Dr Ron,

One poker site I belong to is Partypoker.com. They just overhauled their software and one of the changes they made was to merge their casino operation and poker room so they share the same account. Check out partycasino.com. I can confirm these guys are quick to payout upon request. They are the biggest online poker room and probably biggest casino too. Also they're listed on the UK stock exchange so they're pretty reputable.

I think they have a 100% first deposit bonus right now - don't know the T&C of this deposit though...

And you can learn poker this way too, if that does anything for you

I think most online casinos are ok. A quick Google of any site you come across should alert you if there is any mischief going on. I guess the same goes for internet casinos as any other venture: if the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.

In any case, Most interactive gambling sites don't accept credit cards (I think because it's illegal to play these games in the US), so you'll probably need a neteller account or similar. Depositing and withdrawing from neteller may add costs you didn't plan (especially the currency conversion fee) on so it might be worthwhile to factor that into your equation too.

Cheers and good luck!