You for sure asked yourself at least once the question and now we will try and answer it… Are online casinos safe? Well, some are, some are not. And we will teach you what to look for! Nowadays, online gambling is in its boom and everybody plays. From slots through table games, to daily fantasy and other types of betting, the online gamble is widely popular worldwide. And since the niche proved itself to be profitable, many not-so-safe websites crawled out. They have many faults, many shady small texts and they succeed in their internet casino scams. In this line of thinking, we figured that it will be useful for you to know how to recognise such sites and stay away from them. After you read our article you can give a check on the following page and find safe online casinos.
Security Standard Tips – What You Should Look Out For?
The very first thing that you must check when you enter a website for online gambling is whether the operator is licensed or not. This is an averagely easy task. Usually, the operators list their licences in the footer of the page, so you can just scroll down and give a check. There are many authorities that can certify safe online casinos. The most reputable and renowned one is the United Kingdom Gambling Commission. Another common one is the Malta Gaming Authority, followed by the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner. For your comfort, we listed the logos of the most popular ones below. If you see one, or more, of these seals on the website which you chose, it means that the very first leap forward your safety was taken.
Licensing is taken seriously by every casino that doesn’t plan to scam its customers. It proves that the business is legit. Don’t forget that there is a lot of sensitive information that you must disclose to an operator! You would like this data to remain confidential, right? Well, that is the priority of all those authorities that you see above! We set the foundations of your knowledge about safe casino operators, so let’s move on and give you more insights, shall we?
Certificates That Prove a Point
It is common in the digital era to search for a reliable institution that can take care of you, let’s say. Be it for protecting your data or granting you services when it comes to refunds, we always search for a higher responsible body. Governmental licensing is a top priority but there are many other agencies that are reliable and work closely with safe online casinos. Some are national, others are completely independent. But the presence of all on a certain website stands as a standard for high security and good service. When they lack though, it means that the site can hardly be called fair and safe.
Responsible Gambling
| gamcare | GamCare |
| GamStop | GamStop |
| BeGambleAware | BeGambleAware |
There are many ways in which a customer can potentially become a victim of internet casino scams. From private data manipulations to refused withdrawals, an operator can really turn the life of a player to hell. Another way to do so is to count on gamble-related problems. While many people out there disregard it, you should know that a website that is all-in for responsible gambling is always safer and more correct than one that simply does not care… There are several organisations that are fighting with gamble addiction and they work with trustworthy and safe online casinos, among which are BeGambleAware, GamCare and GamStop
Self-Limits Coming to Rescue
The operators, on another hand, provide players with different options for self-regulation. This is as important as the organisations above since if properly used, these features can prevent the problem before it could turn into one. Usually, you can set your limits and preferences from your profile, once you log into the website. The possibilities that you will have include:
- Setting a Maximum Deposit Limit – Daily, Monthly or Annual
- Setting Something Like a Chronometer, Which Announces the Time You Spent Playing
- Setting a Cool-Off Period – From 24 Hours to 6 Weeks
- Self-Exclusion – A Period of Six Months or Above, During Which You Will Not be Allowed to Play
In all means, you should know all the tools you might use, and it is even more important for the operator to comply with your request. Unfair and unsafe casinos do not have all of those options and their main goal is not to help you spend less, but to force you to spend more.
Fair Games Against Unfair Games
A safe operator and an unsafe one have one main difference when it comes to their games. If safe online casinos aim at having a catalogue with only fair RNG games which don’t give an edge to the house, an unsafe one wants exactly this from the games. Because if your chances of winning are close to the zero, then internet casino scams are, after all, successful.
There are several agencies which are completely independent and whose job is to test games. They run test after test to make sure that a certain game is not benefiting the casino in any way. Preferably, the seals of such agencies must be listed on the website of the operator. This is a warranty that the operator doesn’t try to pull some online casino scam on you, nor tries to take advantage of you and of your money. The most famous and trusted one is called eCOGRA and is a London based lab established back in 2003.
High-Tech Security Encryptions
Where would a casino stay in the ladder of safety if all the information, all the personal and financial details were exposed to every single human being that understands technologies just a bit? The correct answer is that it wouldn’t be on the ladder at all! Exactly because of this, safe online casinos that want to ensure the security of their customers utilise a number of measures, among which is also encryption. The most popular one is the 128-bit SSL encryption which is also considered to be the most secure one. It is perfectly okay if that doesn’t ring a bell so we will try, as good as we can, to explain it to you.
SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer. What it does is to create a link between a server and a browser. This link is the encrypted part. And the entire manoeuvre grants you that the information passing between the abovementioned server and browser is going to be safe, sound and confidential. The number of bits (like the 128-bit SSL) represents the number of ‘keys’ used to encrypt the information. Other options are the 192- and the 256-bit.
Now you might be wondering why we are occupying you with some strange nerd-ish things about bits and encryptions… Well, exactly these prevent people from taking your bank details from the provider whose website you chose to play at. And if an operator has not utilised this technique in its security it means that it is not worthy to look at and, for sure, is not among the safest online casinos!
Illuding Tactics and Internet Casino Scams
Think about the first things that catch your eye when you enter an online casino. Glamorous banners, promotions with high amounts, number of games, tournaments, jackpots… Flashy and sparkly… Many players are intrigued by all these things and forget to check the basics – security. And once you enter, you find yourself in a closed spiral – with the time you understand that it is unfair and unsafe, yet your money is already in, so you play them. In case of loss, most people try to gain it back, so they deposit more. In case of a win, the casino refuses your request for cashing out, or has outrageously long timetables for it.
These are the strategies of operators worldwide that are pointed at online casino scams. They try to pull you in and not to let you get out with your cash. Remember that no matter how amazing the welcome offer sounds, if the operator doesn’t have the security measures and licences that we talked about, you will most likely not see a coin of the bonus, nor of your own deposit.
Final Overview and Last Reminders
We did everything possible to write about all the measures and precautions you must take when entering the world of online gambling. And since our article comes to its end, we would like to underline the things you must search in an operator’s site for determining its safety. Please, note that the list you see below is the ultimate guide for you to follow when choosing your safe online casinos.
- Licences
- Responsible Gambling
- Option for Self-Limitations
- Fair Games
- High-tech Security Protocols
An operator that has all the boxes checked is not just safe, but also fair, transparent and user-friendly. In such a casino you will not have troubles with withdrawals, you can be calm that the games of chance are random, and you shouldn’t worry that your sensitive data will land in the wrong hands.
We strongly hope that you will find our article useful and that you will try to follow our recommendations when choosing your next favourite gambling site and that it will also be one of the safest online casinos around. We wish you luck and lots of wins too!