How to Avoid An Online Casino Scam

As the day breaks, so does the number of online casinos increases. The discovery of the internet and what can be achieved through it has encouraged innovations across the globe. Fortunately for casino-goers, many companies have devised ways to make sure they can enjoy their casino games from the comfort of their homes. This means you can embark on the same adventures you encounter in live casinos without visiting the building. In this case, the casino is right there on your phone, laptop, or PC.

Despite how wonderful it feels to play casino games from the comfort of your home, you shouldn’t fail to acknowledge that there exist a lot of scams in the name of casinos. This is to say that many online casinos out there are not legit. Some of them were specifically created to defraud unsuspecting punters while others, though legit, exhibit behaviours or enact policies that are fraudulent in the long run. For instance, some online casinos make it difficult for players to win any of the games in their libraries. In some, you may win but be unable to cash out your winnings because of a funny clause attached to the casinos’ terms and conditions. This is why you should not be in a hurry to join an online casino without first scrutinising it to make sure it is legit and reputable.

But how can you tell if that online casino you’re about to join is for real? What are the red flags you should look out for? What makes a casino reputable and how can you discover that? These and more are the questions this essay will attempt to answer.

How to Discover a Legit Casino

Before you register with that online casino, there are certain factors you should consider and confirm or verify how they work in the gambling den. If they are in place and you can verify their authenticity, you should go ahead and register with the casino. Some of the most important factors are discussed below.

Is it registered, licensed, and regulated?

One of the first things you should look for in every online casino is its registration details. Here, you have to be sure the casino is duly registered by the government of a country. You can find this piece of information on the homepage of the casino’s website or as a section of its terms and conditions. If it is not in any of these places, you can search for it outside the casino by using a reliable search engine, such as Chrome. But you have to be sure that the publisher of the information you found is reliable.

If you are able to find the registration information of the online casino, you can rest assured that it wasn’t launched by a random person. This is to say that a government knows about its existence and may (take note of the word, “may”) penalise it if it defaults. In that case, the casino is being regulated by its registrant. Apart from that, since it is registered, it has become a legal entity, which can be sued. You will need this if the casino misbehaves.

But the most important thing to search for when it comes to the regulation and authenticity of an online casino is the licence it operates with. Note that some casinos are registered but not licensed. That is, the owners received approval to open their online casinos but they have not been permitted to start operation. For a casino to be licensed, it has to meet certain requirements, which are meant to protect the interest of gamblers that use its services. Please, avoid joining an unlicensed casino because no one is regulating it.

Finding the licence of an online casino shouldn’t be a difficult task. In the first place, almost every casino that has a valid operational licence identifies its licensor. You may even find the casino’s licence certificate attached somewhere on its website. When you find the licence, check to be sure it is still valid. You should also check the government that licensed the casino. Sometimes, the government that licensed a casino may not be the same government that registered the company that owns it. For instance, the owner and operator of an online casino may be registered by country A but the operational licence it is using was issued by country B. This is why you have to be sure that a casino is licensed even though you found its operator’s registration information. That licence is a sign that it is doing something good or that it is following the laid down rules of the licensor.

Another thing you should consider is whether the online casino was licensed by the government that can fight for you. Remember that since the licensor is the regulator, it has the power to withdraw the licence it issued to an online casino that defaults or shows signs of scamming its customers. However, if the licensor is the type that barely checks and monitors its licensees, you may have an issue when this casino fails to pay your winnings or closes your accounts and seizes your funds without any justification.

If this is your first adventure with online casinos, I’ll recommend you start with a casino that was licensed by the government of Malta. In this case, you will find the logo and licence of Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) on the homepage of the casino’s website. This is not to say that the licences issued by other countries are not good but that Malta is better at regulating the online casinos it licenses.

Is the platform secured?

The security measures taken by an online casino can determine whether your data, information, and funds are safe or not. You first have to check whether the casino’s website is encrypted. If there is a padlock in the address bar of the casino’s website, it is a sign of encryption, meaning that an unauthorised third party will not access the information or funds you have in your account. So, you will be safe, to a large extent, in an online casino that has an SSL certificate.

But, you shouldn’t relax even if there is a padlock beside the URL address of this casino because you have to make sure that the SSL certificate has not expired. To do this, you should click that padlock icon in the address bar and then “Valid” to find its expiration date. If it is still valid, you can move to the next verification item.

Are the games audited regularly?

The software of an online casino game that determines whether you will win or not, is known as Random Number Generator (RNG). This software ensures that games offer fair outcomes by generating thousands of random numbers every millisecond. So, if it functions properly, you are likely going to win some and lose others, depending on how lucky you are. But if the casino managers or software developers tamper with this software, you may play games for hours without winning a penny. This is why you have to be sure that the software of the games you’re planning to play is audited regularly.

If a casino audits the software of its games, you will find the certificate attached to its website. Sometimes, an independent body will audit the software but other times, the licensor does the auditing. No matter who does it, you should ensure that the casino’s games are audited before you register with it.

Who are the software providers?

The software providers in this case are those that developed those games you will play if you join the casino. In most cases, software developers determine whether games will be well-animated or not. Furthermore, reputable online casinos go for reputable software providers. You may also use the software providers to determine whether the games will play fairly or if it will be uneasy to win. You can find the list of the software providers on the games page of the casino’s website. However, after discovering who the providers are, you should carry out further investigation to find out how reputable they are and the type of games they develop.

How responsive is the customer care team?

You will always find reasons to contact the customer service team of the online casino you play at. The call for support could be for complaints, enquiries, or just to have some issues sorted out. If you join an online casino that barely attends to customers, you will always find yourself in a fix. You may make a mistake that can cost you a lot because customer support wasn’t being responsive. So, always test the casino’s support system before registering with it.

One of the ways to find out if the support of an online casino is responsive is by contacting them before you register with it. You should also check the contact method you can use before then. For instance, if the casino only wants you to contact the support team through email, you may have a problem because you may not receive any support during an emergency. But you should send an email to find out how long you will wait to receive a response. If there are telephone numbers or a live chat channel, you should try them to see if the phone call will go through and whether the chat will be replied to immediately. How long it took the team to respond to you will tell you whether to go ahead with your plan or to find another online casino.

What banking method does it use?

The banking methods used by an online casino may not really help you to detect a scam but most legit online casinos use secured banking options. Good casinos use reputable financial providers, such as credit and debit cards, e-vouchers, direct bank transfers, and e-wallets that will allow direct transactions to take place between you and the casino. These payment options also minimise malicious third parties from stealing your funds. When you use these too, the financial service providers will not steal your funds or information. So, to  some extent, if the payment options look secured, the casino may be legit.

What do other customers say about it?

This is one of the best things about using online casinos. Since their customers use the internet often, you can easily discover what they have to say about these casinos. Here, you can read about the experiences of these punters to find out the online casinos to trust and the ones to be wary of. Since these individuals are faceless, at least to a large extent, you can always trust some of the things they say, concerning their experiences in some casinos. But you have to know where to find independent customers reviews that were not manipulated by the casinos in question.

One of the best platforms to discover authentic information about a casino is Trustpilot. Here, you can discover whether the casino pays out winnings or not, how responsive its customer service is, whether its games are difficult to be won, and every other thing that is good or not so good about the casino. You can always rely on what you discovered on Trustpilot.

Secondly, social media platforms, such as Facebook (Meta), Twitter, and Quora, can be used to find the reviews of some casinos. You can check the comments attracted by the social media posts of these casinos to discover what people think about them. If you’re not satisfied, you can create a social media post or ask a question on any of the social media platforms that will attract comments from the present and previous customers of the casino. Please, if you’re not satisfied with what you discovered or you have some reservations about the casino, do not create an account with it. You may have nothing to worry about but it is better safe than sorry.

You can use other review platforms like Top Reviews Site to discover the opinions, complaints, commendations, and reservations of people towards a particular online casino. But you have to be sure that those reviews were not borne out of malice or manipulated by the casino. Of course, you can tell what is real and what is not, according to how it is described.

What are the bonus terms and conditions?

The terms and conditions attached to the bonus offered by any online casino can tell you whether you can easily cash out your winnings or not, especially if you claimed a bonus. Of course, one of the most attractive aspects of many casinos is the welcome bonus they offer. Some of the bonuses feel too good to be real and, in most cases, they’re actually too good to be real. This is why you shouldn’t rush for any bonuses until you’re sure it is safe to do so.

Some online casinos can make it flexible for you to claim a bonus while others have stringent rules that you can hardly circumvent. For instance, some online casinos make it bonuses optionally. In this case, you will need to provide the bonus code to claim it if you want to. Such a casino will never force you to accept any of its bonus offers.

But, you may find some casinos that automatically credit your bonus account with any available bonus without giving you the option to request or decline it. Some may allow you to decline it after it has been sent to your account but you will be ‘penalised’ for taking that decision. In some cases, you may be allowed to request a bonus if you want to but the wagering conditions are almost impossible to adhere to.  You may end up losing your winnings because of a minor mistake you made while playing with an active bonus. This is why you shouldn’t join a casino without first discovering what it has to say about its bonuses. In essence, don’t get attracted by an enticing bonus; it may be a trap.

The Bottom Line

You can avoid being a victim of an online casino scam if you spend some time to carry out a little investigation. You should not be in a hurry to join a casino because you love the games you saw in its library or because its theme looks exciting. You should spend a few days searching for information about the casino before entrusting it with your money and time. Remember, prevention is better than cure. Don’t fall a victim to a scam when you can avoid it.