I know people who are afraid to install anything on their computers for fear of a virus. Or perhaps, like my father , they keep thinking in terms of computer’s ten years ago when loading new programs would use up all your memory. (Honestly, I made him buy a new computer with more memory than he’ll ever fill up and he still panics that a basic solitaire game is going to take all his memory.) And then there are the Mac and Linux users who can’t run the Windows based software that most casinos use. (You know who you are.)
Many casinos offer a web based version of some of their more popular games so sometimes the question is – shouldn’t I just play the web based game? That way I won’t get a virus and use up all my computer memory. So, I’m going to endeavor to answer that. First, unless you haven’t purchased a new computer since George Bush was president, you probably have enough memory to install the software from every online casino you want to play with and then some. Keep in mind that casinos actually try to minimize the space they take up on your computer by not installing every game they have. Instead, they install the base software and other games are added only if you play them. As for virus, if you play at respected and trusted casinos who run trusted software, like Microgaming, they aren’t going to infect you with a virus. That’s more likely to happen when you open that email from Uncle Bill promising he has a hilarious picture of you. Casinos need to protect their reputation. Uncle Bill, on the other hand, knows less about computers than you do and is probably already infected.
Installing the casino software will give you the broadest selection of games to play and is generally needed if you want to play slot tournaments or other tournaments. So, why the web based games? Well, partly because they can be used by Mac and Linux users who don’t have Windows based systems. Also, web play is a good way to check out a casino before you decide if you want to install it on your computer. And web based games may be the safest choice if you’re playing on a shared computer. So casinos do offer you the option. But for those top casinos you visit often, you’ll want to install the software.