If online casinos are calling your name and you have been wondering about how safe online casinos are, then you have come to the right place.
Online gambling can have a variety of outcomes, and as long as you find reputable online casinos that provide you with what you need and the security you are expecting, then you will have a great experience using them.
Finding secure online casino sites shouldn’t be hard nowadays as more legislation is put into place and most online casinos should be sticking to these rules to ensure a safe and secure gaming experience for players.
Exchanging Details
Banking details and personal details are provided to these sites, which is why it is imperative that licensed casinos make sure that any casino games being played have safe transactional software to protect users’ money when playing online.
So, are online casinos safe? Let’s read on to find out.
The Impact of Technology
As technology advances so do safe practices when people are online. Security measures are in place and people feel a lot safer when they do anything that involves the internet, whether that is online gambling or shopping.
Fake Casinos
A safe online casino is something that is a lot more common nowadays due to stricter security protocols.
Unfortunately, there are still rogue casinos online that pose as legitimate online casinos which can draw people in and cause them to lose their money and details.
Whilst technology has grown in these online spaces, fake casinos can still dupe people if they are not aware of what they need to look out for in internet casinos and if the payment methods used are in fact secure.
What Security Protocols Are in Place?
For an online casino to be given a license by the UK Gambling Commission, they need to meet the correct standards set for customer protection and responsible gaming.
Secure online casinos should be able to provide this information, which includes mobile casinos as well.
Further Hacking Could Happen
The protection of online casino players is not something that should be skirted over lightly, as it can have a knock-on effect, meaning that they could get hacked further and lose more of their money and data.
The Impact of Cybercrimes
As we rely on using the internet more and more, cybercriminals are able to advance their own skills and hack people’s accounts and information with a lot more experience and cunning. They can pose as anyone and continue to hack online areas that handle money transactions.
People may be thinking that they will play safe online slots that day, but these sites can easily be hacked through a variety of methods.
Trusted Online casinos Aren’t Safe
Even legit online casinos can have cybercriminals attempt to hack them, which is why they have to be stringent with their security and use things such as SSL encryption technology to be safe.
Know Your Customer (KYC) Policies
A KYC policy will need to be in place with online casinos. They are there to prevent fraud and protect all money transactions so that the online casino is covered as are the players.
When a player is gambling online, they have to produce proof of identity for this policy, so they may be asked to show their passport or driver’s license to match who they say they are.
Legal Age Requirements
This will also help these sites determine if the player is of legal age and is able to play the games they are paying for. This is important for all online casino sites as underage playing has the potential to happen a lot, especially if a site only asks for a birthdate and nothing else.
A reputable site would make sure that they doubled down on scanning their customers to comply with the laws of the state they live in.
Random Number Generator (RNG) Audits
A third-party organisation will conduct RNG audits to make sure that all their games are fair and are in keeping with the safe and secure laws provided.
These audits are public so that online casino players can see if they are going onto a trusted online casino that will be fair.
If players are putting a lot of money down on these games, they need to know that they have a fair chance at playing them and won’t be duped into losing their money on games that do not have even chances.
Check Out The Audit Yourself
Before playing at an online casino, it would be best to see if they have had a recent audit done and look at the information provided. This will cover your back and have you channel your money somewhere that you know will be fair to you and your wallet.
Anti-Money Laundering (AML)
These measures are put in place by most online casinos so that criminal activity, e.g. money laundering is not going on behind the scenes.
To keep casinos safe, they will ask players to provide proof of identity as well as an address, so that they can double-check who they are and be assured that the money used had not been laundered or is fake.
Secure Transaction Methods
Because these casinos are asking for this type of information, they will need to make sure that they put in strong transactional security measures so that the money going back and forth is covered by encryption that is hard/impossible to descramble.
Legislation
Despite the fact that online casinos are online (if you weren’t aware of that), they are still tied to a specific country as they had to be made from a location. It is important that you check on the legal situation of online casinos in that country and find out if the casino is licensed.
They need to be accredited by a gaming authority for them to offer their games and take your money. If they haven’t been, then you could be looking at a fake casino that may drain what you have.
Potential Legal Disputes
This legislation is important because if a player has an issue with the website and they want to raise a claim, they can do so as it is recognised by a governing body and has to abide by the law.
Check a casino’s “About” pages of their terms and conditions to see if they have this legislation in place. If it is not evident even after looking for a while, then this may not be a casino that should be played on, as it could be unregistered which will cause problems.
Safe Software
The software provider for online casinos needs to be reputable and have a history of providing secure casino software. It needs to be tested and audited before it is used so that everything is as it should be.
There are two most common third-party entities that will test casino games software, these are –
- eCOGRA
- TST Labs (Technical Systems Testing Labs)
They will test to see if the game’s payouts are fair and if they meet gaming standards. Once this has been decided and they are approved, online casinos will then get a seal of approval certification that they will put on their page for people to check out. This is normally on the Home Page of their site.
Conclusion
Hopefully, the question “are online casinos safe?” has been answered for you, and you feel safe knowing what to look for if you decide to gamble online.
Always be cautious about what you see, and do your research on the sites you come across. It is important that you play safely and when you think you have played enough, you stop.
Gambling addiction can be a very serious matter, so it is essential that you recognise that in yourself. You need to stay safe online, but you also need to make sure you are being safe too.