Online Casino Scams: How to Stay Safe
People decide to spend their free time in different ways. However, it is noticeable that most people would stay at home surfing the internet and trying to find something interesting that can relax them. Apart from watching the most popular TV series, listening to music, or playing games, people also want to test their luck at some of the best online casinos.
Gambling is a bit more challenging than other online activities offered to us. Despite the fact that real money is involved here, people also need to have in mind how crucial their security is. More precisely, people will have to spend more time looking for the safest and most trustworthy casinos. The question is – is that easy?
The first problem we noticed is that people do not even test the website before registering. They often get impressed by the amazing bonuses online casinos offer. Promotions are great, but they are not the crucial feature you should have in mind!
Recognizing a trustworthy and legit gambling site is possible in a couple of ways. We would like to highlight all those methods in one place and make the entire process simple for all of our readers. So, let’s go!
Online Casinos Must Be Licensed
License is the first insight that shows whether an online casino is legit. If the gambling operator does not have a license, that is a huge red flag, and there is no reason to open an account. More details about the license are present in the website’s footer. However, scammers are clever and know that people often check that part of the website. Here’s how you can confirm the license is legit.
First and foremost, you need to check out who is the issuer of the license. It should be a reputable regulatory body accepted by the local jurisdictions. Some of them worth mentioning are Malta Gambling Authority, Gibraltar Gambling Commission, UKGC, and so on. We have found a list of safe online casinos in India with one or more previously mentioned licenses.
But who says that the data you find there is correct? To confirm everything is fine, you should click on the logo of the organization that issued the license. When you do that, the organization’s official website should automatically open. If not, that means the details about the license are fake.
On the other hand, reputable online casinos will also share the license number on their website. You can copy that number, go to the issuer’s official website, and paste it into the search box. That way, you can see whether the license is still active. We recommend you use both methods.
Other Certificates and Rewards
You will see a bunch of ads on the most popular social media platforms about online casinos. Logically, they will all represent themselves as the best option for you. However, the success and trustworthiness of any casino can only be confirmed with certificates and rewards. More details about these two things should be presented on the website.
Different organizations can provide certificates to any gambling operator. For example, if you see the eCogra logo on the website, you can be sure that all games and protocols on the website are tested by an independent testing lab. That confirms all the games are entirely random.
On the other hand, the safest casinos will also have certain rewards for different services. Some rewards can be related to the highest payout rate in a particular year, the biggest number of casino games, the best customer service, etc. Just like details about licenses and certificates, information about rewards should be stated in the footer of the website. We doubt there is a casino in the world that would not want to highlight these achievements.
Participation in Responsible Gambling
There is probably no need to say this, but all the people that plan to start their gambling journey on any casino site should know how to be responsible. Gambling isn’t about money, and we invite all the people reading this article to repeat that phrase as many times as possible. Online casinos are entertainment platforms and nothing more than that. They are not the place where you should chase money.
Unfortunately, not all players understand that. That is why the most responsible casinos tend to “remind them”. They are doing that by participating in responsible gambling activities that help all people deal with addiction in the best possible way.
Most professional casino sites always collaborate closely with mental health institutions. To be precise, they collaborate with a group of psychologists that offer free consultations to all people dealing with addictions.
However, that’s not all. The best gambling platforms will also allow players to track their spending and limit their deposits on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. For example, you can set up your monthly budget to 100 USD. The casino will not allow you to deposit more whenever you reach that limit. Some casinos have an even better approach. They enable their customers to self-exclude themselves for a certain period of time from the website. That period can be anywhere from one month to a couple of years. GamStop casinos, for example, allow people to activate the self-exclusion scheme for five years. Isn’t that amazing?
Fair Bonus Terms and Conditions
Scammers are not only gambling operators that will steal your data or take money from your bank account. We also consider casinos that are not highly transparent as some form of scam. One of the methods that online casinos use to attract people is offering amazing bonuses with bad terms and conditions. Logically, those conditions are hidden cleverly.
For those that do not know, all the bonuses come with specific wagering requirements and timelines. People will need to wager the deposit amount a certain number of times for a couple of days or weeks. The fantastic bonus offers won’t mean anything to you if these requirements are unrealistic for an average player. You will never manage to unlock the bonuses. In the meantime, you may tend to try doing that and lose a bunch of money.
That is not the way trustworthy casinos work. Based on our experience, the wagering rate should be between 20x and 50x. Everything above that is unrealistic. The timeline should be at least one week (up to 45 days in some cases). Check out the T&C page and carefully read the part about bonuses. That way, you can easily recognize a trustworthy casino.
Conclusion
All these moves will help you find the best online casino for your needs. We shared a link where you can find comparisons of a couple of licensed casinos that successfully operate in India. But we also suggest you pass through the process described in this article. There is no reason to be in a hurry!