Help Function In Online Casino Software

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Help Function In Online Casino Software By: Rick Balding, Thursday June 25th 2009 24 Comments Email Print User friendliness is one of the most critical factors for online gaming software. If a software package is not user friendly then players will avoid online casinos using that software. Therefore online casino software providers try and ensure that as far as possible all explanations are provided on the game screen. However there will be times when players, especially newbies, will need some assistance. For this purpose all online gaming software providers incorporate a Help function that provides detailed instruction and information about that game. Different gaming software providers have different mechanisms for accessing and using the Help function. How this function can be used in the case of some leading gaming software providers is discussed using slot games as an example. In Playtech software the Help function is incorporated as one of the tabs in the Menu button. On clicking the Help tab the player is taken outside the game to a comprehensive help page. All the topics are in one page and the player can scroll down to search for what he wants. The different sections cover the detailed process of setting the paylines and bets. The different buttons on the screen are explained. Short cut keys for performing various tasks are given. The different bonus games and special symbols on the reels are explained in full. New players may find the brief explanations of bonus games given in the slot games difficult to understand and this is one area in which the Help function is useful. Playtech does not provide the payout table in the Help function but refers the player to the game. Where to Click for Playtech Help: The above shows the area within the menu that you'd need to click in order to access the "Help" button. After clicking on "Menu" within any game and then "Help" you'll be able to view the help screen. Playtech Help Preview: The above is a preview of the window that will pop up after clicking the "Help" button while in a game. Listing of top Playtech online casinos can be found here » In Microgaming software the Help function can be accessed by clicking on the ‘?' icon usually found in the top left corner. The Help section is menu driven with different topics appearing on different pages. The main menu provides information about the game, the symbols, the bonus rounds, complete payout tables and game rules. The sections are cross linked through hyper links so that if a term is not clear the player can immediately check it out. The information provided is detailed and unambiguous and the method of calculating payouts is illustrated with suitable examples. The other information covered in the Help section is general information about slots and Microgaming's Expert mode functions. Contact information is also provided in case players have further queries. But this is unlikely to be the case. Where to Click for Microgaming Help: The "Help" button represented by the "?" as seen in the above preview can be found in the lobby but also within each individual online casino game as seen in this example from Microgaming's Centre Court video slot game. Microgaming Help Window: Microgaming has some of the most comprehensive help... The screenshot from above taken from the help within Centre Court offers extensive details on the game that will surely help you understand the game should the payout tables not be sufficient. Listing of top Microgaming online casinos can be found here » In Vegas Technology software the Help function is accessed through a Help button available on the game screen. The Help section is menu driven. The How to Play section provides details on coin and payline selection and starting the spins. The rules section explains how winning combinations are determined and also details of the special symbols. The bonus games are explained in separate sections. The payout section reproduces the graphical table from the game. The final section explains the buttons on the screens. A unique feature in the Vegas Technology software is that it allows printing of the section. Players can print it out so that they need not toggle back and forth from the game. Where to Click for Vegas Technology Help Preview: Above is a screenshot showing you where you should click in the event that you're looking for help while playing a Vegas Technology casino game. Vegas Technology Help Window: This preview demonstrates what the game help window looks like after the help button has been clicked while in a game. Listing of top Vegas Technology online casinos can be found here » Realtime Gaming Software does not provide comprehensive Help sections. They merely reproduce the screens that contain the payout table and the rules from the slot games. Where to Click for Realtime Gaming Help Preview: The screenshot above shows where to click when looking for help while playing a Realtime Gaming online casino game. In many cases clicking on this button will present 2 options. The first option will be "Live Chat" whereby you'd actually be communicating with the online casinos customer support team to ask them questions about a particular game. Help/Payout Table Realtime Gaming Preview: The above is a screenshot of what you'll see when you click help when in an RTG casino game. As you can see clicking on the help button doesn't do much other then take you to the payout table for a particular game. I suppose that they offset the need for additional information by adding the "Live Chat" option so if you want you can contact the casino directly for help. Listing of top Realtime Gaming online casinos can be found here » Article Tools Email Print Digg Del.icio.us StumbleUpon Comments Add Comment Comment by: Martti Mujkic On: May 08, 2017 This is great! Very helpful Comment by: eaton121 On: April 26, 2010 Help functions at online casinos are definitely useful and should be taken advantage of before calling customer support as often times the issues you're experiencing or questions that you may have can easily be answered by visiting an online casinos help section. Comment by: Thorton On: March 24, 2010 As far as online casinos are concerned they don't want to offer you more help then they need to. It's the sort of ambiguity and lack of help that in some games like blackjack I would say that help online casinos make money. Comment by: nychopper On: February 09, 2010 Gosh it's been a long time since I've relied on the help files found in online casino software. I only use the payout tables for the most part as I find them to be the most accurate as they really have to represent in their entirety how a game works, it's payout schedule and other relevant details about the game. Comment by: baneplay On: January 29, 2010 I've used the help files over and above what's offered by casinos in their payout tables for slots games, etc... and to be quite honest for the most part this information is repetitive and excessive. Comment by: budahbless On: January 22, 2010 Great article guys... I do find that sometimes I resort to reading the casinos help files on games but usually I'll rely mostly on the payout tables as the payout tables are in general a better guide to begin with. I personally find that the payout tables in games are better because the rules section are more in layman terms and very long and surprisingly difficult to follow for an experienced player. Comment by: sadie777 On: January 15, 2010 I'm not a big fan of the help files that online casinos offer as I do find them often times to be confusing more then they do good. Just be aware of this as you may notice the same thing. Pretty much all the games you find in online casinos are pretty common and straight forward where you can find rules for them online. Games like slots thought hat are specific to casinos or software platforms generally have good in game help. Comment by: Gambler Style On: January 07, 2010 Most of your comments here I have to agree with as well although well thought out help files can be very useful in general. I think that more online casino software providers should focus on developing well throughout help files, game tutorials and videos and integrating these into the experience. Doing so will certainly make players feel most comfortable about the whole online gambling experience. Comment by: Stephen P. On: December 22, 2009 For some of the newer slots games that they're releasing these days I find that I'll take a look at the help but more just in terms of the payout tables for the games that I play vs. actually reading the help files. I find that if they're not able to do a good job explaining the characteristics of the features in a game and how they all work in the payout tables then there's not a really good chance they'll be able to do so in any other sort of help files. Comment by: Billy Minor On: December 07, 2009 So long as the help information that's provided by the online casinos is more helpful then it is confusing then I'm in favor of it otherwise what's the point if it just confuses people more? Comment by: Dino Lucci On: November 09, 2009 Agreed online casino help functions are great and good when they're easy to use and can be interpreted with ease. I think that for myself I try to utilize the information in the payout tables of the slots games that I love so much to play even though sometimes this information can really be cryptic. Comment by: Pauline On: November 03, 2009 I think that help is handy provided that the help files are good. The thing that I've found is that for the most part the write ups for the help files are either too elaborate or not elaborate enough. I think it's kind of an over glorified feature. It really shouldn't be the obligation of the casino to teach players how to play casino games. There's several websites including this one that act as great resources for information as related to learning casino games and property strategy that can and should be applied when playing casino games. Comment by: Cynthia On: October 13, 2009 I don't really use the help option when playing at online casinos but I most certainly do use the paytables which can essentially be used as a help file for online casino slots games. Other games like blackjack and other table games obviously don't have the same kinds of payout tables so I can understand using the help files for that. Comment by: Andrew K. On: September 26, 2009 I like having the option for help files that I can read though when playing at online casinos. I find that most casinos though don't really offer complete help files and leave things a bit ambiguous. I like there things are more complete and full to help me understand things rather then first reading something only to find out that you still need to contact customer support in order to get an answer to a question or clarification on something. Comment by: Alice B On: August 28, 2009 Of all the help systems out there I have to agree with many of your comments in that Microgaming does definitely have the best help system out there. More then that I find that Microgaming casinos even if you can't find what you're looking for and call their support teams are rather helpful in providing you with information. It's great to know that the support staff at many of their casinos even understand the intricacies of the games that they can explain things to you. Comment by: Andy B. On: August 18, 2009 Help features in all of the mentioned software platforms are rather decent. I always find that if I can't find what I'm looking for and because I generally tend to stick to online casinos that offer live chat a quick question to live support usually does the trick in addressing any questions that I may have! Comment by: Laney B. On: July 29, 2009 Payout table support and help is generally good enough for me but I do like to have the option of delving deeper into something if I don't quite understand it so I'm a fan of the extended help systems that are offered at online casinos. I prefer trying to figure out things on my own before bothering with contacting customer support. Comment by: Karl Benton On: July 08, 2009 I've used the help feature in many of the online casino software platforms mentioned above. I find that however when playing slots like many of you I really don't need the additional help and that the general paytable help and rules found within the paytables in the games are good enough. Comment by: Jordan On: July 02, 2009 I personally find that the help provided in the payout tables for slots games is usually sufficient for me to get a good understanding of what all the features are, how they work, etc... I've seen the extensive help files offered within some of the online casino software I've played in the past and quite honestly I don't think it's really all that necessary. Comment by: charlie62 On: July 01, 2009 Most definitely! I use this feature all the time when I'm playing at Microgaming casinos and I'm in general able to find everything that I'm looking for rather quickly. I've always found that the when playing new games sometimes getting a full understanding of how a bonus round works it's better to look at the help files then the payout tables. Anyways I'm a fan of the help sections available at online casinos for sure. Comment by: Kerry Bonnenstien On: June 29, 2009 Couldn't agree more help functions like the ones being discussed in this article are of huge value to many players I know that I've taken advantage of the help files to reduce the number of times I call customer support... Comment by: Kevin Jones On: June 28, 2009 Yeah there's no doubt out of all the online casino software providers out there and casinos powered by said software providers I've found that Microgaming has by far the most extensive help... some of the info they have is a bit redundant but at the same time for newbie players which we all were at one point this extra information and representativeness is a good thing. Comment by: Steve Brando On: June 26, 2009 Truly a great article Casino Advisor staff... I really enjoyed this read! I've used the described help systems at a few of the providers discussed above and do think that Microgaming by far has the most elaborate and comprehensive help of any provider out there. Comment by: Angie Kent On: June 25, 2009 I think that for newbies that extensive help systems are of value but for someone whose been playing for a while payout tables with detailed enough game rules should be sufficient. I do think that there is value in having these game rules for newbies don't get me wrong it's just that most of the time I find that there's a lot if not too much redundant information in the help systems offered within online casinos. Add Comment You must be signed-in to add a comment: - Sign-in - Register More Articles Chinese New Year Online Slot The Fantastic Sinbad Slot Game Romeo And Juliet In Online Slots Usher The New Year With Fluo Party Valkyrie Online Slot From Elk Top of Page

Casino Articles

Help Function In Online Casino Software

By: Rick Balding, Thursday June 25th 2009

User friendliness is one of the most critical factors for online gaming software. If a software package is not user friendly then players will avoid online casinos using that software. Therefore online casino software providers try and ensure that as far as possible all explanations are provided on the game screen. However there will be times when players, especially newbies, will need some assistance. For this purpose all online gaming software providers incorporate a Help function that provides detailed instruction and information about that game. Different gaming software providers have different mechanisms for accessing and using the Help function. How this function can be used in the case of some leading gaming software providers is discussed using slot games as an example.

In Playtech software the Help function is incorporated as one of the tabs in the Menu button. On clicking the Help tab the player is taken outside the game to a comprehensive help page. All the topics are in one page and the player can scroll down to search for what he wants. The different sections cover the detailed process of setting the paylines and bets. The different buttons on the screen are explained. Short cut keys for performing various tasks are given. The different bonus games and special symbols on the reels are explained in full. New players may find the brief explanations of bonus games given in the slot games difficult to understand and this is one area in which the Help function is useful. Playtech does not provide the payout table in the Help function but refers the player to the game.

Where to Click for Playtech Help:

Playtech Help Preview 1

The above shows the area within the menu that you'd need to click in order to access the "Help" button. After clicking on "Menu" within any game and then "Help" you'll be able to view the help screen.

Playtech Help Preview:

Playtech Help Preview 2

The above is a preview of the window that will pop up after clicking the "Help" button while in a game.

Listing of top Playtech online casinos can be found here »

In Microgaming software the Help function can be accessed by clicking on the ‘?' icon usually found in the top left corner. The Help section is menu driven with different topics appearing on different pages. The main menu provides information about the game, the symbols, the bonus rounds, complete payout tables and game rules. The sections are cross linked through hyper links so that if a term is not clear the player can immediately check it out. The information provided is detailed and unambiguous and the method of calculating payouts is illustrated with suitable examples. The other information covered in the Help section is general information about slots and Microgaming's Expert mode functions. Contact information is also provided in case players have further queries. But this is unlikely to be the case.

Where to Click for Microgaming Help:

Microgaming Help Preview 1

The "Help" button represented by the "?" as seen in the above preview can be found in the lobby but also within each individual online casino game as seen in this example from Microgaming's Centre Court video slot game.

Microgaming Help Window:

Microgaming Help Preview 2

Microgaming has some of the most comprehensive help... The screenshot from above taken from the help within Centre Court offers extensive details on the game that will surely help you understand the game should the payout tables not be sufficient.

Listing of top Microgaming online casinos can be found here »

In Vegas Technology software the Help function is accessed through a Help button available on the game screen. The Help section is menu driven. The How to Play section provides details on coin and payline selection and starting the spins. The rules section explains how winning combinations are determined and also details of the special symbols. The bonus games are explained in separate sections. The payout section reproduces the graphical table from the game. The final section explains the buttons on the screens. A unique feature in the Vegas Technology software is that it allows printing of the section. Players can print it out so that they need not toggle back and forth from the game.

Where to Click for Vegas Technology Help Preview:

Vegas Technology Help Preview 1

Above is a screenshot showing you where you should click in the event that you're looking for help while playing a Vegas Technology casino game.

Vegas Technology Help Window:

Vegas Technology Help Preview 2

This preview demonstrates what the game help window looks like after the help button has been clicked while in a game.

Listing of top Vegas Technology online casinos can be found here »

Realtime Gaming Software does not provide comprehensive Help sections. They merely reproduce the screens that contain the payout table and the rules from the slot games.

Where to Click for Realtime Gaming Help Preview:

Realtime Gaming Help Preview 1

The screenshot above shows where to click when looking for help while playing a Realtime Gaming online casino game. In many cases clicking on this button will present 2 options. The first option will be "Live Chat" whereby you'd actually be communicating with the online casinos customer support team to ask them questions about a particular game.

Help/Payout Table Realtime Gaming Preview:

Realtime Gaming Help Preview 2

The above is a screenshot of what you'll see when you click help when in an RTG casino game. As you can see clicking on the help button doesn't do much other then take you to the payout table for a particular game. I suppose that they offset the need for additional information by adding the "Live Chat" option so if you want you can contact the casino directly for help.

Listing of top Realtime Gaming online casinos can be found here »

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Comments

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Comment by: Martti Mujkic On: May 08, 2017
This is great! Very helpful

Comment by: eaton121 On: April 26, 2010
Help functions at online casinos are definitely useful and should be taken advantage of before calling customer support as often times the issues you're experiencing or questions that you may have can easily be answered by visiting an online casinos help section.

Comment by: Thorton On: March 24, 2010
As far as online casinos are concerned they don't want to offer you more help then they need to. It's the sort of ambiguity and lack of help that in some games like blackjack I would say that help online casinos make money.

Comment by: nychopper On: February 09, 2010
Gosh it's been a long time since I've relied on the help files found in online casino software. I only use the payout tables for the most part as I find them to be the most accurate as they really have to represent in their entirety how a game works, it's payout schedule and other relevant details about the game.

Comment by: baneplay On: January 29, 2010
I've used the help files over and above what's offered by casinos in their payout tables for slots games, etc... and to be quite honest for the most part this information is repetitive and excessive.

Comment by: budahbless On: January 22, 2010
Great article guys... I do find that sometimes I resort to reading the casinos help files on games but usually I'll rely mostly on the payout tables as the payout tables are in general a better guide to begin with. I personally find that the payout tables in games are better because the rules section are more in layman terms and very long and surprisingly difficult to follow for an experienced player.

Comment by: sadie777 On: January 15, 2010
I'm not a big fan of the help files that online casinos offer as I do find them often times to be confusing more then they do good. Just be aware of this as you may notice the same thing. Pretty much all the games you find in online casinos are pretty common and straight forward where you can find rules for them online. Games like slots thought hat are specific to casinos or software platforms generally have good in game help.

Comment by: Gambler Style On: January 07, 2010
Most of your comments here I have to agree with as well although well thought out help files can be very useful in general. I think that more online casino software providers should focus on developing well throughout help files, game tutorials and videos and integrating these into the experience. Doing so will certainly make players feel most comfortable about the whole online gambling experience.

Comment by: Stephen P. On: December 22, 2009
For some of the newer slots games that they're releasing these days I find that I'll take a look at the help but more just in terms of the payout tables for the games that I play vs. actually reading the help files. I find that if they're not able to do a good job explaining the characteristics of the features in a game and how they all work in the payout tables then there's not a really good chance they'll be able to do so in any other sort of help files.

Comment by: Billy Minor On: December 07, 2009
So long as the help information that's provided by the online casinos is more helpful then it is confusing then I'm in favor of it otherwise what's the point if it just confuses people more?

Comment by: Dino Lucci On: November 09, 2009
Agreed online casino help functions are great and good when they're easy to use and can be interpreted with ease. I think that for myself I try to utilize the information in the payout tables of the slots games that I love so much to play even though sometimes this information can really be cryptic.

Comment by: Pauline On: November 03, 2009
I think that help is handy provided that the help files are good. The thing that I've found is that for the most part the write ups for the help files are either too elaborate or not elaborate enough. I think it's kind of an over glorified feature. It really shouldn't be the obligation of the casino to teach players how to play casino games. There's several websites including this one that act as great resources for information as related to learning casino games and property strategy that can and should be applied when playing casino games.

Comment by: Cynthia On: October 13, 2009
I don't really use the help option when playing at online casinos but I most certainly do use the paytables which can essentially be used as a help file for online casino slots games. Other games like blackjack and other table games obviously don't have the same kinds of payout tables so I can understand using the help files for that.

Comment by: Andrew K. On: September 26, 2009
I like having the option for help files that I can read though when playing at online casinos. I find that most casinos though don't really offer complete help files and leave things a bit ambiguous. I like there things are more complete and full to help me understand things rather then first reading something only to find out that you still need to contact customer support in order to get an answer to a question or clarification on something.

Comment by: Alice B On: August 28, 2009
Of all the help systems out there I have to agree with many of your comments in that Microgaming does definitely have the best help system out there. More then that I find that Microgaming casinos even if you can't find what you're looking for and call their support teams are rather helpful in providing you with information. It's great to know that the support staff at many of their casinos even understand the intricacies of the games that they can explain things to you.

Comment by: Andy B. On: August 18, 2009
Help features in all of the mentioned software platforms are rather decent. I always find that if I can't find what I'm looking for and because I generally tend to stick to online casinos that offer live chat a quick question to live support usually does the trick in addressing any questions that I may have!

Comment by: Laney B. On: July 29, 2009
Payout table support and help is generally good enough for me but I do like to have the option of delving deeper into something if I don't quite understand it so I'm a fan of the extended help systems that are offered at online casinos. I prefer trying to figure out things on my own before bothering with contacting customer support.

Comment by: Karl Benton On: July 08, 2009
I've used the help feature in many of the online casino software platforms mentioned above. I find that however when playing slots like many of you I really don't need the additional help and that the general paytable help and rules found within the paytables in the games are good enough.

Comment by: Jordan On: July 02, 2009
I personally find that the help provided in the payout tables for slots games is usually sufficient for me to get a good understanding of what all the features are, how they work, etc... I've seen the extensive help files offered within some of the online casino software I've played in the past and quite honestly I don't think it's really all that necessary.

Comment by: charlie62 On: July 01, 2009
Most definitely! I use this feature all the time when I'm playing at Microgaming casinos and I'm in general able to find everything that I'm looking for rather quickly. I've always found that the when playing new games sometimes getting a full understanding of how a bonus round works it's better to look at the help files then the payout tables. Anyways I'm a fan of the help sections available at online casinos for sure.

Comment by: Kerry Bonnenstien On: June 29, 2009
Couldn't agree more help functions like the ones being discussed in this article are of huge value to many players I know that I've taken advantage of the help files to reduce the number of times I call customer support...

Comment by: Kevin Jones On: June 28, 2009
Yeah there's no doubt out of all the online casino software providers out there and casinos powered by said software providers I've found that Microgaming has by far the most extensive help... some of the info they have is a bit redundant but at the same time for newbie players which we all were at one point this extra information and representativeness is a good thing.

Comment by: Steve Brando On: June 26, 2009
Truly a great article Casino Advisor staff... I really enjoyed this read! I've used the described help systems at a few of the providers discussed above and do think that Microgaming by far has the most elaborate and comprehensive help of any provider out there.

Comment by: Angie Kent On: June 25, 2009
I think that for newbies that extensive help systems are of value but for someone whose been playing for a while payout tables with detailed enough game rules should be sufficient. I do think that there is value in having these game rules for newbies don't get me wrong it's just that most of the time I find that there's a lot if not too much redundant information in the help systems offered within online casinos.

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