No Download Casinos

Introduction to No-Download Casinos

To get the complete range of games and software functionality offered by most online casinos, you usually need to download the full software onto your own personal computer.

With the full software download, you can be sure you get the best package that each casino has to offer – all the bells and whistles in the lobby, all the live dealer games, all of the top-end graphics, etc.

For some online casino users, however, downloading the full software package isn’t necessarily the best option. If you have an older computer, the processing power needed to run the full software may be too much and it might actually slow your computer down.

Some casino software platforms are also only designed and built to run on PCs, so if you use a Mac or Linux-based computer it isn’t even an option to download the full software as it’s not compatible. More and more online casinos are coming out with a downloadable package for Mac users these days, but it’s still by no means universal.

The best option for casino players in those cases is often “no download” casino software – meaning software you can run and play on your computer without downloading to your own PC first.

Players looking to use an online casino on their mobile phones will also usually use the casino’s no-download option designed specifically for smart phones.

Pros and Cons of Flash Casinos

The advantages of using a no download or “Flash” casino are pretty obvious. All you need is a standard Web browser like Internet Explorer, Firefox or Google Chrome to load up and play your favorite online casino games anywhere in the world.

Open up the Web on any type of computer, log in and you’ll be playing within minutes. Your account is in no way tied to your own home computer, yet all transcations are safely encrypted and fully available. If you have an extremly fast internet connection, you might even notice game play is faster than on your computer at home.

For Mac fans, this has been the standard procedure for years as few casino sites have offered a full downloadable client for Mac users. That’s definitely changing, but for now Mac users still need to rely on the no-download option more often than not. Still, many Mac users swear by the performance of the Flash casino anyway

Advantage number two is you don’t need to download and install more software on your computer, saving space on your hard drive.

You also don’t have to download and install all of the software updates, which happen quite frequently.

Not having to download anything basically means you can bounce around from Flash casino to Flash casino as much as you like, depending on what game you feel like playing and what graphics you prefer that day.

It's also perfect if you're travelling or using someone else’s computer other than your own.

Downsides to No Download Casinos

In the past, it was very easy to pick out the major downside to no download casinos – variety and quality. The no-download casino option usually offered only a limited selection compared to the standard range of games offered by the full casino software (typically 60-100 games out of maybe 200-300).

This made a big difference to some players. If you can’t play the online slot or online blackjack game you want,  then what’s the point of playing?

If you have a slow internet connection, loading the Flash games may also be slow as well. This is getting much better however. And more and more online casinos are offering a fuller range of games in their no download software.

In some cases still not every game will be offered in the no download casino though, so while all the major games are there you might not have as many different varieties of slots or video poker for example.

The line between the full download software and the instant play software is definitely much, much smaller than it used to be and getting smaller all the time.

Picking the Best Flash Casino

Picking the best no download casino is simple. Find the one that offers the most games you like and offers the software most similar to the full download software.

Some will have a few more features than others, and a few more games, but on the whole it should be fairly comparable from one no download casino to another. We’ve done most of the legwork on those details for you in the toplist above.

Some casinos even offer exclusive bonuses for players who use the no download version, so it’s worth your while to be on the lookout for those as well.

Online casinos that have been in business for a long time, like 888 Casino, Europa Casino or William Hill Casino, all offer very comparable versions of their full software in no-download form.

No-Download Casinos On Your Smart Phone

If you own a smart phone, you’ll be happy to hear a lot of major online casinos are really pushing their brands forward through their mobile options and offering more and better no download casinos all the time.

The advent of 3G technology has gone a long way towards this, allowing for much more sophisticated software applications and advanced security for online transactions.

Unfortunately for lovers of the iPhone and iPod, because Apple won’t support Flash applications for gambling you won’t be able to play real-money games via your Mac products at most online casinos.

For the best mobile casino options, check the mobile casino page.