Goodbye 2024. Hellllo 2025!
As another year draws to a close, I find myself thinking about all the online casino experiences I enjoyed this past year as well as all the new ones I’m looking forward to in the year ahead.
I’m always amazed at how much happens in a year and how time seems to both simultaneously fly by and move turtle-slow at the same time. You know, it’s like how one month can feel like a blink while something that happened not even seven days ago (e.g., Christmas) can feel like it happened weeks ago. Time is a weird thing.
My weird feelings of time aside, seeing as it’s New Year’s Eve, I think there’s no time like the present to share on my casino blog my most notable experiences during my online gambling journey of 2024, followed by some of my iGaming plans for 2025.
Grab your favourite beverage and let’s head down memory lane…
Mia’s 2024 Online Casino Experiences Recap
Looking back over 2024, I have to say, I’m pleased with how my online casino journey is progressing. I discovered new games, signed up at a new Ontario online casino, used a new payment method, and learned a lot more about online slots. I even made good on my goal of visiting a land-based casino!
Specifically, here’s some highlights of Mia’s iGaming Journey for 2024.
πI signed up at a new online casino – In August, I finally expanded my online casino experiences to more than just PlayOJO. I signed up at Betty Casino, a Toronto-based online casino that focuses on slots, fast payments, and wager-free promotions. So far, I’ve enjoyed my experiences at Betty very much and especially enjoy their Betty Coins perk.
πI became a better slots player by improving my understanding of these machines – Beyond just reading the game rules, I learned a little more about different slot mechanics as well as further educated myself about certain important elements like slot volatility (how frequently a game hits and the average payout size) and RTP β Return to Player – (a game’s theoretical pay back percentage). While medium volatility games are my preferred slots to play overall, I’ve discovered that every so often I enjoy playing a high volatility slot too.
In fact, my favourite for this year is Nolimit City’s highly volatile and varying RTP slot, Book of Shadows. My favourite features of the game are the “Shadow Rows” (you can increase the number of rows and paylines – hence the varying RTP) and the free spins feature, where one symbol is picked to act as an expanding wild during the bonus round.
πI tried new types of online casino games – Branching out from slots, I tried:
π²Online Craps – I tried out a demo of online craps to get a feel for the game but then played Live Craps from Evolution Gaming for real money. In the live version (which looks like it takes place in a 1920s speakeasy) you can use the “Easy Mode” or “Full Mode” betting interfaces to suit your playing level. I was genuinely surprised at how much fun I had playing this game and recommend giving live craps a try if you haven’t.
πMega Wheel – This is a live casino money wheel-type game show from Pragmatic Play that features a large colourful wheel of multipliers. It’s fast and easy to play. During each round a random multiplier (up to 500x) is randomly selected for one of the wheel numbers, boosting the thrill level.
πΌPlinko – I played Plinko Dare2Win from Hacksaw Gaming. It. Was. Boring. Watching a digital ball bounce down a triangle grid into one of various multiplier zones, isn’t my idea of a fun time. Plinko is an instant win game that I likely won’t be playing again anytime soon (if ever).
π₯οΈBig Bass Crash – Most recently, I tried out my first crash game for real money – Pragmatic’s Big Bass Crash. It’s based on the Big Bass slots series but isn’t anything like a slot. Each live game round starts with a 1.00x multiplier that continues to climb. You place your bet before the game round starts and need to cash out your bet before the boat crashes (ending the game) to win. It’s thrilling…but also very monotonous at the same time. I’m still on the fence about my overall “Yay” or “Nay” opinion about crash games.
πI discovered that Ontario online casinos (at least those I play at) don’t offer certain types of entertainment – To my disappointment, there are certain games that I’d love to play online that currently aren’t offered at the Ontario online casinos where I play (or any others I’ve investigated, for that matter). Among these missing games include video poker (e.g., Jacks or Better, Aces & Faces, etc.) and Yggdrasil slots (e.g, Vikings Go Berzerk, Holmes and the Stolen Stones, etc.).
My assumption as to why I think they’re both absent has to do with licensing issues. In other words, the game providers – Yggdrasil and providers of video poker – don’t have a license with the AGCO.
πI used Interac as a payment for the first time – When I signed up at Betty, I decided I’d try out Interac e-Transfer as my online casino payment method (previously I’d been using Paysafecard). I. Love. Interac! This has become my preferred way to make deposits and withdrawals. It’s fast and so easy. Want to know more? I wrote all about my Interac casino payment experience here.
πI claimed my first second deposit bonus – Although I’m not a huge promotion claimer by nature, I was intrigued to claim Betty’s second deposit bonus because it fit within my budget, I love me some free spins (got 125 of them), and Betty’s promotions are wager free. While the free spins were for a game that didn’t really interest me too much (Pragmatic’s Queen of Gods), I did end up winning $14.70 when all was said and done. That’s not too bad considering that $14.70 was wager-free and added to my $30 deposit to get the spins in the first place.
πI signed up at a social casino and a sweepstakes casino – Wanting to know the difference between these two types of casinos and how they compared to a traditional online casino experience, I investigated both and gave each β Zynga’s Black Diamond Casino (social) and Chumba Casino (sweepstakes) β a try.
Neither are my cup of proverbial tea. I think both gaming models are shady (especially the sweepstakes one) due to how even though they aren’t considered real gambling because no actual real money bets are involved, they still provide a similar experience, promoting the same feelings you get from gambling. I think this makes them just as dangerous. If you’re curious to know more about these types of casinos and my personal experiences (and brutal opinion about each) check out my Black Diamond Casino Review and my Chumba Casino Review.
πI played at land-based casinos again for the first time in several years – One of my 2024 online casino goals was to play at a land-based casino again (since the last time I’d stepped foot in one was well before 2020). I not only played at one this year, but two! These included Casino Rama and Gateways Casinos Innisfil.
In addition to having a good time at both, I decided to do something fun and compare the experience of playing the same slot game in a land-based setting and online. I did this with IGT’s Da Vinci Diamonds Dual Play at Gateway Casinos Innisfil (land-based) and Betty (online). Both were fun, but, of course, I liked one better.π
Mia’s Online Casino Goals for 2025
As I’ve said in previous posts on my casino blog, I’m not a New Year’s resolution kind of person, but I do like setting goals. As I did at the start of 2024, I thought it’d be fun to create a new list of online casino objectives for Mia’s iGaming Journey for the coming year.
So, what’s on my to-complete list for 2025?
β¨Take part in a buy-in slots tournament – This was actually one of my goals for 2024 that I never got around to completing. In 2023, I previously took part in a freeroll slots tournament and was curious (still am) to see how it compares to a buy-in. This year, I’m moving this goal to the top of my to-do list.
β¨Play online poker games – Since I can’t find video poker games to play, I might as well see if I like online poker, right? I don’t mean a dedicated online poker room, but maybe one of the live casino poker games. This was also a goal from 2024 that fell through the cracks, so I might make this one a priority too.
β¨Take advantage of more online promotions/loyalty perks – Again, I’m not a huge promotions/bonus-seeking type of player. However, after taking part in the Betty Coins loyalty program and claiming the second deposit promo, I’m curious to try out other types of perks and maybe take part in some of the offered promotional campaigns to see if I find it worth my while.
β¨Sign up at a third online casino that’s different than the others I play at – Since I’ve had a lot of fun playing at Betty, I’m curious to give a third online casino experience a try. This time around, I’m going to seek out an Ontario online casino that’s more different from Betty and PlayOJO in terms of what’s offered (games, loyalty, promotions), but that still meets some of my preferred conditions (e.g., no wagering – if possible β or at the very least low wagering).
β¨Participate in live chat during games – I’m sort of a chicken when it comes to taking part in live chat with other players and/or the live dealer. π In 2025, I’m going to try breaking out of my shell. I’m curious to see if adding a more social element to my experiences will have any affect on my enjoyment level in a live casino environment.
β¨Give mobile casino play a genuine shot – If you follow my casino blog, you know that I don’t gravitate toward mobile casino play. My preferred way to enjoy my iGaming experiences is via my laptop computer. In 2025, I’m going to take a closer look at mobile casino gambling and test out the difference between the mobile app (if available)/web browser and online computer website to see if my opinion about my device playing preference is the same.
I’m looking forward to continuing my iGaming journey in Ontario (and Canada) with you in 2025. If your new to my blog – welcome! If not, thanks so much for following me over the years! ππ
Do you have any online casino or gambling goals for 2025?
I’d love to hear about experiences you enjoyed in 2024 as well as if you have any online casino or other gambling goals for 2025 that you’re particularly excited about.
Until next time, good luck, have fun, and Happy New Year! ππ
See you in 2025!
Mia π©π»
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**All links and images in this post are for informational purposes only.
