A Beginners Guide to Picking a Safe Online Casino
When playing with and for real money, you definitely want to find a safe online casino. This goes without saying, right? Lucky for you, we’ve scoured the internet in search of safe online gambling experiences, narrowed hundreds of options down to the most trusted casino sites and share what we learned to help you recognize safe online gambling sites.
Safe Online Casinos
- What does safe online casino mean?
- Who gives out online casino licenses?
- How do I know my personal and financial information is safe?
- What are random number generators?
- Tips for staying safe
What Does “Safe Online Casino” Mean?
What constitutes a safe online casino boils down to two primary things:
They respect and secure your personal and financial information.
When setting-up an online casino account for the first time, you have to provide some personal information like your name, phone number, address and password. You’ll want to make sure those details are under lock and key on the site’s servers. When you make your first account deposit, credit card numbers and bank routing numbers may also be provided and this is where a safe online casino is a must if you’re willing to provide this type of sensitive information.
The games they offer are fair and regulated.
If you’re visiting a safe online casino, you should be able to easily locate its terms and conditions and those should be clear and concise. Also, look for which company or companies have performed a recent audit of the gambling site. This type of information can typically be found in the About or FAQ section of an online casino.
Lucky for you, we’ve scoured the internet in search of safe online gambling experiences, narrowed hundreds of options down to the most trusted casino sites and share what we learned to help you recognize safe online gambling sites.
You’ll also want to confirm that the site uses random number generator software from a reputable company like Evolution Gaming, which is an industry leader. These RNG software companies should be audited on a regular basis as they provide peace of mind assurance that the casino’s games like video poker are on the up-and-up.
Licenses
In order to verify that you’ve visited a safe online casino, be sure to locate the website’s license and confirm it’s recently been audited. The license and audit by regulators confirm the online casino is safe and fair. Third-party regulators exist to keep your personal and financial information safe, while also making sure payments and withdrawals are protected from fraud.
An auditor like eCogra look at the overall health and security of the online casino and make sure that games are truly random. Licenses are provided and regulated by names like Malta, Kahnawake, Curacao, etc.
Personal/Financial Security
SSL encryption is absolutely mandatory for a safe online casino. SSL stands for “secure sockets layer” and is indicated by a little padlock icon to the left or right of the address bar in your web browser. When you sign into an account or spend money online, chances are that site is protected by SSL. In other words, the information you send out over the internet is encrypted and can’t be hacked by would-be thieves.
More recently, SSL encrypted websites have required another layer of security called two-step verification. In most cases, when you go to log-in, you’ll be asked for your password and also a code sent to your email address of cell phone. Once you provide that code, you may access your account.
Random Number Generators
In short, random number generators are an algorithm. RNG’s are used in all online casino games with the exception of live dealer blackjack, roulette, etc. The RNG algorithm decides the outcome of the hand, spin, BINGO balls and ensures a truly random outcome.
Online slots and games like video poker are powered by RNG’s, but are audited by third party companies to verify those truly random outcomes are occurring each and every time. Companies like TST, Curacao eGaming and iTech Labs are some example of RNG auditors.
How Do You Know It Is Not A Safe Online Casino?
- Don’t share your password with others.
- Check for site licenses and learn of its most-recent audit
- Be sure the online casino is SSL encrypted
- Look for casinos with 2-step account verification
- Read the terms and conditions and ask customer support if you have any questions
There are red flags to look out for when in search of a safe online casino.
If the site is slow to process withdrawals or sets payment limits, this would be a casino to avoid.
Be sure to read casino reviews like the ones provided on this website to learn which online casinos have made a bad name for themselves over the years.
Before setting up and account and depositing money, reach out to the online casino’s customer support team and ask to see its licenses and review its most-recent audit. If they are a safe online casino, there should be no issue is providing that information.
Also, be on the look out for an online casino’s terms and conditions changing often or being too confusing. Those T/C details could protect them and hurt you in the long run if you don’t do the homework in advance.
Most reputable online casinos are going to offer several deposit options. If the site you’re using only has a few choices or says they accept Paypal, a payment processor notorious for not getting involved in online casinos, keep searching for a better option.