Online casino is a world of luck and beliefs, and there are a lot of rumors and myths about it. While some of them are obviously false, others are still around in the player’s minds and sometimes influence how they play.
Become Gambler will take these myths and debunk them one by one.
#1 – Casinos are rigged and can influence the outcome of their games
This myth is the one we have heard the most over our gambling years. People tend to think that online casinos are rigged. More than that, they think they can influence the randomness of their games.
While casinos have an advantage on their games (house edge), it is all about luck and randomness. Moreover, online casinos are regulated by outside authorities, and cheating would see them losing their gambling licence.
Finally, you should also know that online casinos are only displaying games (slot machines, live dealer games) and are not hosting it. They work with game providers (Pragmatic Play, Play’n GO, Quickspin,…) and thus have no influence whatsoever in the slot machines and other games outcomes.
#2 – Online casinos don’t pay their players
Here is another myth that is having a hard time to disappear. Do you really think that if online casinos didn’t pay the winnings players, they would still be so popular? We have 20+ casinos listed on Become Gambler. We never received any complaint from members of our community who did not receive their winnings.
Of course, we have all heard stories of players who won big and who could not withdraw. While we know it can be seen as an injustice, the harsh truth is that most of the time it’s the player’s fault.
Casinos have no interest whatsoever in not paying their winning players. It would hurt their reputation too much. The only reason why they won’t pay a player is when he did not respect the casino’s terms and conditions. Of course, you are free to play however you want when playing RAW. But you have more conditions to respect when playing with an active bonus.
This is why we really insist that you read these conditions before playing. This way you will not have any surprises when wanting to withdraw your winnings.
#3 – Online casinos are illegal
Let’s be honest: if they were, they would already all have closed their doors. Instead, online casinos are getting more and more popular over the years. Of course, online gambling can be illegal in some countries, but there is no global legislation on the topic.
Every country has its own laws and ways of regulating online gambling. In some countries it is neither forbidden nor allowed to play online casino. It it just tolerated, or waiting to be properly regulated.
#4 – You can count cards on online blackjack tables
« Blackjack is so easy. All you have to do is count cards and you will know what cards will come out. » If only things were this simple. While card counting was possible in the past, land based and online casinos took some precautions to make card counting a close to impossible task. Today, card counting is just a myth.
Of course, we have all heard stories of card counters who won a lot of money and who got banned from land based casinos. But nowadays, card counting is extremely hard, with the measures we are about to explain to you.
Online blackjack is played with a shoe that contains 7 decks of cards. This shoe is shuffled as soon as the dealer reaches the cut card (a solid-color plastic card). This cut card is randomly placed in the deck. This way, you don’t know if you play with 5, 6 or 7 decks.
#5 – Martingale is the best way to win at roulette
Whether you are new or experienced in the gambling world you probably have already heard about the Martingale. This betting technique consists in doubling your bet as long as you lose. Some players think it is a sure way to make money.
There is no sure way to make money when playing casino. Roulette is random. Just imagine that you have a bankroll of €100 and you start with a €5 bet on black. If red lands four times in a row, you have already spent €75. There is no 100% winning strategy at roulette, it’s only you and your luck. Moreover, the Martingale is a very costly technique. You need a really big bankroll if you want to try it.
If you want to learn more about roulette and its rules, don’t hesitate to read our guide « How to Play European Roulette Online ».
#6 – Playing hot slots (high RTP) assures you easy wins
More and more casinos display the slots RTP (Return To Player) in real time, or over the last 24 hours. As we sometimes like to find tricks to influence our luck, some players choose slots according to their current RTP.
Some of them will choose a slot with a positive RTP (over 100%), hoping it will continue paying. Others will choose a “cold slot”, which didn’t pay for a while, expecting to unlock a big win. Who’s right, you may ask? None of them. Casino is all about luck, and it’s not because a slot pays some players that it will pay all of them.
#7 – Casino streamers accounts are rigged
If you watch casino streamers on a regular basis, you know this is a myth. Casino streamers don’t have more luck than regular players, they just play more frequently. The fact that they play more gives them more chances to hit some insane wins over time.
Some viewers will say that the streamer is rigged, or has a boosted account. If you look at their profile, most of the times they just discovered this streamer and arrived when he won. They were not there when he was losing. Take some time to really watch Twitch casino streamers and you will realize they don’t have more luck than you do.
#8 – Blackjack is 100% random, there is no strategy
This one is true and false at the same time. Yes, Blackjack is a random game, especially online where players quit and join the table at any moment. While there is no 100% safe winning blackjack strategy, there is a basic strategy you can follow to make the house edge smaller (around 0.5%).
Not following basic strategy can make the house edge go up to 2%. Basically, this strategy helps you to take decisions with the best risk-reward ratio. If you want to learn this basic strategy, read our guide « Blackjack: how to play and win most of your games? ».
#9 – Slot machines RTP is linear
First of all, let us explain what RTP is. RTP stand for Return To Player and describes the amount of money a slot machine gives back to the players. While RTP in land based casinos varies from 70% to 90%, it is way higher on online casinos: between 94 to 98%. A slot with a 96% RTP gives back 96% of the money players put into it over a long period of time.
Over a long period of time. That’s the key. A slot machine’s RTP is not fixed but varies every time. It’s not because you put €100 into a slot that you will get €96 back at the end of your session. RTP is giving back money over a long period of time. A 96% RTP slot will sometimes be at 50% RTP, then 180%, then 20%, then 96%,… Over time it will be at an average of 96%.
#10 – « I won on a machine, it will not pay again »
You can’t imagine how many players think like this. They get three scatters, play the bonus feature and instantly leave this machine thinking it won’t pay them again. This is pure belief and nothing else, as slot machines are 100% random.
You can very well do 500 spins without unlocking the bonus function or get three bonuses in 40 spins. At the end, the most important thing is that you play the slots you like, and that you have fun doing it.