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6. How much is it going to cost me?

A bitter pill that online casino players were at one time asked to swallow was a charge on their withdrawals. In general this is pretty rare now and our advice is to avoid casinos that practice this policy, except in obvious circumstances such as the wire-transfer fee that places like Western Union charge.

It's well worth your time to read your casino's website page of "Banking" or "Withdrawals." The vast majority of casinos are quite reasonable in their withdrawal options, but you never know until you know. If it's not clear, email or phone them and find out what the deal is.

7. Hidden banking fees

So the check is in the mail and that means you're home free, yes? Maybe, but again, it depends on the details. For example, receiving a check on a Swiss bank in U.S. dollars may not be money straight in your pocket.

We've known people to be hit with stiff transaction fees when they ask their bank to process a check drawn on a foreign bank. Direct deposit and bank wires may be alternatives, but you'd best look into it before hand, because not all casinos offer these services.

8. Bonus rules

Bonuses are a big deal—literally and figuratively—and you may have encountered one that sounds really attractive. By all means, go for it, but not before you read the fine print.

Bonuses come in a bewildering variety and it's no small thing to decide what's a great deal and what's just so-so. All casinos will require that you play the bonus before you can withdraw it. Some require you to play many times the bonus plus your original deposit, and on and on it goes. No one can offer advice that will apply to all the bonuses, other than the one bit of advice that we all know: buyer beware.

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