Gambling online for real money - the free play vs real play debate. When you sign up at any top South African 2021 online gambling site, you'll immediately notice you have two choices of gameplay: gamble for free and gamble for real cash. If you're a seasoned player, you'll immediately know which option to go for - the most rewarding one. Remember this is real money. Never lose your rent or other bill payments. Gamble what you can afford and don’t get carried away. If you follow our advice, then you will have a lot of fun withdrawing from the casino and laughing all the way to the bank. Gambling online can be great fun if you don’t lose your head with the excitement. Vegas Casino Online is a casino with a long reputation that started back in 1999. It’s well-received among the player base since it has a license from Costa Rica and a large number of RTG games. As RTG is a very successful software developer, it’s no wonder that many feel Vegas Casino Online is the best real casino online for real money.

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Real money online gambling has spread like wildfire all over the globe. People in almost every country use online gambling either as a hobby to pass the time or as an outlet to wager real money on casino games and sporting events.

If you’re going to be gambling with your actual money, you’ll want to make sure you’re doing so in the right places. The internet can be a scary place to move your money, so you’ll need assurances that you’ll be treated ethically and fairly.

It’s a good thing you’ve come to the right place! The gambling sites that we recommend have been vetted by our team of experts, meaning we can give you the following promises:

• You can expect smooth deposits and timely payouts from our trusted sites
• We will only list sites with top-class reputations and a history of excellent customer service
• All of the following are guaranteed to be real money gambling sites!

Here is our list of the best real money gambling sites on the web today:

Our Top Recommended Real Money Gambling Sites

An Introduction to Real Money Gambling Sites

When you make the decision to start gambling online with real money, both the risks and the rewards are increased. It’s more important to be more discerning regarding the websites with which you choose to do business.

If you play for free on a scam site, all you have to lose are meaningless credits, but should you make the same mistake on a real money gambling site, the punishment may be much more severe.

On a positive note, once you’ve found a trusted real money gambling site that behaves ethically, you’re set to wager on sports or casino games in the convenience of your own home or anywhere you carry your mobile device!

Then you’ll be amongst the millions of global gamblers who bet billions of real dollars annually on online real money gambling sites.

It’s an enormous industry, and thus, there is a multitude of options out there competing for your business. Competition is always great for the customer!

Real Money Gambling vs. Free Play

If you’ve started exploring the world of online gambling, you’ve no doubt noticed that for certain types of gaming, you have two options. You can either play for free, or you can gamble for real money.

Now, the apparent difference between these two choices is whether you’re risking your actual funds or not, but there’s a bit more to it than meets the eye.

Many online casinos will offer free plays so that you may try out their games before depositing real money into your account.

But be warned that these free plays aren’t always indicative of the actual gambling experience for all users. In fact, they often give the customer much better odds than they’ll receive when wagering real money.

The reason this happens is to draw more customers in. That’s why you see so many sign-up bonuses that offer free play credits without requiring an account deposit. Once they’ve got you thinking jackpots are easy to hit and you want to win real money, the odds come back to normal, and your luck decreases once the real dollars are at stake.

This is why it’s vital always to gamble responsibly. There are no sure things, so getting caught up in the hype that an introductory hot streak might create is a mistake. No matter how lucky you appear to be at first, keep in mind that things won’t be so simple once you’re gambling your actual money.

To ensure that you stay financially safe when gambling online, you’ll need to build a responsible bankroll and have a disciplined staking plan. As long as you adhere to these two systems, you can take part in real money gambling without disturbing your day-to-day life.

Before depositing any money online, be sure to read our articles about finances and gambling:

Real Money Gambling Is a Massive Business

Real money online gambling is an enormous, multi-billion-dollar-per-year industry. As we continue to live more and more of our lives online and inter-connectivity around the globe increases, so does access to online betting sites.

Furthermore, with the industry continuing to grow at a rate of approximately $3 billion annually, which it has been doing steadily since 2010, real money gambling over the internet will only become more accessible and more common.

Immediately following this paragraph is a chart highlighting the growth of the online gambling industry. It shows how much real money is gambled per year and how the trend appears to be continuing upward.

You may want to do further research regarding the global popularity of the online gambling industry. Lots of data has been collected on how much real money is gambled annually, and you may find some compelling statistics at statista.com.

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Avoiding Scams and Rogue Sites

Once you’ve decided to gamble with your real money online, finding a safe, reliable, trustworthy website is of the utmost importance. With the massive sums of money being wagered online, it’s to be expected that many scammers and unethical operations come out of the woodwork to steal a piece of the pie.

Merely googling “Real Money Gambling Sites” will turn up a litany of options, but you’ll have no way of knowing which are legitimate and which are dangerous.

The primary purpose of this website is to ensure your satisfaction by doing the research for you and only supplying our readers with the best online gambling sites that accept real money. So as long as you stick to our list of recommendations, you have nothing at all to worry about.

Regardless, beyond just taking our word, for it you should know what red flags to look for when choosing a gambling site for yourself. There are specific attributes that most unsafe rogue casinos share, like delayed or unresponsive withdrawal requests, unfair odds, and non-existent customer service departments.

To better acquaint yourself with what these factors are and how you can avoid them, read our article on spotting a rogue casino:

Any of the sites that we recommend to our readers have already been vetted and researched by our experts. Additionally, we’ve written dedicated reviews for many of them. This way, if you’d like to do a bit more reading after seeing our trusted sites, you can look a bit deeper and see why we recommend the websites that we do and how we’ve graded them all.

Here are our many reviews for gambling sites that accept real money:

Casinos

Depending on what kind of gambling you’re planning on partaking in, we’ve got recommendations to fit your preferences. If you love wagering on casino games, then our list of the safest and highest-quality online casinos is perfect for you!

The term “casino games” includes a wide range of wagering activities. The modern online casinos accept real money bets for all types of table games, slots, and poker. If you enjoy table games like blackjack, roulette, or baccarat, they have both live dealer and videogame-like options from which to choose.

As the name suggests, “live dealer” games employ an actual real-life dealer to run the game through a webcam, which gives the games an authentic casino appeal.

However, if you prefer to simply play a video game recreation of the table games, that’s an available option as well.

Our favorite online casinos also provide more slot machine variations than a brick-and-mortar casino could ever hope to compete with. Any combination of lines, rows, jackpot types, and theme can be found; so, whatever you enjoy will be provided on our real money gambling sites.

The following link leads to our page dedicated to all things involving real money online casinos. There, you can find strategy guides and reviews to individual games, the best casinos for each jurisdiction, and a list of the best real money casinos on the internet:

Sports Betting

In addition to the multitude of online casinos that accept real money for wagers, there are also numerous online sportsbooks. Once again, these online options are commonly much better than their land-based competitors.

Not only do they offer a much more comprehensive range of events to bet on, but they also offer live betting, a larger volume of wager types, and better odds. The following link will bring you to our dedicated real money sports gambling page:

Sports gambling is an opportunity for the knowledgeable bettors to maximize their ability to win real money. With enough research and an understanding of betting with positive value in mind, you can actually treat sports betting similarly to day trading stocks on Wall Street.

Our website is full of tips and strategies for various games which you can utilize to help you improve your skills as a sports bettor.

If you’d like to do some additional research on our recommended sports betting sites, feel free to read our in-depth reviews. Many of the following locations also offer casino gaming or slots, but they tend to specialize in real money sports betting. Find some of our expert reviews below:

Gambling Apps

As smartphones and tablets continue to increase in both computing power and popularity, the way the general population is interacting with the internet is evolving. Not that long ago, the most common way to reach the World Wide Web was through a desktop computer or laptop.

These days, we have an equal amount of computing power in our pocket, so a higher percentage of the total web surfing done each year is through mobile devices.

In response, many of the most successful online gambling organizations have begun developing apps for mobile phones and tablets. There are apps built explicitly for table games, bingo, slot machines, and sports gambling. Anything you can do online is now available through an app on your mobile device, and this includes gambling with real money.

Here is a guide detailing the wide world of mobile gaming and the many real money apps that are out there:

Other Real Money Gambling Options

Beyond online casinos and sportsbooks, there are other variations of real money gambling sites available to potential gamblers. Some organizations choose to specialize in a specific game such as poker, bingo, or even scratch-off tickets. If there’s a desire to gamble real money on something, there’s a website out there looking to fill that void.

Poker

Online poker played a massive role in building the popularity of online gambling. The poker craze of the early 2000s saw the industry explode on the internet. The game experienced some setbacks as legislation was passed in some areas to limit access, but these days, you can find online poker games for real money if you look for them. For example, here is our real money online poker webpage:

On that page, you can expect to find guides to a variety of poker games, including their rules and winning strategies. We’ll also share the best real money poker sites for each location since different jurisdictions treat online poker differently. Lastly, we’ll point you in the direction of the best real money tournaments and arm you with some winning tactics to improve your chances!

Before signing up for any of our recommended poker sites, maybe you’d like to dig a little deeper. Luckily, our experts have reviewed many of the best real money poker sites. Check out some of our individual poker reviews below:

Scratch Cards

Scratch cards are no longer exclusive to gas stations! That’s right; you can spend real money on scratch cards online these days. That means no more annoying scratching and making a mess with that waxy removable surface everywhere. Now you can just pick your spots to play on the ticket and figure out if you’ve won or lost right away.

If you’re interested in finding the safest real money gambling sites that offer scratch cards, click on the following link. We’ll share with you the best scratch card sites, which cards have the best odds, and reviews for our favorite scratch cards:

Bingo

In addition to poker and scratch cards, there are even websites offering bingo games for real money! Once again, this is an ideal way to streamline a game that can otherwise take too much effort and attention. If you’d like to play several cards, you no longer have to panic when each number is called, trying to land your dabber on the right square of each card before they call another number.

Playing bingo online is considerably more straightforward. Merely purchase your bingo cards and watch them fill up as the numbers fall. For more information, recommendations, and reviews regarding real money bingo games, follow the link below:

Banking Options for Real Money Gambling

We’ve been talking about gambling with real money through this entire guide. You may be wondering what your options are in regards to moving your finances so that you may partake. It’s actually quite simple, and the majority of legitimate online gambling sites give you several options with which to deposit and withdrawal funds.

Something worth considering is that the different methods require varying amounts of time to process. Plus, some sites specialize in specific banking types which might result in faster processing speeds for their specialty. Additionally, depending on where you live, you may have some methods unavailable to you, so you’ll need to use banking types that are legal in your jurisdiction.

Credit and Debit Cards

One of the most common forms of spending money online is the use of credit or debit cards. Most people exclusively use their plastic for financial transactions these days, so applying that to online gambling is no different. The best real money gambling sites that accept debit and credit cards can be found at the following link:

However, some regions won’t have this option. Some countries, such as the United States, have passed laws making it illegal for banking institutions to process financial transactions between customers and known gambling websites. It’s not unlawful for the individual to gamble; they just won’t be able to use their banking cards. Thankfully, there are plenty of other options.

PayPal

PayPal is one of the largest e-Wallet companies in the world. These third-party accounts allow customers to move and receive money without involving their bank. E-Wallets like PayPal are a popular banking option due to the speed of the transactions and the safety they provide since they don’t require the use of private banking information. The best real money gambling sites that accept PayPal can be found here:

Bitcoin

Bitcoin is quickly becoming one of the most widely-utilized methods of banking on the internet. The famed cryptocurrency allows gamblers to move their money anonymously without worrying about a government or banking institution intervening. Here are the safest and best real money gambling sites that accept Bitcoin:

Furthermore, many of the fastest deposit and withdrawal speeds are offered through Bitcoin. If you find a website that specializes in Bitcoin, you’ll notice that many of your transactions will be completed instantaneously.

Other Payment Options

Beyond the three major banking options, gambling sites will offer additional financing methods to meet your needs. The following list includes some of the other banking options you may come across and their average processing speed:

Cash/Gift Cards – Instant to 1-2 days

eCheck – eChecks require you to spend more time upfront supplying the gambling site with your banking information and routing numbers. Once complete, these transactions can be instant

E-Wallets – Besides PayPal, there are various e-Wallet services online. Most countries have an e-Wallet that’s heavily used in their region. These typically take 2-3 days to process

Paper Check – This is an old-school method of payment, but it is an option on many real money websites. These transactions can take 1 – 3 weeks, depending on where you’re mailing the check and whether it’s a deposit or withdrawal

Gambling Bonuses

One of the ways online gambling sites compete for your patronage is by offering bonuses and rewards programs. These can vary widely in value, and you’ll notice that the easiest gifts to receive tend to come with the most strings attached. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t value to be found; there’s a reason we consider bonus programs when ranking our recommendations!

Sign-Up Bonuses

The most basic entry-level bonuses you will find online are offered solely for signing up. These only require your email address, some necessary information, and a password. Sign-up bonuses are almost always given in free play credits, which you will not be allowed to withdraw. These are merely given so that new users may test out the games and see if they like them.

Deposit Bonuses

Deposit bonuses are another common entry-level bonus. They’re better than sign-up gifts because they are given in real money, but they come with so many requirements and stipulations that they are often not worth accepting. Whether you should take the bonus comes down to its rollover amount. A rollover requirement is how many wagers you must make with your bankroll before you’re allowed to withdraw.

Let’s say you’re depositing $500 into your account, which the casino is offering to match 100%. The rollover requirement that they’ve set is 25x. This means that for the additional $500 you received, you’ll need to place $12,500 in bets before you’re allowed to take out this money. The odds are against you ever withdrawing that money.

It will take a jackpot or several lucky streaks to meet the requirements before losing it all.

Loyalty Rewards Programs

Loyalty rewards programs are where you will find the value. Each real money gambling site tracks how you gamble. They consider the size of your wagers as well as the frequency to determine your value to their operation. They then assign points to each activity or use systems to place their customers in tiers that will determine their rewards.

Get Real Free Money

For the average online gambler using real money, loyalty rewards need to accumulate over time, at which point they can be exchanged for merchandise, free bets, entry into various contests, or a percentage of cash back on losses.

High rollers get the best rewards since the gambling sites want to incentivize them to stick around. They big spenders will get much larger percentages of cash back on losses, chances to win trips around the world, and occasionally even gifts of vehicles or other extravagant perks. The more you gamble and spend, the more you can expect in return.

Real Money Gambling FAQ

Why should I play online?

Gambling online is significantly more convenient than going to a brick-and-mortar casino or sportsbook. Furthermore, the online operations can offer better odds due to having less overhead and can provide a much more extensive variety of games and wager types.

Why should I gamble real money?

How To Gamble Online For Real Money

If you aren’t gambling with real money, you’re just killing time with video games. You have to risk your own money to win any money in return. It depends on what you’re looking for, but if you have dreams of hitting the jackpot, you’re going to need to play with real money.

What’s the difference between free play and real money gambling?

Free play gambling allows you to test out the games without risking any of your actual funds. This is a great way to test various games and learn the rules, but there’s no way to gain anything. Plus, the odds on free play games are typically adjusted to allow you to win much more often in hopes that you’ll deposit money expecting the same.

Real money wagering lets you actually gamble. You risk your actual finances with the possibility of winning actual sums of money in return.

Are there many banking options available for moving real money?

Yes, most online gambling sites allow you to deposit funds using several different methods. The most common are credit/debit card, e-Wallet, and Bitcoin, although you will frequently find additional options. Examine the payout and deposit times of each method on each site before choosing which to use.

What types of gambling are available to real money bettors?

These days, there are real money gambling options for nearly any activity. You can find casino games, slots, sports betting, race betting, scratch cards, poker, and even bingo. If it can be wagered on, someone out there is setting the odds.

Is real money gambling legal where I live?

The answer to this question depends on where you live. Many jurisdictions have set laws against opening gambling operations but don’t expressly forbid their citizens from gambling. For more information about the legalities of online gambling where you live, check out the following page:

Can You Gamble Online For Real Money

How do I know I can trust online gambling sites with my money?