Some online casinos offer free downloads. Others advertise in big letters that you can play with no download. Still others offer a combination of the two. With all the options, it might be hard to decide what to do. You might see the word free and think you're getting a better deal, but maybe you don't want to download anything onto your computer. So how do you decide?

Most casinos offer you the option of downloading the software, and many require it. You may wonder why a casino would want you to download software if you need to be hooked up to its network to play. You may also wonder what advantage there could be to downloading the software. There are a few advantages. The first is very basic; graphics use up bandwidth, and make your gaming experience slower. If you download the casino's software, they can give you all of the graphics in one software bundle. Then all that needs to be transferred between your client (the program on your computer) and the casino's server (the program at the online casino) are the random numbers generated by the casino's server and the results on your client. The casino's server doesn't need to feed your computer the graphics, the sounds, and the game rules.

Why, then, would anyone want to play without downloading the software? Usually, players prefer no-download software for a few reasons. First, many online gamblers are afraid that the software might have spyware or viruses bundled with it. This is simply untrue. Reputable casinos are very careful not to let any malicious software get to your computer. All major casinos are aware of the lawsuits that could ensue, and are scrupulous in making sure that their software cannot hurt your computer.

More important than security considerations are a few other considerations. For example, many players gamble online from several different computers. Travelers often use internet cafés or friends' computers. Businessmen may use a variety of different company computers. As a result, they opt to have casino software that "goes anywhere" with them. Downloading the software is impractical, especially because many companies and internet cafés do not allow users to download software. For businesses, it is often to avoid having users gambling online during work hours. For internet cafés, there is often concern that along with acceptable software, users will download viruses, spyware, or illegal software. As a result, many simply block the option of downloading any software.

For players who usually play from their own home computer, but sometimes travel with a different computer or use a friend's computer, there are some online casinos that offer both options. You'll get to use the high-quality, high-speed casino software from your own computer. On the other hand, you'll never be cut off from your online casino if your casino allows you to play without download. Often, though, these casinos only offer certain games for no-download play. Be sure to check that the casino offers your favorite game before you decide that this is the option for you. In any case, be sure that the software is easy-to-use and that you know how to use it well before you make your first deposit.