January 30, 2025

12 Telltale Signs That the Casino You Are Playing Is Untrustworthy

Imagine playing at an unlicensed global online casino and finally achieving a maximum win on your favourite slot. You then go to withdraw your winnings but never receive your funds. What do you do? The simple and harsh answer is – nothing!

Identifying dodgy online casinos is critical, and the potential risks outweigh any rewards you can earn from playing at these sites. At MDC, we follow strict criteria when critiquing and providing our readers with safe, trusted and licensed the best online casinos.

Below, we share our 12 telltale signs that the casino you are playing in is untrustworthy. So, keep reading as we share what you need to look for from any casino and what red flags can prop up if you sign up at these sites.

1. Lack of Licensing and Regulation

Do you know that it is illegal to operate an online casino operation without a gambling license? Today, there are several strict gambling regulators like the UKGC, Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board and the Malta Gaming Authority. These regulators provide licenses to online casinos that comply with the requirements. Your first step when visiting an online casino is to locate the licensing information (license number and details on the regulator). You can find this info at the bottom of the homepage.

2. Poor Online Reputation

Today, there are plenty of resources to obtain information on online casinos. Independent review sites, forums, and other sources have detailed, unbiased reviews of most global platforms. You should be wary if you read these reviews and come across a pattern of common red flags, such as unresolved complaints or consistent negative feedback on the casino’s features.

3. Unrealistic Promotions and Bonuses

Generally, online casino bonuses and promotions have industry-standard terms and conditions, with realistic play-through requirements and validity periods. What is important is that these terms are fairly achievable. A telltale sign of a shady casino is that it promotes overly generous bonuses with complex, non-realistic wagering terms to lure in new players. Examples include ‘Get a 100% match bonus up to $/€1000 with 200x wagering within 48 hours.’

4. No Transparent Terms and Conditions

This telltale sign ties up with our previous sign #3 Unrealistic promotions and bonuses. The terms and conditions of any offer should be clearly stated. Always read the fine print of all offers before triggering any. Using the example from above – ‘Get a 100% match bonus up to $/€1000 with 200x wagering within 48 hours’ – this offer is unrealistic and unfair. No one can complete such a high play-through in such a short time. Another example would be ‘Claim 200 free spins with no deposit required’ – but the fine print requires a minimum deposit.

5. Limited or Unresponsive Customer Support

When encountering any issues at casinos, you want efficient customer support channels. The top online casinos offer players diverse options with speedy feedback. A sign of an untrustworthy online casino would be those without any customer support options, such as a lack of live chat, phone support, and email. An inadequate customer support channel can signal larger issues like distrust and loss of funds.

6. Unsecured Website

In today’s world, cyberattacks are a major issue for most individuals. HTTPS and SSL certification are important for all online casinos. A sign of an illegal casino would try to avoid these costs and offer players an unsafe site. The risks of playing at these unsecured sites are severe, and the likelihood is that you will lose your money and even your private information could be stolen.

7. Suspicious Payment Methods

Encrypted payment options at online casinos include Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, and Paysafecard. We know these payment options are trusted and secure. If online casinos offer unrecognised payment options that raise red flags, you should avoid them. Other warning signs include delayed or denied withdrawals and excessive deposit fees.

8. Games from Unknown Providers

Untrustworthy online casinos provide casino games from unknown developers who are not reputable. You will not find games from renowned providers like Pragmatic Play, Evolution Gaming and NetEnt. A common red flag for this is the poor quality of gaming features and graphics. You will notice that game titles look like screenshots instead of the actual image. Another issue with playing games from unknown providers is the outcomes. The threat of rigged, biased game outcomes is increased since no Random Number Generators are used to ensure random outcomes.

9. Excessive Complaints About Non-Payment

If you have issues about non-payments at licensed casinos, you can take the case up with the gambling board. At untrustworthy casinos, no one can decide your case; your missing funds will never be recovered. There are thousands of complaints about this problem on the internet. We encourage you to read forums and reviews on non-payments with untrustworthy online casinos. We cannot stress this enough – if you sign up at a shady online casino, there is nothing you can do to get your money if it goes missing.

10. No Responsible Gambling Tools

Do you know what responsible gaming is? The threat of addiction is high with betting and online casinos must protect players. These responsible gambling practices and tools include deposit limits, cooling-off periods, stop limits, self-exclusion and closure of accounts. They are there to safeguard and protect players from gambling addictions. Untrustworthy online casinos will not have these as they don’t want players to leave if they suffer from gambling addiction. This calls into question the integrity of the site, but player welfare is not a priority for dodgy online casinos.

11. Unprofessional Website Design

The days of outdated and poorly functioning websites are gone. Most online casinos use the same software when creating the online casino website. A trusted site will have a user-friendly interface packed with all the relevant information a play could need.

Untrustworthy sites will hide key terms with an unprofessional website design. The interface will be slow and troublesome to use. You will struggle to find information on payment methods, bonus terms and support options. These issues generally indicate a lack of monetary resources for the online casino. Also, since stealing players’ funds is the aim, these sites don’t make the effort to provide a professional website.

12. Pushy Marketing Practices

As mentioned above, the sole priority of untrustworthy casinos is a focus on profit over player welfare. Getting players to trigger bonuses frequently is achieved through aggressive email campaigns and constant bonus reminders. These examples are a sure sign of a shady site focusing on pushy marketing practices. Remember, most of these bonuses will have unrealistic terms, so you are being hassled to trigger offers, resulting in you losing your deposits and subsequent bonus funds.

The Importance of Recognizing the Signs of a Shady Casino

Playing at online casinos should be fun and entertaining. You will not achieve this by playing at unsafe global casinos. We have discussed 12 telltale signs of recognizing shady casinos, and we urge you not to play at these sites. Responsible gambling is important for all players, and besides playing safe and with funds you can afford to lose, you must do your due diligence before signing up with any online casino.

Our team at MDC have spent hours critiquing the industry and only provides safe, trusted and licensed online casino options for our valued readers. If you want to play at the top-rated online casinos, we have plenty of resources to help you find the safest sites. Our unbiased list of the best online casino reviews thoroughly critiques all online casinos and unpacks features like bonus offers, payment options, gaming libraries and customer support channels. You can browse our site for more. Remember, enjoy your gaming journey and only play on licensed platforms!

Latest Casino News

State of Gambling and Black Market operators
State of Gambling and Black Market operators
Natalie
February 6, 2025
First Gaming Operators Receive Approval Seals from MGA
First Gaming Operators Receive Approval Seals from MGA
Natalie
February 5, 2025
How to Choose Between Different 10 Euro Casinos
How to Choose Between Different 10 Euro Casinos
Natalie
February 2, 2025
Getting the Best Deal in 2025 at a Low Deposit Casino Is Easy
Getting the Best Deal in 2025 at a Low Deposit Casino Is Easy
Natalie
January 31, 2025
12 Telltale Signs That the Casino You Are Playing Is Untrustworthy
12 Telltale Signs That the Casino You Are Playing Is Untrustworthy
Natalie
January 30, 2025
The Environmental Impact of Online Casinos: Are Low Deposit Casinos Greener?
The Environmental Impact of Online Casinos: Are Low Deposit Casinos Greener?
Natalie
January 26, 2025
These Deals Will Drive You Crazy For $/€5 and $/€10 Deposits
These Deals Will Drive You Crazy For $/€5 and $/€10 Deposits
Natalie
January 19, 2025
 
 
50 Free Spins
No prize
25 Free Spins
No prize
5 Free
No prize
100 Free Spins
No prize
20 Free
No prize
10 Free
No prize