Like we said in the introduction, everyone has a preference when it comes to online casinos. Some people like to make deposits with PayPal, others still resort to their trusted credit card. Some players like to bet a lot, while others only do so casually, with small amounts of money.

Don’t get us wrong – preferences are great, as they allow the industry as a whole to diversify and provide better options for anyone. However, just because a casino fits your personal preferences or tastes, that doesn’t mean it’s good. Those are all extra features, and they are right below the basics in the online casino hierarchy.

So, what are the basics exactly? Well, you can consider them elements that are absolutely essential to the way a casino functions. Without them, you shouldn’t even waste a second on a casino.

To make things easier to grasp, we rounded the list down to 8 essential things you should look for. If a majority of all of them are present, a casino can be considered as top-notch:

A casino’s platform is its foundation. There’s no way around it. Starting an online casino isn’t the same as launching a blog or a regular website. Casinos need a strong software platform, as their website has to handle various types of content being watched, used, and played, 24/7, and by tens of thousands of people at a time.

The very best online casinos source their web platform from proven companies, ones that specialize in software for bookmakers and online casinos. Every casino cites the platform creators at the bottom of the page, so you should do some research about the company.

Another important thing is cross-platform use. As stellar as the platform might be, it must be equally stellar on both old and new devices. The same goes for smartphones – mobile gaming is bigger than ever, and the best US casinos should make their platforms usable on smartphones of all kinds, screen sizes, hardware strengths, and so on.

In addition to this, they should integrate their site with various payment methods, with a special focus on ones used by US customers. This means that PayPal, AmEx, Western Union, and others are a must for every US site.

The best way to know about how a site treats its players is to read its terms and conditions. Judging by the tone and the contents of the dreaded T&C, you can find out how the casino will behave when certain situations arise.

For instance, if a casino constantly mentions how they reserve the right to void this or take away that, it’s a sign that they’re not very player-friendly. We understand that the T&C is always legally binding, as players agree to them, but casinos shouldn’t prioritize their own protection over what makes players happy. They simply shouldn’t.

The T&C should contain everything a player can and can’t do, and they should be written clearly, without convoluted legal expressions and empty language. If you’re reading all the different terms and rules and not understanding them, it’s definitely a red flag.

Reputation is everything. Players don’t forget when they feel wrong, and they most certainly don’t hesitate to voice their criticism. Therefore, an important aspect of all the best Canadian online casinos is a stellar reputation.

Before creating an account or giving them any money, check player review sites and see what’s the general sentiment surrounding that casino. You should pay close attention to claims of fraud, withheld funds, unlawfully cancelled bonuses, and similar things.

Now, players do overreact, so if there are just one or two bad reviews, it’s probably someone who doesn’t understand how payments work.

However, if multiple people are claiming the same exact thing happened to them, it’s a sign that the casino is definitely up to something shady. Avoid them if you see too many red flags pointed out by players.

We’re in the 2020s now, and all casinos should process payments in real-time. Period. There’s just no excuse for verification procedures that take too long. If you see a casino using the expression ‘for security reasons’ as an excuse for withdrawals arriving too late – it’s most definitely an excuse.

It’s every player’s right to get their winnings as soon as possible, or at least as soon as the payment method they’re using allows them to. Any sort of delay is pointless and you should completely disregard any site that claims otherwise.

The best US casinos have dedicated, in-house payment processing systems which allow them to verify every transaction as soon as a request is filed. So, make sure you check out the waiting times claimed by the site, just to know what to expect.

Determining if an online casino really is fair is easy. Firstly, you should look at what the payout rate of each of their games is. All the best online casinos are regularly audited by third-party testing firms, and they release reports on a monthly basis.

By looking at these credible reports, you can see if they’re not manipulating game software to skew the odds in the house’s favour.

If a casino fails to post these reports, and operates without undergoing frequent audits, it’s highly likely that they have something to hide. The best US casinos are compliant with fairness regulations, and they’re more than happy to be transparent. Expect this from every site you find!

Let’s not kid ourselves – gambling is fun, but it’s also very addictive. Playing too much can have negative repercussions on your professional life, your relationships, and just about everything else.

Only play at responsible casinos. You can find out their stance towards problem gambling by looking at the footer of the site. The best US casinos have links to various charities, organizations, gambling hotlines, and any other entity that might prove useful to those suffering from problem gambling.

Another thing to look for is a self-exclusion problem. Some sites offer their players the opportunity to permanently ban themselves from their site, and even their land-based premises (if the operator also runs a physical venue).

Once you stumble upon a new casino, you should do some research on how the casino handles its profits. If they offer many bonuses, perks, and gifts, then you can rest assured that said site gives back to players, instead of looking to maximize profits.

Crappy casinos look to squeeze every possible cent from they players – avoid such sites. The best US casinos know how to reinvest the money they’ve been given, and they do so by rewarding the people who gave them that same money.

Diversity is everything when it comes to determining what the best online casinos are. If a site is only offering games from a single supplier, it’s highly likely that this is because they cut a deal to purchase the suppliers’ software in bulk.

Usually, this leads to lower prices for the casino, but also, in a very limited and stale experience for the players.

An online casino should know what games are popular right now, and they should get them regardless of which supplier made them.

That’s why the best US casinos share the same games for most of the time – both new ones like Big Time Gaming and classics like RTG, Rival and Betsoft. They care about what the players want and don’t hesitate to offer them just that.

Having a cross-platform presence is more important than ever. People like to seamlessly switch between their computers and their phones. There’s no reason why they shouldn’t be able to do that when they’re playing casino games as well.

To ensure that you’ve chosen a good US casino, open their site and look around on your mobile device. If you have an old phone in reach – start it up and check how it handles the casino’s software. Proper casino sites are tuned so that they don’t take up too much RAM memory and work flawlessly even on older devices. If it works on an older phone – it works anywhere!

Don’t you just hate it when you receive a thousand emails from a company each week? Unfortunately, it’s not just the eCommerce store you bought something from. Crappy casino sites do this, too.

It’s okay to receive emails about policy changes, updated T&Cs, new additions, or something that’s actually important. However, there’s no reason why you should be reminded that a new promotion is up multiple times.

Great online casinos fine-tune their email copy so that players can easily understand what they’re reading. They also don’t spam your inbox with unnecessary ads, announcements, and whatnot. A little bit of decency goes a long way.

As important as all of these elements are, few casinos are perfect. Therefore, it’s reasonable to expect that an online casino has some features that are worse than others. We can theorize all we want, but at the end of the day – it’s all about how you feel when playing at a casino site.

Even if everything seems perfect, and a single detail is bothering you a lot, you shouldn’t make any compromises. Don’t sell your sell short and be adamant in finding a site that provides exactly what you need and how you need it. You deserve the best, remember that!