How to Stay Safe from Online Casino Scams?
Online casinos have become so popular in the last couple of years, thanks to the many benefits they have over mainstream casinos. Convenience, several game options, and generous bonuses are among the top reasons online casinos are so popular amongst gamblers. However, scammers are now taking advantage of online casino popularity to con those desperate to earn quick money.
There are several things that you need to look out for at any online casino to determine whether it is authentic or not. In this article, I will discuss how any online casino player, no matter their experience, can stay away from casino scams. There are certain red flags that will clearly show you that a given online casino is not legitimate. Here are a few of the most typical red flags to be aware of.
1. Unreliable customer support
If you contact the support team of any given online casino, they should at least respond within a couple of minutes, especially if you contact them via live chat or an instant messaging platform like WhatsApp or telegram. If an online casino takes ages to respond to you, that casino is likely not legitimate.
So, before you deposit your hard-earned cash, make sure you test their customer support to determine how reliable it is. You could simply text asking about a particular game or anything related to their payment methods.
2. Bonuses that seem too generous
One thing you need to know is that online casinos are in business to make money. If the casino you visit promises you unrealistic bonuses, that is a red flag that you don’t need to ignore. Bonuses should be realistic and with clear terms and conditions. If an online casino promises to reward you without your input, the chances are high that promise won’t be fulfilled.
Once you visit a new online casino that you are not sure of, check out their bonuses page first. Make sure all their bonuses are realistic and with clear terms and conditions of winning. If the terms are not clear, contact their support team for clarity. In order to avoid being a victim of fraudsters, you need spend more time digging into the matter.
3. Unclear and slow withdraw process
Most of the scams on the internet will make sure depositing your money is as seamless as possible. However, things will change when it comes to withdrawing. Scams usually make withdrawing lengthy and unpleasant for gamblers. That is why we recommend starting small so that you test out all these processes without putting a lot of your money at stake.
When you visit an online casino for the first time, deposit some little money and play simple games like slots and fishing games. If you win, try withdrawing your winnings to see how the process goes. You may also check out the reviews of that online casino on the internet to determine what other players think of it.
4. The supported payment methods
Most of the popular brands in the payments industry usually don’t deal with scams. Check out the casino’s payment options before putting your confidence in them. If it is not a popular payments platform in the casino’s country of origin or on the international level, that’s a red flag.
For those in Southeast Asia, some of the payment methods you need to look out for include; EeziePay, Help2Pay, and direct bank transfer. I’d stay away from an online casino if it didn’t include any of these features.
5. They require a lot of personal information
Online casinos run by scammers will always want to get a lot of information from you. Some of these casinos get this information to probably sell it to third-party data brokers or use it to access your other accounts on the internet. These scammers are aware that most people use the same login details on most of their online accounts.
We recommend not giving away a lot of information while signing up. Your username, password, and maybe your email should be enough to have your account created. If an online casino asks for more information than this, think twice about going ahead.
6. Poorly built websites
Most of these scammers usually don’t have the money to invest in building high-quality websites. Legitimate online casinos invest in their website designs to make them appealing and intuitive for users. This doesn’t mean you trust every online casino based on their website, but it is at least one of the common denominators about online casino scams.
7. Check their licensing
Licenses from some of the most reputable online casino gaming regulatory authorities are a sign of a legitimate online casino. The role of these regulators is to ensure every online casino treats its customers fairly. They also test the games that these casinos offer to make sure they meet the minimum standards.
If the licensing status of an online casino is not clear, simply stay away from it and check out other legitimate casinos.
Conclusion
With so many casinos out there, it may at times be hard for players to know which ones are legitimate. The seven red flags I have shared should help you in your assessment while choosing which casino to trust. Most of these red flags are very obvious; you will see them within a few minutes as you browse through the casino website.
It’s possible that this examination may take a few minutes. However, it is better to spend 20 minutes assessing an online casino than blindly trusting scammers with your hard-earned cash and losing it. We also encourage you to check out online casino reviews to know more about other people’s experiences with the casino you are about to trust.