How to Determine the Legitimacy of an Online Casino Website – 7 Things to Look Out for
Casino regulatory bodies and take several measures to ensure players who play casino games are well-protected. However, the reality is that it is almost impossible to weed out all the threats that exist online. Part of these threats is illegal gambling sites posing to be genuine establishments to scam unsuspecting punters.
If you are about to start gambling online, you need to know how to tell the real gaming sites apart such as https://conquestador.com/en-ca from the crooks. It is easy to do but one can never be too careful these days. In this post, we share helpful tips that can help you determine if an online casino is legit. Here are 5 signs that an online casino is real and safe to play at.
Tip #1: Transparency: The Casino Display its Licences
An online gaming site operating legally must have a license from one or more casino regulatory authorities such as the Malta Gaming Authority and the United Kingdom Gambling Commission. These two regulatory bodies are some of the strictest in the industry. Hence, if online casinos have a UKGC or MGA license, they are trustworthy. Legit online casinos are transparent about the licenses they hold. The badges of honor are usually displayed on the casino landing pages with their license numbers. In case you want to confirm the authenticity of a license, you can always verify the license number online.
Also, legitimate online casinos will have an eCOGRA badge displayed on their websites. The eCommerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance prove that a casino uses fair RNG software, has safe banking options, and operates based on fair terms.
Tip#2: Have Fair Registration Criteria for New Accounts
As part of the security measures they take, authentic online casinos usually require new players to go through a two-stage registration process. If you have ever signed up at an online casino, you will notice your phone number or email had to be verified before you were allowed to move to the next stage. This is to ensure that people who register are who they claim, to be. Real online casinos also carry out another phase of verification at the point of making a deposit. At this stage, some documents are required from the player to verify their identity.
Casinos take these measures to prevent minors from gambling on their sites as they are at risk of losing their license if they are caught entertaining minors. If you ever visit a casino that does not request any additional information to verify your identity before you make any payments, that is a red flag. Also, trusted online casinos will only ask for your personal information once and keep it stored in their system.
Tip#3: Speedy Payouts
Have you ever played at a casino site and your winnings were held on to for some time for no reason at all? If so, you might have been dealing with a shady online casino. Legitimate casinos pride themselves on their ability to offer fast payouts. These trust sites offer a wide range of payment methods such as e-wallets, credit and debit cards, bank transfers, and other safe payment options. Although some payment methods take longer to process funds, you will be advised accordingly by the financial institution. A legitimate casino must be able to provide instant withdrawals as well, even if it comes with extra charges from the financial institution.
Tip#4. Widely Reviewed
Trustworthy casino sites are usually well-known in the casino community. Even the newest online casinos have most likely been tried and tested by someone else before you found it. Before you join a casino, try to read reviews about their services. You can get this information from sites only review legitimate online casinos or check websites that publish punters’ reviews about several online casinos. Keep in mind that casino review sites are usually geared towards their specific regions/ So look for the ones that focus on your region to find information that is relevant to you.
Tip#5. Clear Terms and Conditions Displayed Boldly
Another indicator that you are at the right casino is when you visit the site and you can almost instantly spot their terms and conditions. Moreso, these terms are written in plain language without any ambiguous sentences. Trustworthy sites display both their general gambling terms and bonus terms on their website for players to see. This is their way of laying all their cards on the table and being transparent. Although only a few players read these terms they are there nonetheless.
Tip#6: Availability of Popular Game Titles
The way the online casino industry is set up, no company would ordinarily affiliate themselves with casino sites without a valid license. So it is rare to find products of leading game providers on any casino site that is not properly regulated. Legitimate online casinos partner with multiple big software companies. If the casino is not big enough to partner with various game providers, they will stick to just one industry giant and grow their game portfolio as time goes on.
Tip#7: Reliable Customer Support
Customer support at reputable online casinos is available 24 hours, responsive, and always helpful with any casino-related issues players have. Trusted casinos have multiple channels of communication that are always open if you need to reach them. Scam sites cannot afford to do this, so generally, you will not be able to reach them when you find out you have been swindled of your money.
Before you commit your bankroll to an online casino, it is always a good idea to compare different brands. Do a little bit of research on the services and games they offer. Also, take extra time to read the casino terms and conditions. If you are unable to do all these, check popular and trusted casino review sites that give a detailed breakdown of what to expect from various legit online casinos.
Gaming and Technology Expert
