There are so many benefits and advantages to the advancement of technology however, this can also influence scammers and hackers along the way. Online casinos have grown exponentially in recent years, with new casinos popping up almost every month; most legit while others are fake with the intentions to scam online gamblers. That’s why it’s recommended to be cautious of the online casino you choose to play with. Like anything else, do your research first and read reviews.
Fake online casinos have a habit of scamming people and stealing more from them or their personal information. The first step you should take in spotting a legitimate online casino to a fake online casino is in the URL. If it’s legit the URL domain name will be secured with SSL encryption to keep players information private and secure.
Below are a few other ways you can spot a fake online casino.
Lack of Licences
A quick and easy way to spot a fake casino is with a licence check. If it’s a legit casino it will have its licenses from a reputable gambling commission posted on its website. You’ll usually find the license details such as the license numbers and regulators at the bottom of the website. They will keep this information up to date at all times.
The most known gambling commissions within the European markets are Malta, UK, Curacao, Alderney and Gibraltar. These are considered to be the most trusted casino regulators.
To spot a fake casino, you’ll notice that they usually won’t have the licensing information at the bottom of the website or anywhere to be found. This is a red flag that they are most likely unregulated and are taking part in scamming behaviour. Therefore, it’s recommended you stay away from these casinos as you won’t have any rights if they do take advantage of your personal information.
Online Scandals
Online casino scandals do happen which is why it’s always good to be informed of what a scandal might look like. Usually, online casino scandals come in the form of fake bonuses, fake promotions, delayed payments and sometimes even a change in the terms and conditions with short or no notice. This gives the online casino all the power and takes away your rights as a player.
If a casino is legitimate, you won’t have any issues with the payments, and you’ll find a good range of providers to choose from. Always look for the payment methods page on an online casino and see which providers they offer as well as any other details they have listed there.
It’s important to note that if you have had a casino that’s been running for more than five years without any complaints, payment issues or scandals, then you can be confident that it’s a legit casino and it can be trusted.
Negative Reviews
In this digital era, people love leaving reviews as much as people love reading reviews about a product, service, place or anything they want to invest their time and money in.
Therefore, if there is an online casino that is partaking in bad and scandal-like behaviour, the online space will be sure to tell you. Don’t forget that sometimes people do just leave bad reviews because they didn’t get their way, but if you find reviews that mention a failing to process withdrawals or pay out winnings, then take this information seriously and refrain from signing up at that online casino.
To know whether the reviews are accurate, there should be a good balance between good and bad reviews. Not all just one sided.
No Testing Certification
Most legit online casinos would like to show that they provide fair gameplay and to do this, casinos will outsource to companies that provide special auditing services such as eCogra, iGaming Labs, and Technical Systems. Having said that, if an online casino has taken the time to provide this extra check on their game offerings, they will include badges that link to their certificates on their homepage.
Keep in mind that this can be faked, so make sure that whatever testing company is shown is up to date. Besides, a casino without a testing certificate is also a huge red flag because it shows they don’t care about the fairness of the gameplay.
If you happen to stumble upon an online casino that doesn’t have any records or badges of a testing certificate, move on to another casino that does offer this so you can be certain the games you are playing are fair.
Payment Methods
Another major way you can spot a fake casino is the choice of available payment methods. If there aren’t many options for depositing, then this could be a sign you’ve come across a fake online casino.
Payment methods like Credit Card, Bank Transfers, and E-wallets are common to see on legitimate online casinos. Nowadays, there will even be cryptocurrency options like Bitcoin. This can show the legitimacy of the online casino; that there are several options to choose from. If the online casino only accepts one form of payment, then dive deeper and look for other signs of whether it’s a real or fake casino.
Another great way to test the casino if you are unsure is to make small deposits and how fast they make payouts. If it takes far too long or they have an excuse as to why they can’t make the payment, consider closing your account or looking for another online casino to spend your time and money at.
Conclusion
The digital space offers new gambling platforms where you can play online casino games such as table games or online slot machines for entertainment. However, with this, comes risks.
It’s recommended that online players be cautious of what a fake online casino may look like or the behaviour they may partake in. If you get caught up at the wrong place you can risk your personal information being stolen as well as your money, and no one wants that.
Take the time to do your research beforehand by checking the safety of the URL, the licenses it holds, the payment method variation and its testing certificates. These are all important ways to differ a top online casino from a fake one.
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