Online Casino Safety: Few Things to Remember

How can we protect ourselves from falling victims to a dishonest operator?

With all the different ways players and online consumers can get swindled nowadays, it’s no wonder one gets a mild panic attack every time the system requests your payment details. We read horror stories about online casinos ghosting their members after they submit the withdrawal request, but how cautious (or paranoid) should we really be? Is this actually something that can be prevented and to what extent are we able to protect ourselves from falling victims to a dishonest operator?

The answer is actually much more comforting that you would imagine.

The simple truth is that doing everything by the book is likely to save you a lot of grief. In most cases, investing a few minutes to do an online casino background search is more than enough to prevent a calamity – something that a surprising number of players can’t be bothered with, which can end up costing you a lot in the long run. So, without further ado, here are a few things to remember when ensuring your online well-being:

Note to self – do your homework

Never, and we do mean never, select an online casino off the bat, without making sure that the venue is reputable and does right by their members. This is actually easier than you may think. At the beginning of the millennium, relying solely on luck when choosing an online casino was perhaps necessary – after all, you didn’t really have much of a choice. Now, nearly two decades later, things have changed drastically and a dishonest online casino operator has no place to hide from a righteous rage of the disillusioned users.

Specialized sites and forums provide plenty of compromising material for pretty much every gaming site that you can find. If a casino is blacklisted, you will immediately find the details and the reasons for its poor rank, Often, if the rating or complaint is left on a high volume traffic website, the casino representative can reach out and resolve the matter on the spot, which will tell you volumes about their ethics.

Another way to check if a casino is up to the legal standards is to check the licences. The UK Gambling Commission and Malta Gaming Authority are considered to be the strictest regulators and the stamp of approval by one of the two is an indicator that you are dealing with an online casino operator who met all the legal requirements, including the fairness tested games and security policies that ensure the members’ protection and welfare.

Read the Terms & Conditions, especially the ones concerning the bonuses

This is usually where most of the troubles are known to start. The welcome bonuses often seem too good to miss and the newly registered members opt-in for bonus cash and free spins without fully understanding what that entails.
This is not exactly a safety hazard, but it’s still worth mentioning. Welcome bonuses usually come with wagering requirements and you will not be able to withdraw your winning until you wager a certain amount of cash predetermined by the casino. If that’s doesn’t sound like something you want to do, skip the promotions altogether, unless it’s clearly stated that they are free of wagering requirements.

Payment and withdrawal policies should also be checked before submitting your first deposit, as some online casino operators pay out larger amounts in instalments or have unreasonable long pending times – two factors which could be the deal breakers.

Check the security measures and start light

Prior to funding your casino account and pressing your bets, it is advisable to see what type of security system is employed by the casino and how your sensitive information is protected. SSL is the most commonly employed technology and the details can easily be found under the casino’s Privacy Policy section. You should have all the details about how your personal data is handled by the casino members, and if the casino staff is not able to address your concerns, take your business elsewhere.

Even if everything seems in order, give it some time before you start betting with high stakes or decide to redeem the welcome bonus offer. Sometime it may take time for the casino to show its true colours, and by that, we don’t necessarily mean fraudulent activities. There are other factors that can direct your decision to find a different venue, which is why treading lightly is preferable, at least until you test their customer support and make your first withdrawal. “Quizzing” the support is always a good idea since it will give you a clear picture of their professionalism and expertise. Casino representative that refuses to provide information or ignores your inquiry is a huge red flag that should not be disregarded.