Folklore has it that the old expression "don't take any wooden nickels" somehow originated with the practice of disreputable sellers including fake (wooden) nutmegs in batches of regular nutmegs. Seems a bit of a stretch but if nothing else it does indicate that rumours of fakery can have obscure origins.

Of course the real issue for us here is whether online casinos are givers of "wooden nickels" or not. In other words, are they on the up-and-up? That's a difficult question to answer but it is also a popular question so let's have a go at it.

Given the nature of the online gambling business casinos are in a position to abuse player trust. No one can see the software do it's thing, there are few regulatory bodies in most casino jurisdictions, the casino management is often an unseen body somewhere off in the gray anonymity of the internet and if the player has a complaint the best they can do is pick up the phone or, worse yet, send an email and hope for the best.

So, yes, casinos are in a position to abuse the trust placed in them. But do they? And how often?

These are difficult questions but a lot of it boils down to this: there have been a few --repeat, few-- bad casinos in the past and there are probably a few now too. Some have withheld player's monies without cause and others have offered games that probably would not have done well under fairness testing. But the vast majority of casinos are not bad and do not deserve to be called "cheats" and "thieves".

I can honestly say that in my four years in and around the online casino business I have never had a single serious problem of this type. Not once! But I am probably at a slight advantage in that my name is known in the industry and I have a powerful platform --our website-- to back me up. I'm not the sort of person a casino is likely to target, even if they were one of the bad ones.

So who are the bad ones? And how do you protect yourself from ending up in a bad relationship with them?

Who's bad is a subject of much debate in the player community but it's safe to say that if a lot of players have a lot of complaints over and extended period of time then you're probably well advised not to risk becoming another player with a complaint at the same casino.

The wise words here would be caveat emptor. The player must do their research if they are going to avoid the lemons. It's no different than buying a car or a stereo. You have to read the reviews; hunt down the player comments; find out what people are saying. True it's not a simple yes-no thing but that's just they way things are right now in the internet gambling scene. "Protect yourself" is more than a community watch slogan, it's a prescription to avoid pain and frustration.

The best place to do this research is the public places on the internet where players, and industry people, gather to discuss these types of issues. Our site is one such place and we are proud of the services we offer the player. Take some time to scout around, see what we've got.

One of the most powerful tools we offer is our message board service which is open to all and totally free. Here thousands of members have posted many thousands of entries on subjects covering the entire online gambling spectrum: casinos that have been good, bad, slow to pay or exemplary; game strategies work and those that don't; feedback from the casinos themselves; experienced players that know how to get a slow-moving casino to pick up the pace; etc.

As a source of up-to-the-minute information and reports on a casino's activity or reputation the message boards are second to none.

Getting started on the message boards can be a little intimidating at first. Fortunately almost all message boards have a Search facility which helps you narrow the field and focus your reading. Once you are comfortable with the style of a particular board and familiar with how things are done there you may even try a post of your own. Then you can ask the world the question yourself: "is my casino on the up-and-up?" You may be surprised at the answers you'll get.