Download Or No Download Casino Games?

Download Casino Games | No Download Casino Games

When you arrive at an online casino you'll see that you've got a choice to make: download or no-download. Here's how to make an informed decision.

Download VS No-Download
PACKAGE	Installation & Setup	Ease of Use	Graphics & Multimedia	User Configurability	Security
Download
No Download

No-download

This breed of gaming is usually pretty straightforward because you connect to the site, select your game, wait a minute while it loads and you're in business.

Unless you've got an ancient computer, are running an old or non-standard browser, or are connecting to the web through a proxy or firewall you'll likely have no problems. Personally I've always preferred using no-download games on a fast link. For whatever reason speed seems to count more here than with download packages, over and above the initial download of course.

It's worth noting that the proxy/firewall issue can be a real show-stopper and may limit your options. Do call the casino's Customer Support if you have problems, but firewalls can be contentious beasts so be patient.

No-download games used to be a little more graphically challenged than their download counterparts and theoretically somewhat less secure, but times have changed. The former is easy to verify for yourself --trust what you see-- and the later is totally open to debate.

No-download systems include the old-school, feature-poor HTML-based games, JAVA, the standard in no-download games, and the newer Flash and Shockwave games. The latter can be very nice looking but the rumor is that the developers are still ironing out the security issues.

Download

These systems take a very different approach. In this case you download and install an application --just like any other piece of software-- and it communicates with the server site for transactions.

Theoretically a download package could use all the vast graphics, sound and communications resources of your computer to deliver a breathtaking and totally secure play experience. But in practice a strong software team --the guys that built the stuff in the first place-- can make great no-download games and a poor software team can make lousy download games. One is not inherently better than the other.

Other than the theoretical advantages of download games, there are a few boons they typically bring the player. Once it's downloaded, installed, up and running, that's it! You're less subject to internet lags, will almost always have greater player configurability and multimedia options, and they'll often run full-screen whereas the no-download guys are usually confined to a small window.

The downside with download is that you have to accept the responsibility of installing the software in the first place. Also, the game application will have to peacefully coexist with the rest of your applications. Generally speaking, none of this is very demanding and all should go well. If not, call Customer Service.

As to the download packages themselves, be warned that they can get pretty large. The modest ones are 2-4MB. Others can get up to 10-15MB, or even as high as 20MB, depending on the options you choose, and that's a pretty hefty download. Once installed they can occupy as much as 30 or 40MB on your harddrive so be sure you've got the disk space to spare.

The Players Speak

Results of a recent Casino site poll:

Which type of casino games do you prefer?

Download 55.47%
No download 44.53%