January 24, 2019

How Secure Are Online Casinos?

With minimum deposite online casinos becoming more and more popular, and the gaming industry expanding its reach, one of the major concerns for players is in finding a reliable and trustworthy online casino. So, what makes a safe and secure casino site? There are a few factors that contribute to making an online casino safe and secure, like ensuring that all the casino games offered are fair and random for all and that the online casino protects their customers’ personal and banking details.

An online casino should also process their players’ deposits and withdrawals quickly and securely and last but not least, the casino should be certified, regulated and tested by an independent third-party auditor. When evaluating an online casino, players should always look for the licensing and legal information, usually found on the casino website itself. We look at some important features that make browsing at online casinos a very safe and secure gambling experience.

Terms and Conditions

The Terms and Conditions imposed by the casino outlines everything the player should know regarding the conditions for accepting the welcome bonus, promotions, free spins, wagering requirements and exclusions. Once you’ve accepted the terms there is no going back and most player complaints revolve around not having read and adhered to the requirements.

Online casinos have their Terms and Conditions clearly displayed on their website and usually on registration and sign up, the casino will ask you if you’ve read and understood them and your answer will be a simple click on a checkbox. Very few people actually go to the trouble of carefully reading the information they are agreeing to. We can’t stress enough how important it is to read all the information, even the small print, with great care.

Any contravention of the Terms and Conditions by the player, knowingly or unknowingly, may risk the casino cancelling your winnings, returning your deposit, or deactivating your account. Your deposit will always be yours, whether you accept the bonus offering or not and a fair online casino won’t impose unfair restrictions if you fail to take their promotional offers. If one of the casino’s rules is to void your winnings if you disregard their offers, find another casino, but either way, read and understand the casino’s promotional rules if you want to capitalise on bonuses, avoid unnecessary delays, and qualify for cancellations and refunds.

Licencing and Regulation

An online casino should always be licensed and regulated by reputable and respected authorities whose job it is to provide remote gambling licenses to online casino operators. Licenses are not issued easily, an online casino has to prove that they have the strictest standards of player protection in place. A license means that the casinos are closely monitored and regulated and strict standards are upheld. Always make sure the casino you choose to play at is licensed and regulated, there will always be a license displayed at the footer of the website.

Look for The Alderney Gambling Control Commission, The Gaming Commission of Malta, the Isle of Man Supervision Commission and The Gibraltar Gaming Commission and Authority. For British players, there’s the UK Gambling Commission, and like the others, only issues a license when a casino has proven that their games are fair, that player privacy is protected and that the company operates in a socially responsible manner.

Gaming Licenses

Before a casino can open its doors to the public it will have to undergo a rigorous process to prove they are above board and even after the license has been issued, the casino will be checked regularly by the state gaming board. They will look for all sorts of things including ensuring the software is bug free, checking that the games are fair for all, player complaints and player exclusion options. If the casino passes these regular checks, they keep their license but if they should fail, they can’t do business anymore. Check our list of reviewed and recommended casinos, we only recommend regulated and licensed online casinos.

Independent Testing of Games

Casino games are one of the most important factors of an online casino, but more importantly than that, the games must be fair and transparent. Long ago, in the time of the mechanical one arm bandit, players believed that it was possible to calculate the moment when a machine would give up a big win and it was also believed that casinos could adjust the results in their favour. These days however, gambling online has taken a leap forwards and technology has created a way to ensure that slot games are not only completely random, but fair for all.

The way symbols appear on the reels or where the little white ball falls on the Roulette wheel depends on combinations that are generated by a Random Number Generator (RNG). This is a mathematical algorithm that simulates randomness and creates a numerical sequence by an algorithm, generating transparency in games. We can be sure that a reputable online casino offers random casino games because the RNG are often tested by independent specialists to make sure that the results are truly random.

One of the leading testing agency is eCogra. Formed in 2003, eCogra, short for eCommerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance, is an independent regulatory body for the online gambling industry. Players familiar with the online industry recognize the eCogra logo found scattered throughout websites of top online casinos. This international authority on regulation focuses on fair gaming, player protection and responsible operator conduct.

Cutting-Edge Technical Security

In order to play real money games at an online casino, you will need to part with sensitive banking data as well as personal information like your name, address and date of birth. A safe and reputable online casino uses sophisticated technical security to ensure your data is completely protected. You may have heard of data encryption, it is a 128 or 256-bit encryption which will convert your personal and financial information into strings of unbreakable code. If you still doubt that online casinos are secure consider that banks use exactly this level of protection. So when you are looking for a safe online casino where you can enjoy playing your favourite games, look for encryption by checking the top of your screen, it should say https in front of their website name.

Online casinos with an SSL certificate means that you can safely hand over your financial details as the information is encrypted and the website is safe to play at. Basically a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) receives information between your pc and the casino and encrypts it so it cannot be hacked. Online casinos also use top notch computer security software to prevent an attack from viruses, spyware or malware.

Software providers

Online casinos are very dependent on the software provider they use. Since the games offered are not the property of the casino itself, the casino’s success largely depends on the software companies they join forces with. Industry leaders like NetEnt, Playtech, Microgaming and many others, are also tested by independent third party auditing systems that are obliged to prove that the software is fair and safe for the players.

Security issues are top priority for software developers and by implementing cutting edge technology, these companies are able to use well secured connections for online casino customers. They use the latest sophisticated technologies like 128 and 256-bit SSL certificates, anti–DDoS methods, AES encryption, and programmes for data loss prevention.

Mobile Gambling Security

Online gambling with your smartphone or tablet has proved to be harder for hackers to infiltrate but there are still some things to know before using your smartphone or tablet to gamble online. The same encryption standards that apply to online gambling via a desktop should be used through a mobile app. It’s always wise to check that those same protocols are in place and that the app has been licensed by an outside authority. One key point to remember, especially with mobile gaming, is to avoid insecure internet connections like wifi in public places, as they are a very easy way for hackers to lift your personal information

Look for online casinos with a range of deposit options

When it comes to safety at online casinos, it’s not just a secure platform that is important. Banking online had always been seen with suspicion, but today, thanks to the improvements made by online money transfer companies, it’s become one of the safest, quickest and easiest ways of transferring funds. To make a deposit at an online casino to play real money casino games from the comfort of your home, there are a large variety of methods that can be used. Gone are the days when we had to go to the bank and stand in long queues just to transfer funds to your casino of choice.

Nowadays online banking methods widely accepted include not only the major credit and debit cards, but also eWallets like PayPal, Skrill, and Neteller and a host of other payment facilities like PaysafeCard and Entropay. A great online casino will always offer a large variety of deposit options. If the casino you want to play at only accepts cash or has a lack of deposit options, let those alarm bells ring, and maybe, look for another casino.

When it comes to finding a great, safe and secure online casino, and handing over sensitive information, you can’t leave anything to chance. We identify, review and publish the safest casinos for you to play at without worrying about security. Come back and visit our pages for the best casinos offering fantastic welcome packages, top promotions and of course, secure fun and exciting slots and casino games.

 
 
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