USANavigating the Online Casino Lobby - Tips & How tos
If you are new to the world of online casinos, it might seem rather overwhelming at first. However, with a few simple tips, you can face the daunting user interfaces and start enjoying your favorite games in no time.
Today we’re discussing how to navigate online casino websites – regardless of which website it is – so that you can quickly identify all the crucial information on your first visit and find your way around without problems.
Why is it Important to navigate the Online Casino Lobby?
Understanding the process of navigating an online casino will help you save time when exploring a new casino. You will also learn how to identify crucial information quickly, which means you’ll be able to spot untrustworthy websites within a few seconds or even know where to find all the promotional information for the best deals.
After you’ve gone through this article, consider reading our list of the top online casinos for US players.
How to Navigate the Online Casino Lobby?
The first interface you’ll encounter with any online casino will be its lobby. When we say lobby, we are just talking about the home screen of the casino itself. These lobbies can differ vastly, so understanding a typical layout will help you figure out where to find the important sections. To help you with this process, we’ve put together a few quick tips on the casino lobby.
1. Casino Lobby Features and Functionalities
As mentioned, every casino lobby is different – at least to some degree- so finding certain features can often be tricky. While the most obvious features, such as logging, browsing games, or looking at the current promotions, will greet you when you land on the homepage, there are some other features you might want to know about, including:
Demo Play & Game Option
This feature usually isn’t on the home page because the demo play depends on the games you want to try. Some games have demos, and some don’t, but the only way to find out is to select a game first and see if it offers a demo version.
Account Management & Settings
You might not see a settings option on the home page. A settings menu is likely absent because you haven’t logged in yet. Once you do that, you should see settings on the home page or your account page (which you can only access after logging in).
Terms of Service
It is highly unlikely that you’ll see a button for the terms of service in the main menu. This button is usually located in the footer (the bottom-most) part of the home page and is usually fairly small.
2. Navigate to the registration form
The registration form is almost always behind the ‘Register’ button, which is ALWAYS on the home page, and most often in the top-right corner. Remember that this button can have different names such as ‘Sign Up’, ‘Join Now’, ‘Join’, or ‘Register’. If you do not see a button like this, click the ‘Log In’ button.
You will have the option to create a new account on the login screen. If you want to know more about registering an account, read our how to register an account with an online casino guide.
3. Explore the promotions section
If you’re curious about the promotions on the site, you should see them as soon as you land on the home page. Most online casinos display their current most important promotions on the home page and usually in the style of a sliding display. You can easily find a link to the websites with dedicated promotion pages within their main menu or in the footer.
4. Explore the game types
If you want to find specific games, you’ll be happy to know this process is fairly simple. Most online casinos have a horizontal bar menu at the top of the website that shows the different categories of available games. Clicking on any of those should take you to the relevant collections. Alternatively, you might see a drop-down menu for these categories or a search bar to filter for specific games.
This information is useful to have before joining an online casino, as you can find out if they have the games you prefer before signing up.
5. Learn more About the Customer Support
Customer support will be able to assist if you get stuck during any part of the exploration process – or even with something else once you’ve created an account. There are various ways to reach customer support, but the easiest way is through the casino’s live chat.
If the casino doesn’t have a live chat feature, you can find the ‘Contact Us’ or ‘Support’ links in the home page's main menu. Understanding where to find customer support is the best way to solve any problems you might experience with the platform.
6. Locate Where to Download the App
The best online casinos offer comprehensive iOS, Android, or both apps. Links to these apps will usually be on the home page since they will likely want to direct traffic towards it. Other forms of this you can look for include links that mention ‘Mobile’ or ‘APK’. An APK is another term for the package used to install an app. If the casino does not support official Play Store or App Store apps, they will have APKs.
7. Check licenses and regulation
Knowing whether a casino is trustworthy is quite simple since all these online casinos are required to display their licenses and registration numbers on their home page.
However, this information is not blatantly thrown in your face but is in the footer information.
This section will likely also include information about the encryption methods they use on the platform to keep your data safe.
FAQs
Navigating a casino is unavoidable, so knowing how to do it will save you time and help you find the information or pages you need faster.
You can use the search bar (if they have one) at the top of the home page. Alternatively, click on the category of game you’re looking for at the top of the home page and look through the filtered results.
The main things you want to see in the lobby features is a functional menu that can take you to the different pages of the website, a registration button, a filter for games, and a sliding menu that shows any promotions.
Casinos have different layouts because they are all trying to capture a specific design atmosphere set out by their designers. However, the most important features should always be on the home page, regardless of layout.
Enjoy Your Lobby Experience!
And there you have it! All the important bits of information regarding navigating an online casino for the first time and how to identify whether it’s a trustworthy site. If you plan on visiting an online casino for some games of chance, always remember to do so responsibly and to seek assistance if you feel you are forming an addiction.
If you enjoyed our quick guide to casino lobbies, consider reading some of our other useful guides or even our comprehensive reviews of online casinos.