A common question that arises in connection with online casinos is the question related to the security, reliability, or regularity of individual games. It would be naive to believe that online casinos do not face the pitfalls of the modern Internet. They store very valuable information on their servers, which attracts many hackers or other organized groups.
Are Online Casinos Safe?
Novice players often wonder how to choose a trustworthy casino site. Will you lose your data, will the casino payout any winnings, or will the casino abuse your payment information? In the vast majority of casinos, nothing like this will happen to you. It depends on which casino you find.
Land-based casinos must go through a rigorous approval process, which results in obtaining a license from local authorities. Online casinos are very similar. Before offering their services, online operators must obtain a license from a local or international licensor. This license guarantees that the casino has fulfilled all the conditions and will not cheat players.
How To Find a Safe Casino
Therefore, the main indicator of security is the license. It is very easy to check if the casino has a license. Just look at the footer of the website where this information is traditionally placed. In some cases, you can find the licensor’s logo there or the casino itself.
The most common licensor:
- Maltese Gambling Authority
- UK Gambling Commission
- Curacao eGaming
- Alderney Gambling Control Commission
- Kahnawake Gambling Commission
If you don’t know how to choose an online casino, try to conduct a comparative analysis of an online casino. There you will find licensed online casinos, including their reviews and the experience of other players.
Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Encryption Protocol
One of the main elements used not only by virtual casinos but also by more or less all institutions, including banks, electronic wallets, and other organizations that store confidential data on their servers, is the encryption of transmitted data using the SSL protocol (Secure Sockets Layer). In simple terms, this is the encryption of the connection between the casino and your computer.
Of course, online casinos do not take security lightly, so they use up to 256-bit encryption to provide a sufficiently high level of security for money transfers and other confidential procedures. To ensure the regularity of games, licensed casinos use a certified RNG (random number generator), which prevents any manipulation on the part of the player or even the casino itself.
There are also new services and practices in relation to customers to protect the players themselves. These include the Safe Gaming System (SGS) and age verification. The safe gaming system is based on the principle of limited subsidization of the casino account and the limitation of the game time when the player sets his maximum limits in advance both in time and money. Of course, the system is designed to limit both excessive gambling and the possibility that a player under the influx of emotions will load more money and lose it.
In a calm state, a person thinks rationally and is usually able to control his actions, but with an emotionally painful financial loss, he loses this logic. The second method of increasing the regularity of the casino is to check the age using a phone number where players receive an activation code. The service is embedded in the casino website in such a way that when entering the code, the system checks the age of the player for whom the number is registered.
Who Controls the Integrity of Online Casinos?
Like any company, an online casino conducts an internal audit by independent audit companies. If you are looking for a quality casino, pay attention to the certificates of these companies. They ensure that the casino does not cheat and adheres to a strict code of ethics. Who conducts such audits and what is checked?
You’ve probably wondered who controls the random number generator (RNG). RNG and payout ratios are crucial for a legal game. The end player, for example, can find the payout data on the casino’s website, but where is the guarantee that they correspond to reality?
Part of the responsibility for programming fair games already lies with software developers such as Microgaming or NetEnt, but in general, every game, casino, and even the developers themselves must be controlled by a third independent party. And this is where auditors come into play.
Audit Companies
There are many gambling auditors in the world. However, currently the most well-known and widely used is probably eCOGRA (eCommerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance). This London-based auditing company was founded in 2003 and specializes mainly in the gambling business. Every casino that is their client and is being audited is awarded the “Seal of Safety and Integrity”.
Other well-known auditing companies include Gaming Labs, which provides consulting services in addition to programming and testing the code of ethics. And finally, let’s mention the auditing giant, one of the 10 largest private companies in the world, Price Waterhouse Coopers.
How to Check the Random Number Generator
Software testing during casino audit begins with checking the random number generator, which determines the outcome of almost all online casino games. Therefore, proper and fair functioning of RNG is necessary for players.
Statistical Testing of the RNG
Several statistical methods can be used here. Among the most famous are the “Diehard” series of tests or the Chi-square test. The specific test is selected by the testing laboratory depending on the RNG system.
However, each audit company will have its own and well-protected know-how to verify the validity of the random number generator. Here is just an example of what the testing procedure might look like.
Checking the Number of Payments
The second most frequently monitored element is the average yield. Players give him a lot, so the payout amount is a standard attraction in most games. The auditor’s task is to confirm that the stated payout for each game coincides with the actual payout ratio. Again, auditors use statistical measurements and their technological procedures.
Checking the Gaming Platform
Of course, the technological part of the audit is not limited only to testing RNG and payments. This also includes testing of gaming systems. For example, it checks whether the casino can restart the game with all the necessary information within a certain time after the failure.
It also checks how the game stores information about user accounts and the game itself. For example, how long the user played, how many bets he made and how much he won or lost. The focus is on jackpots and above-average wins. Jackpots may be a separate area of interest in some audits.
Online Casino Security Check
Checking how well the casino is prepared for emergencies is also an important part of everyone’s job. As I’m sure everyone might think, they check how well the servers are protected from hacking and how well the casinos protect the players’ information. But that’s not all.
Casino employees are also subject to security checks in the field of appropriate training, and the legality of access to personal information of players by all employees, contractors, and other third parties is also checked. The casino must also submit a crisis plan, including, among other things, the procedure for responding to unexpected situations in the media.
Responsible Gambling
If a casino wants to get a certificate from an honest company, it often also has to prove that it does not support gambling that leads to addiction. For example, every online casino should create a responsible gambling page on its website, which should be accessible from any other site. Usually, casinos place it on the bottom panel along with general information.
In addition to this informational obligation, the casino must provide the player with the opportunity to set limits:
- Amount of bets
- Amount of loss
Deposit Amount
The player must also be able to temporarily or completely block himself from participating in certain games. If he has done so, the casino can no longer accept bets or deposits from him. Both of these options should be available on the responsible game page mentioned above.
A Few Tips on Choosing a Casino and Playing
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Find Information
Reviews and comments from other players will help you. Find out what others are saying about the casino. A relatively simple way is to enter the name of the casino in Google and check its rating, which will tell you a lot.
You can also try typing “casino name” along with the phrase “payment problems” or a similar variation and see what Google finds in this context. Alternatively, you can find multiple operators by searching for specific features like https://gamblizard.com/free-spins/no-wagering-free-spins/ casinos, or casinos with best welcome bonuses. The key thing to remember is to look for reviews on multiple sites and see if user feedback is consistent. This way you can see whether the feedback is honest or if it’s just a promotional review.
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Put a Smaller Amount In The First Time
It is possible that if you deposit a smaller amount, you will lose part of the welcome bonus, for example, the casino offers up to 100% on the first deposit of $ 500. On the other hand, loyal players are rewarded in any case with bonuses and small amounts of free funds for playing in the long run.
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Be Well Acquainted With the Terms and Conditions of Withdrawal of Funds
After you have collected the information and decided to top up your account for a small amount, you should still familiarize yourself with the withdrawal conditions. Most of the problems with online casinos arise at the moment when the client tries to withdraw his money. Some casinos may impose unfair conditions that the client must fulfill before withdrawing funds.
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If There Is a Problem, Be Polite
In any contact, politeness is usually shown, and it is possible that even if you have problems, you were not intentionally harmed. If you know the conditions and rules, be sure to support your arguments, but rude name-calling usually leads to nothing. If you have special suspicions, you can also try contacting the casino by email before you start playing. If you get an answer, you will make sure that the casino is communicating with its customers correctly.
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