Do you want to gamble responsibly and recreationally but don’t actually know where to find a safe online casino? If so, then read this guide for help.
Online casinos should always put a strong emphasis on safe and responsible gambling. This helps to prevent customers from developing addictive behaviours and spending their money recklessly. However, some iGaming companies are failing to keep their players away from harm and even try to capitalise on their problem gambling. As such, if you enjoy betting recreationally, it’s very important to find a website which abides by the government rules and regulations on gambling. Of course, not everyone knows where to find a safe online casino like https://free-online-pokies.net/. Not to worry. We’re going to be helping you with this exact predicament in our article today. Read on to find out our top tips for finding somewhere secure to play casino games for fun.
Find Reviews
First things first, you should look at reviews of the online casinos you are planning on playing in. This will quickly highlight which places are safe and which ones are not. Avoid websites which are below 3 stars because this indicates serious issues are dragging the ratings down. Ratings don’t say everything, though. Make sure you actually read what the reviewers are saying. This will highlight what are consistent issues with the casinos. For instance, if several people have said the website isn’t allowing them to withdraw their winnings (despite them meeting wagering requirements), this indicates the online casino isn’t a particularly safe place to deposit your money into.
Fake Reviews
Also, be mindful of fake reviews. Illegitimate iGaming operators will sometimes write the feedback themselves whilst posing as customers. It’s difficult to know what’s real and what’s not in these circumstances. Some of the biggest red flags include people with no details or profile pictures. They might also be overly optimistic. Remember, if things sound too good to be true, they always are.
Unbiased Reviews
You should also search for online casino reviews from unbiased sources. Some iGaming reviewers are affiliated with the companies they are assessing, so their evaluations are more about advertising the website as opposed to giving the customers an accurate representation of the online casino. Thankfully, there are plenty of companies online nowadays that will assess casinos without bias.
Payment Methods
Next, you should look into the payment methods that the online casino operator uses. If you have a bad feeling, listen to your instincts and go somewhere else. You can always find the same slot machine at a different casino. When completing transactions, you should also check the online casino’s URL at the top of the webpage. If the connection is secure, the hyperlink will start with an ‘https://’. Meanwhile, the hyperlink will say something like ‘HTTP://’ if it is illegitimate and being hosted by fraudsters.
Bank Payments
You can quickly tell how legitimate an online casino is by looking at the banks that support payments through the website. At the bottom of the page, you should see the icons of finance companies like Apple Pay, PayPal or Visa. Of course, clever fraudsters might fake this. Double-check their validity before making any sort of transaction.
Website Security
To check how safe and secure the online casino is, you should also look at the website itself. Does the webpage have a padlock symbol next to its hyperlink? If so, the domain is safe for you to be on. We recommend being on the lookout for websites with loads of pop-up advertisements, too. Pop-ups are usually utilised by cyber criminals to transfer viruses onto your computer, allowing them to steal personal details, such as your credit card number. If pop-ups appear on this online casino, you can surmise that it’s not safe to complete transactions on. Let’s not forget about the biggest indicator. If your web browser tells you the page is ‘not secure’, then (you guessed it) it’s not secure! As you can see with the Comet Room, it has all the characteristics of a safe online casino in its hyperlink.
Marketing Strategies
Illegitimate online casinos will use immoral marketing tactics that don’t abide by government regulations on gambling. As we mentioned before, they might their own reviews (which is illegal) to reel customers in. Another major warning sign is if they use ‘guarantee’ phrases. This means they deliberately mislead players by promising things that are not definite. For example, they might say ‘you will always win money with our slot machines’. You can never be guaranteed a win with gambling – it only ever comes down to luck and probability. So, if you ever come across an online casino which is promising wins, you should run the other way.
Support Pages
Moving on from keeping your money secure, let’s talk about finding online casinos that encourage safe and responsible gambling. Though these iGaming operators might be working under the law, this doesn’t necessarily mean they have your best interests at heart. But how exactly do you find an online casino which cares about bringing problem gambling to an end? Well, there are certain characteristics you can look out for. Firstly, you should look at what their attitude is like. Are they going above and beyond when it comes to protecting players from addictive behaviour? Or are they doing the bare minimum to satisfy the law? You can determine this by seeing if they have any support pages. These pages should be completely visible on their websites and detail what measures they have in place to discourage problem gambling.
Certifications
Online casino operators who truly care about the wellbeing of their players will usually be decorated with a long list of certifications. Specifically, certifications from boards which aim to encourage safe and responsible gambling – such as BeGambleAware.org and the independent charity GamCare. If the online casino has several stamps of approval from different companies, this is a good indicator that the iGaming operator genuinely cares about its players, not just their money.
That’s everything we know about finding a safe online casino. We hope you have found our advice helpful and that you continue to gamble responsibly.
