Playing Instant Play Online Casino Games

What is an instant play online casino?

One of the big reasons why online casinos have taken off in recent years, is because they’re so flexible. An online casino can update and change very rapidly compared to a bricks and mortar casino, so they get the latest games and software. One side effect of this is that casinos can have varying methods for playing the games. Most notably, new players will come across a choice of downloaded vs instant play casinos.

What this means is that the games either require a download to your machine, or they can be played immediately using your browser. There are several pros and cons to downloading software and most sites have moved away from it, considering instant play to be better overall. Some sites will give you a choice. You don’t have to limit yourself to instant play online casinos, but they do have the benefit of letting you get your teeth into the games with no waiting around.

The benefits and drawbacks of instant play.

The key benefit of instant play casinos is pretty much given in the name; they’re instant! Okay, they aren’t actually instant, but you shouldn’t have to wait more than about 10 seconds to load an instant slot game. This is in comparison to downloaded software casinos, where you need to download a file to your machine and install the games to your hard drive, in much the same way as installing a video game. This results in faster loading times overall, but you have to wait for the installation that first time. Instant play is therefore more attractive when you first arrive at a site and want to try the games immediately.

Instant play games take advantage of the latest web technology, like Flash. Where before, online casinos would require you to install software on your machine, now they can run the games entirely in your browser window. You get to play the game right there on the web, not in a separate program. This also means that you don’t run any risks with installing software that you’re unsure about and you aren’t filling up your hard drive. The downside to playing in your browser is that some computers get sluggish, due to a bottleneck in the way the browser uses the PC’s processing power. Much like having several browser windows open, things can get slow and even crash. Thankfully, these problems are becoming a thing of the past.

Should I only use instant play online casinos?

Though most of the sites offering comic book slots have moved to instant play or at least favour it, there’s nothing wrong with using download based sites and you don’t have to limit yourself. Downloading software can even be beneficial depending on your setup. For example, if you have a metered internet connection with limited data, then it may be better to download the games early on instead of loading them each time you visit, which is how instant play works. Overall you’d use less data.

The end result is that it’s really down to preference. Instant play online casinos offer games up front and this tends to appeal to first time players, as you get to try the games there and then, without investing any time or effort in a download. The best approach is to find the sites that have the welcome bonuses you want and the games you like, then worry about instant play vs download later.

How to use instant play casinos.

The reason why instant play has taken off is that you don’t have to know anything special to use these sites. A download can be finicky and confuse people who aren’t computer-savvy. To use instant play sites, you merely have to log in (or create an account if you’re new to the site) and click the game you want to play. The game will load in your browser and you’re off.

Finally, you may see two play options on some instant play slots- ‘real’ and ‘demo’. This essentially lets you play with points instead of cash- you can’t win or lose anything, it’s just to try the game out. This is an ideal way to learn the ropes! Have fun playing instant play casino games!