The Internet is a bit of a Wild West. People have access to deal with organizations they’ve never met before with maximum anonymity. While the benefits of a global online economy are undeniable, so too are the potential dangers. Scams are as old as the Internet itself, but there is no reason one should have to fear gambling operators. There are very simple signs to look out for that will ensure your gambling is risk-free. To be able to relax and enjoy though, there are precautions to keep in mind first, precisely those which we’ll be discussing today.
The risks involved in dealing with unconscientious casinos
First off, any games can be manipulated by an illegitimate casino online, whether it’s poker, blackjack, aviator game online, lotteries, raffles, or dog racing. It’s all simply a matter of the casino’s legitimacy, being properly regulated, and implementing industry best practices. That said, it’s good to be aware of the scams that exist to make sure you don’t become a statistic.
Rigged casinos and sports matches are a reality. One of the factors facilitating this is that many jurisdictions do not have any regulatory authorities for gambling since it’s outright banned. Furthermore, countries are far from reaching any kind of an international legal framework for handling gambling from outside their jurisdiction. This is because governments take such different moral, economic, and punitive approaches to online casinos.
Here are some potential dangers that exist in online casinos.
Turning withdrawals into a hassle
Some online casinos have unclear withdrawal policies or hidden terms that cause people to part with more of their winnings or even their deposits. They may take an agonizing amount of time to pay out what one is owed, require them to fight for it, or in some cases refuse to give players their payouts at all.
Rigged games
This is one of the most concerning issues in sports betting and casinos alike. Random number generators are one of the methods used to ensure that gambling games are fair and do not favor the house to an unreasonable degree. Normally, such security-inducing random number generators are imposed by state authorities, heavily inspected, and regularly monitored. Without third-party audits though, a gambler could have no way to know if they are dealing on a criminal site without any possibility of winning in the first place.
Identity theft or fraud
Since you have to provide your personal information on gambling sites as per state-imposed KYC policy, you have to be aware of to whom exactly you’re providing sensitive personal and financial information. There also exists the risk that a website may not be stealing your data itself to exploit it itself but leaving you exposed regardless. This is a possibility on websites that lack encryption.
Fraudulent payment methods
Reputable casinos partner with well-known payment methods to ensure smooth, secure payments. There are also casinos that ask you to deposit money via unconventional, untrackable methods, and if you do so, you may subsequently never get your money back again.
Lack of customer support
It’s very common for customer support to be practically non-existent on unreputable sites or unwilling to help. So if something goes wrong with a transaction, game, or account, you may have to wait forever for a response, leaving your funds in limbo.
Malware and viruses
Some illegitimate websites host malicious software that can infect your device and cause you a whole host of problems. Thus, you could end up unwittingly exposing your computer on these sites.
High-profile scams from the media
To illustrate the malice that takes place in shoddy casinos, we are now going to take a look at some bombshell episodes from the iGaming world that were reported in the news.
Here are some of the biggest debacles:
- Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker scandal in 2008: there was a “superuser” insider/employee account on the website which allowed it to see the other users’ hands. This of course gave them a massive advantage.
- Full Tilt Poker in 2011: operated a Ponzi scheme, using money deposited by subsequent poker players to pay out previous winners.
- Playtech Software hack: criminals were able to manipulate the betting and payout algorithms, which they exploited for substantial sums of money.
- Shooting Star Casino: they had no license, used false advertising, and made a lot of baseless claims about their security. They didn’t pay out any winnings to users and just led them on.
- Crypto casino rug pull: the site promised huge bonuses and high-return bets, but then it suddenly just went offline in 2020. People had no way to track their funds.
- Bet365 impersonation: though the actual website is widely trusted and legitimate, some fraudulent betting sites impersonated it in 2017 on fake platforms. People deposited money on these sites only for their funds and personal data to be pilfered.
- Phantom Wins roulette scandal: people were shown fake big wins on their screens, then a technical issue was displayed or the winnings were declared to be part of a glitch.
How to ensure you’re dealing with the most secure and advantageous online casino
Though it comes as no surprise to anyone that there is a dark world that exists on the web, there are very simple safety precautions one can take to be able to enjoy safe, legitimate, risk-free gambling online. Ensuring a casino’s security and fairness is critical. Not all casinos offer the same level of protection, transparency, or customer service.
Here are the main factors to look out for in seeking out the most secure and advantageous casino:
- Licensing: first and foremost, take a look at whether the casino is licensed and regulated by a legitimate authority. These include the likes of the UK Gambling Commission, Curacao eGaming License, Malta Gaming Authority, and many more. Having an extensive list of licenses is also an indication of even greater reliability. To maintain each of these licenses, the casinos’ internal source code has to be intimately and thoroughly reviewed by authorities. They also require a proper RNG to be used.
- Incorporated payment methods: make sure that the platform uses well-known payment systems such as PayPal, Neteller, or Skrill, even cryptocurrencies. Also opt for casinos that use SSL encryption technology, which protects your sensitive data.
- Transparent terms and conditions: there’s no reason for a casino not to have crystal clear methods and rules for deposits and withdrawals. Confusing or deceptive terms are a red flag. The same applies especially to bonuses and promotions since they always come with stringent terms that have to be fulfilled to qualify.
- Responsive customer service: you need a site that offers 24/7 customer care that can be contacted via various channels. Give the customer care a test before you deposit your money, because if you ever have a problem, it will be a huge problem if they’re pretty aloof.
- Check reviews online: look on independent websites and try to see how the site or app is generally perceived. Read them to find out if they are up to any kind of shenanigans or recurring complaints.
- Responsible gambling measures: legitimate casinos have limits, self-exclusion methods, and warnings published to help protect people from getting too sucked into gambling to the point that they can’t walk away from it.
- Variety of games and legitimate software providers: big names like NetEnt, Playtech, and Evolution Gaming indicate that the site is more trustworthy. A breadth of gaming options also makes the website more fun to play on.