Casino players are a funny bunch.

Risk-takers, yet risk-averse, they look for the best deals; they calculate odds and then make the final leap into the abyss, searching for glory. The most hardcore of the bunch won’t waste their time on free casino games or small-stakes tournaments, they’ll jump right in with the money, shrewdly evaluating whether or not it’s a good move and then bet big. No guts, no glory.

Casino players often tell me they’re reluctant to try the online version because they can’t study croupiers or even your fellow players in multiplayer tournaments. They feel it’s riskier and doesn’t offer the same rewards, and I understand that.

However, you can get great benefits at online that you wouldn’t find in any brick-and-mortar casino. Once you remove the nice-to-have similarities from the equation – the feelgood loyalty program and VIP rewards – you’re left with the actual differences between online and offline. And they’re pretty convincing real-money points.

Only online will you find a no deposit casino, where they’ll give you free money to play with and let you win real money in return. How many offline casinos offer to double your cash for doing nothing except agreeing to become a patron? How many casinos run daily promotions giving players free casino spins and chances to win every day?

Online, you can expect to find your favourite game without moving a step. You’ll always find a seat available, even if hundreds of players are playing at the same time. When you play online you can have a great night and at the end you can avoid the crush of the drunken louts on the tube, or freezing whilst waiting for a taxi at 3am and save the £50 you would have spent on the ride home. Doesn’t that sound like a good move?

There are real benefits to playing at online casinos and it’s high time you discovered them. If you love the games but have been waiting to make the move to online, hit our review section for our top picks.