Online casinos have become easier to access! The dark evenings and smokey alleys shown in old Hollywood classics have taken a backseat. In today’s times, if you want to play this game of chances – you just have to log into any of the plenty of online casino sites available, register yourself, garner the bonus points, and kickstart the game!
However, with the acceptance of online casinos mainstream, there has come another issue – it has become a space to lure potential customers into scams.
How will you steer clear of these scams? This article will give you an insight into some of the key factors you must check before you start gaming with a specific site.
How will you check if the casino site is legal?
The first benchmark to check the legitimacy of the online casino site is – whether it can be seen on Top 10 casino sites listicle on your browser.
Let’s reveal a secret to you. The browsing algorithms are designed in a way that inherently can differentiate a legitimate and registered site from a fake one. That does not mean that you will not get scammed – but when you are picking a website from the top of the listicle of your browser, chances of this reduces drastically – to almost nil!
Now let’s explore the other features you must check before finalizing the online gaming website –
Point 1 – Prominent Licensing
This is the preliminary point you must concentrate on. The casino you are registering with must have an operation license and must be regulated by the online gambling commission of the concerned domain.
But how will you determine the credibility of the license? When a website is licensed, it displays the logo of the official site on its landing page (the footer). These logos or licenses are hyperlinked, taking you to the official page of the site – which in return will display the certificate. That’s how you check the authenticity of the gaming site.
Point 2 – Standard Welcome Bonus
The next factor which you have to check is – the amount of welcome bonus it offers. The thumb rule is – the match bonus that the casino offers must match the player’s initial deposit with a minimum threshold.
If you see the welcome bonus is something like 100x times or any unnatural figure – not at par with the game’s initial deposit, there’s most likely a glitch there. Choose wisely.
Point 3 – Authorized Banking Methods
When looking for legitimate casino sites, check the payment offerings they have. Do they support MasterCard, Visa, or PayPal? These financial institutions have huge amounts of money riding on them, and hence they do compliance checks while getting involved with a website.
So, if the site has financial tie-ups with any of these international money transfer platforms, you have a legit site in hand!
Point 4 – Qualified Software Providers
When an online casino offers its plethora of games, you will see that it mostly uses recognized software providers. In fact, the names of the premium service providers are showcased along with the games in the opening credits itself.
When you are sitting for a free demo, this is another factor you must check to ensure the legality of the casino site.
Point 5 – Live Customer Support
The customer support systems of reputed and registered casinos are helpful, available 24×7, and register complaints officially. They also coordinate with the player and ensure that their compensation is paid within a week. Therefore, while picking the casino – check their payout times (it must not be more than 15 days).
Apart from these points, it is common knowledge to check the reviews of the online casino sites you are registering for. Surely, you must be cautious enough to differentiate between an ‘actual’ and ‘apparently actual’ review. An admissible online casino will always have players talking about their experiences on a positive note.
As far as figuring out ‘paid articles’ there’s a rule of thumb you must follow – if you do not get a review of the site in the first two pages of the browser you are using, that’s not a casino worth investing.
What are the most common scams in online casinos?
Now that you know how to check the legality of online casinos, let’s take a look at some of the scams that you may fall prey to.
Scam Type 1 – Theft of your deposit money
One of the most common types of scams, even when you pay the complete amount, the deposit money does not show up in your account. Connect with customer care immediately. If you receive no assistance, contact the cyber security team and register a complaint. The chances are high; you have been scammed.
Scam Type 2 – Bonus related scams
This is another of the ‘most frequently’ occurring scams in this business, wherein the bonuses offered are way too good to be actual. The scammers try to trick the players into depositing their money by luring them with bonuses and make off with the proceeds.
Scam Type 3 – Banking related theft
This is the most-common type of scam that most of these unlicensed and unregistered casino sites resort to is – stealing your banking and personal information and using them for nefarious activities.
Scam Type 4 – Rigging the games and installing malware
It so happens that when you are looking for online casino sites, you get a site that looks legit. However, when you start playing, you will see that despite the best of games, you never win. Rather, you keep investing more in the hope of winning – only to end up losing it all!
Also, there is no payment of dues and no customer support to assist you. This is a recently formed way to scam unsuspecting players. Hence, always opt for a preliminary game before investing your money.
Some of these scams have been in place for a long time, and as a lover of online casino games, you must be very cautious of the same. If at all you come across any such website trying to dupe you, register your complaint with the official cyber security services.
Play smart
As much as you may love playing online casino games, you must play smart even before investing! Compare multiple casino sites and their terms and conditions – and if required, connect with their customer support for clarification. Proceed on the basis of the response you receive, and be careful of the scams, tricks, and trips that an online player is privy to.
