In previous years, we could see a big increase in the number of open gambling houses and casinos all around us. Whether you live in a big city or a smaller town, I agree that it has become easier to find a casino than, for example, a store or a pharmacy on the street. Then again, even with so many open facilities, it seems that the demand for gambling is not abating. Therefore, in the last few years, we have noticed a big jump in the number of online casinos. Furthermore, it is estimated that the online casino industry generated more than 200 billion dollars in profit last year alone. With the increasing popularity of online gambling, the question arises as to how many sites that provide such services are legitimate and safe and how sure we can be that our data is protected from various types of abuse by these sites or even by third parties.
The main goal of every online gambling operator should be to provide its users with a safe experience when using their site, first of all, to avoid legal consequences, but also to attract as many players as possible. Despite the large number of licensed casinos that meet all the required safety standards, there are a lot of fully operating online casinos that don’t own a valid license, making it easy for them to deceive their users and misuse their data. If you are asking yourself if King567 is trustworthy for instance, you must learn how to separate licensed from unlicensed casinos right away, choosing only the casinos with security features.
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Here’s how to tell if the casino is secure:
At least one valid license issued by a reputable regulatory body
One of the best indicators that an online casino is safe to use is a license issued by a relevant regulatory body. These regulatory bodies will differ depending on the country and region in which you are located, but also on the primary license of the casino itself. The most famous and prestigious licenses are issued by the Malta Gaming Authority and the Curacao government. Gambling commissions conduct detailed checks to ensure the safety of users and the credibility of the gambling operators themselves.
Some of the requirements for a gambling license are:
- No criminal record on behalf of the gambling operator
- The site must include: deposits, withdrawals, jackpots, bonus offers, site security, and more
- Independent and objective testing of the fairness of gambling games
- Existence of third-party providers to detect any kind of fraud, the legal age of players as well as their geographical location in the world
- Financial reports from previous accounting periods
- License fee that they must pay to the regulatory body
All information related to licenses and regulations should be available on the casino site itself. They are usually found at the very end or bottom of the front page or in the “About us” field or the “Terms and Conditions” in the menu. If you cannot find any legal information on the site itself, it is likely an unregulated operator and you should avoid them. Keep in mind that some online casinos will have more licenses than others and make sure you always opt for such operators.
Reputable Software Providers
In a reputable online casino, you can expect to find games provided by leading software providers such as Microgaming, Playtech, NetEnt, and more. You should be able to easily spot their logos next to the names of the games or in the casino’s virtual menu. They are well known for their high-quality games as well as data security and privacy.
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) certificates
Secure Sockets Layer is a program that enables safe data exchange between players and operators. All the information shared between two parties is encrypted making it unreadable to third parties meaning they can’t download and use it for criminal purposes.
The proof of an SSL certificate can be found again either at the bottom of the page or in the “About us” option. Another good sign is a little padlock or a key in the URL bar or the httpS at the beginning of an address since the “S” at the end stands for safe.
Transport Layer Security or TLS is basically the new and improved version of SSL. Since SSL has been known to have a few downsides TLS does a great job of covering its flaws.
Secure payment systems
Whether you are just playing for fun or to make a profit you will need to put a certain amount of funds into your casino account. To allow you to do this safely and easily casinos provide a range of different payment methods at your disposal. Some of the most commonly used and reliable payment methods are credit and debit cards, bank transfers, e-wallets, vouchers, crypto wallets, and others.
Positive reviews
Another thing to be mindful of is reviews left by previous users of the site. Don’t rely solely on ratings but try to find as many written comments detailing users’ experiences on the site to make sure there haven’t been a lot of negative comebacks. A few bad reviews are bound to happen here and there even on the most reliable sites but make sure that there aren’t many recurring issues in the comments and that the good outweighs the bad.
With that being said, as long as you stay careful and do your research you shouldn’t have any problem finding a good reputable online casino that can offer you the best gambling experience.
