Everybody is a little leery before they make the plunge into the wacky world of online gaming-after all, we've all been inundated with those laughable TV ads which show a bunch of cigar-chomping Italians stealing some poor dupe's money, and the government in general has waged a ridiculous campaign to try and convince Americans that all online gaming is run by crooks and fly by nights. The fact is that the rest of the free world doesn't view online gaming the way we do in America . The majority of the sites featured here are licensed by governmental bodies. Some are even publicly traded! The world of online gaming is not 'dominated by the Mafia', or by 'software geeks looking to steal your identity'. To the contrary, most of the real heavy hitters in the online gaming world are multi-million dollar corporations with a strong interest in customer retention.

With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the questions most frequently asked by new visitors at Netbettor and try to come up with some clear answers.

•  How do I know the software isn't rigged?

One thing that comes as a surprise to online 'newbies' is that virtually no seasoned online gamers ever worry about the software. With a few exceptions all online casinos rely on outside companies to provide their gaming software, and post-production modifications aren't an issue. How can you know this? For one thing, if the software was crooked, you can be sure that casinos wouldn't saddle their sign up bonuses with a bunch of wagering restrictions. They would just let everyone go at it, and then rig the games to take the money as quickly as possible. The fact that virtually every online casino doesn't count roulette, craps or baccarat (games with a low house edge) towards fulfilling the wagering requirement necessary to free a bonus is evidence that the games are on the square.

Also, there's no percentage in rigging the games. Ask any casino manager and he'll tell you that almost all the profit comes from regular visitors. Yet in order for people to revisit the casino they must feel like they're being dealt a fair game. A casino would much rather take 3-4% (the average house take) of $10,000 worth of action than 100% of an initial $100 deposit. Offering an honest game is the sure-fire way to achieve maximum profit. That's why so many reputable casinos have a 'recent winners' page; they want to do everything in their power to assure their new visitors that people do, in fact, win, and that the games are on the up and up.

Instead of worrying about the software you should be worried about whether or not you're going to get paid, as this is the real concern amongst online gaming veterans. Many casinos are grossly underfunded, and many more have made a habit of stiffing their players. Here at Netbettor we ONLY recommend those casinos which have a verified history of quickly processing payouts-period. We don't recommend new casinos, even those that appear to be completely legit, until they've demonstrated the ability to handle the action. There are NO exceptions to this rule. When you sign up at one of our casinos you're putting your money in play at a house that is not going to jerk you around. In addition to playing at the casinos we recommend we keep our ear to the rail, and we're always on the lookout for grumblings from players re: slow pays and no plays. When you play at a casino you shouldn't have to 'win twice'-once at the table and once at the cashier's cage. Once you look around the web, and see the casinos that other established portals recommend, you'll notice a strong correlation between the casinos they feature and the ones we feature.

•  There's no way there are this many honest online casinos out there. How can you guys recommend so many?

To better understand this you need to familiarize yourself with the concept of 'casino families'. While we're comfortable recommending a fair number of casinos, many of these casinos do business under the same tent. For example, 'Blackjack Ballroom', 'Lucky Emperor', 'Yukon Gold' and 'Zodiac' are all part of the Casino Rewards group. Similarly, 'Planet Luck' and 'Star Luck' are owned by I Global Media, the same group that owns Party Poker. We're happy to promote all these casinos, as the Casino Rewards and the I Global group have long standing and well earned reputations for treating their customers fairly. Most of the casinos you'll find listed here are part of such a group, which means that a player who has a positive experience at one is likely to have the same experience at another.

•  Why should I download through your ads and click-throughs?

There are two reasons for this: One that helps the player, and one that helps us. First, be aware of the fact that we typically receive no compensation for simply having banners and click throughs on our site. Instead we receive a commission for every player who enters a casino, poker room or sportsbook through one of the links provided on this site. For us to receive this commission the player must sign up, or download, through that link. We're happy to keep you up to date on all the latest happenings in the world of offshore gaming, but in order to provide you with the best information we have to keep the site profitable. By using our banners and click throughs you help us keep helping you!

Second, when you sign up through one of our links you've earned a powerful ally in case you ever have a dispute. When a problem arises between a Netbettor visitor and one of our sponsors three things kick into motion. First, we want to resolve the dispute in order to keep you as a visitor. Second, the casino wants to resolve the dispute to ensure that we continue to promote their games. And third, the casino wants the resolve the dispute so as to ensure that you'll play with them again. When you use our banners and click throughs you've tilted the table in your favor in the unlikely event that you ever have a disagreement with one of our sponsors.

Good! We got that out of the way. Now then, on to the reviews!