if you're not satisfied with that, or if it's just too much trouble, you can always keep track of it yourself.
The most effective way to accomplish this task is to use either a notebook or an Excel spreadsheet. If you choose to use Excel, you will be able to consistently monitor the performance of your bets and evaluate which ones are paying off the most in both points and cash. This ensures that your decisions about where to play are based on solid data.
And, this won’t take up any more of your mental resources.
4. Casino downloads can use up your resources.
Being on multiple sites can slow down your computer and other programs, making your computer unbearable to use.
Answer: Join casinos that offer instant access to games or have software that does not require a download. Avoid the installations. Play in your browser and enjoy.
5. You need to remember multiple logins.
Solution: There are several ways to get around this.
- You can use the same login details for each casino. There's a small risk in doing so. If someone finds out your login details for one casino, they'll have access to all of them
- this information can be documented. However, you are still at risk as discussed above
- A password manager, such as Last Pass, or a browser that remembers your passwords for you, such as Google Chrome, can do this. Both remember passwords and fill in the fields for you. But if someone accesses your computer without your permission, they'll be able to access the casinos. You may also want to lock your computer (at the user level);
This is the solution I use. I think of a 2-3 word phrase that I want to use for my password. Then I make 1-2 words in the phrase interchangeable by using an adjective.
Say your phrase is 'big orange chair'. An interchangeable part might be the color. One password could be blue, another purple, another green, and so on. You can add a number and/or symbol to make your passwords even stronger.
Your only issue now is remembering which color goes to which casino account.
Conclusion
One thing you may have noticed is how some of these pros and cons contradict each other.
It's okay. We're not all the same. Not everyone will be concerned about the ability to limit their risk when gambling online by playing at multiple sites. Not everyone is going to take secure banking and secure gaming seriously. Or remember all the casino passwords they've set up when using those sites.
But some might. That’s just the nature of the beast.
Between these pros, cons, and the tips or solutions we've laid out, we have no doubt you'll walk away with a better sense of what's working for you and what you can do to make it work even better.
That was our goal all along.