Today's online gambler is lucky enough to have a veritable smorgasbord of casino games to choose from. Australians can play at a dizzying array of online casinos, each offering a wide range of casino games. These include both free online casino games and casino games for real money.
So here's a comprehensive overview of casino games for Australians...
History of Casino Games
We can trace the beginnings of what would become casino games all the way back to ancient times, when money or other forms of currency were bet on various types of games, all the way from China to Egypt and across to Norway. These games usually involved some form of dice. Eventually gambling became more formalised and began to take place in what were known as gambling houses, the earliest of which was established in Italy. More contemporary examples of gambling houses could of course be found during the days of the American Wild West - these were known as saloons. At the same time in Europe casinos began to be established in localities such as Monte Carlo and other places on the French Riviera, Italy and England. In more modern times, casino games began to be housed in the famed Las Vegas and New Jersey gambling meccas.
Once the Internet became established it didn't take long for software developers to begin devising ways of developing online casinos. As graphical display software became more sophisticated, online casino games developers were able to create casino games suites with rich interfaces that successfully recreated real-world slots, tables and card games. And of course now these casino games suites have been converted for play on mobile devices.
Play Free Casino Games
For those of you who wish to first dip a toe in the water by playing some free casino games, without having to commit any money to them, here's a handy list of some of the top places to play:
-
1st
best
dealexclusive bonus
A$3000 Match Bonus + 100 Free Spins
Accepted
-
2nd
Accepted 
Visit our game-specific pages
Some Tips before you start playing casino games
While there is a vast variety of casino games, and they all have different strategies and rules, we can extract some tips that apply to any game, which should inform your overall approach to playing...
- Manage your bankroll - one of the most important aspects of playing casino games is bankroll management. You need to set aside a separate fund that you will use to play - don't just start throwing money from your bank account into the pot. Decide how much can afford to play with and stick to that. Don't be tempted to use money that should be earmarked for other things - like groceries or rent. You need to always play sensibly and responsibly, and within the limits of what you can realistically afford.
- Set limits and keep to them - equally important is that you identify beforehand what your gaming limits are. You could set a time limit for your play, or use a loss limit. For instance, you could decide to only play for two hours, or until you have lost a certain amount from your bankroll. Another good strategy to preserve your winnings is to set a winning limit, and once you have won this amount, you stop playing.
- Know the rules and adopt a strategy - it may seem a bit obvious, but make sure that you know all the rules of the casino games you are playing. Many games have different rule variations and it makes no sense to dive in without knowing what these are. Not only will you not be able to take advantage of them; it could also cost you a lot of money. Similarly, become familiar with the basic playing strategies for whatever game you play. This is vitally important as it helps to reduce the edge that the house has over you.
- Play for fun first - most online casinos offer a free play option, so use this to your advantage. You can open a free money account and play as much as you like. Use this to get to know the game, to learn the rule variations, to try out strategies and to practise managing your bankroll.
Top Australian Casino Game Providers
Australians are in the fortunate position of having a choice of the very best casino game providers. All the most famous and popular online games suites are at your disposal.
They all have their own unique attributes (like game selection and progressive jackpots) and they all have their pros and cons. So it's really up to you to find a casino software suite that suits your tastes.
We rate the top providers as follows (on a scale of 1 to 5):
| Software | Overall | Game Selection | Progressive Jackpots | Quality of Operators | Click to Play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
5 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
|
|
4 | 4 | 4 | 3.5 |
|
|
5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
|
This is by no means an exhaustive list. Many online casinos use smaller, niche game providers like Betsoft, Play n Go and Novomatic/Novoline. These smaller providers usually only provide a basic game selection. Other online casinos use multiple game providers, so you get a decent combination of different games and features.
Refer to our Casino Game Software section for more information on the different game providers.
Casino Games for Real Money vs Free Online Casino Games
As we mentioned earlier, most casinos allow Australians to open a free money account and just play for fun, using casino credits. This doesn't win you any money, but it has the advantage of allowing you to get to know the games without losing any money either.
When you want to play for real money, you need to register a real money account and make a deposit. For Australians this is a simple procedure. You can usually choose from a good selection of online payment methods that you can use to transfer money into your casino account. There is often also a verification step where the casino verifies your personal details. The kind of information you need to provide will include your name and physical address, as well as your contact details. Some casinos will require you to provide proof of residence that matches the address you provided. Once this has been completed your account is ready for you to play with.
What about Mobile Phone and Tablet Casino Games?
The first question that most people ask about casino games on mobile devices is whether the game selection is the same. The answer is that most mobile casino games providers offer a subset of the full suite of games normally found at an online casino, so be prepared for a more limited choice. However you will always find slots, progressives, table games, card games and video poker in one form or another.
Looking at the main casino games providers, for example, we find that...
