The Internet has proven to be an ideal format for gamblers and the various games and formats they prefer to wager on.

Poker players can flock to dozens of sites to play real-money games that range from a penny to the highest limits.

Sports bettors can access a bevy of online books that will take bets on everything from major sports all the way down to Ultimate Fighting. Heck, some sites such as BetUs.com will even allow you to wager on global warming.

But the one area that isn’t growing nearly as fast as some in the industry had hoped is the online casino games market. Despite the legitimacy that poker and sports-books markets enjoy, customers are quick to be skeptical of the various online slots and table games.

And for good reason. It would be awfully easy for any computer programmer to code in a losing bet every time a wager crosses a certain barrier. A simple Internet search will yield multiple posts from disgruntled players with claims they’ve been had.

It’s difficult to ever know if the games are being played fairly or if a cheat is in the works.

Despite the risk factor involved with online casinos, they do have their purpose. Most sites that provide real-money games also have an option to play for free.

All that’s required is to register an account and download the software for the site. The process only takes about five minutes.

There isn’t a free-gamble option with sports books for obvious reasons, but there are in the poker rooms. Novice gamblers would do well to experiment with the free games before ever putting a dollar into a real-money account.

The online casinos can be especially helpful before any trip to Las Vegas or a real casino. Players can learn the strategies for the games in the privacy of their own homes without pressure from the casino to make bets.

Dealers are typically friendly in a casino and can offer tips on basic strategy, but you will never get any secrets to beating the games out of them. That’s just bad business.

Most online casinos will offer everything that can be found in a casino. The standard bill of fare is craps, blackjack, roulette, slot machines, video poker, Pai-Gow poker, three-card poker, baccarat and keno.

In addition to playing these games for free, it’s a good idea to research the games on the Internet. There is a wealth of information out there for free, and a lot of it is very good.

Chuck Blount | 210SA contributor