We know how it is: college is expensive but, you know, you’ve got a little cash spare for little fun now and again. That might mean hitting up your favorite bar and making some regrettable decisions when Shania Twain comes on the stereo (been there) or, maybe, hopping online for a chance to win big in an online casino.
Online casinos have become a huge business, worth around £95 billion this year globally, according to www.statista.com, and fuelling a new generation of players. It’s been made possible by the fact that, thanks to smartphone technology, you can now take your casino experience with you anywhere you go.
The only problem is that not every online casino operator is quite as safe, secure and legitimate as you might hope they are. The risks when you end up on a website like that are obvious and, if you’re anything like us, you’d rather not be ripped off.
Obviously then, safety is paramount when you’re looking for an online casino. But how do you know whether a casino is safe and fair? Well, we’ve put together a guide to choosing safe online casinos. Let’s get started.
Ensure your Casino Has a Gambling License
There isn’t a country on earth which doesn’t attempt to regulate gambling companies in order to protect consumers, so your first step is to ensure that the casino you’re visiting has a valid gambling license from the relevant authority.
In the UK, that license is given out by the UK Gambling Commission. It’s an exceptionally hard thing to acquire, with operators required to jump through a number of hoops to land their license. This includes proving the fairness of the software that they’re using to power their games and revealing their privacy policies to ensure that personal information isn’t being sold or distributed illegally.
You’ll find a full list of gambling regulators a mere Google search away, so check with your local authority to see which websites are fully accredited and regulated.
Look for High RTPs
Whether you know it or not, your chances of being successful in an online casino game are ruled by one thing – RTP.
‘RTP?’, I hear you cry as you fire up Google. Yes, RTP. According to https://www.safecasinos.org.uk/, it stands for ‘Return to Player’ and it’s written as a percentage, which indicates the average percentage of money returned to the player of a certain game.
These numbers vary from casino to casino and from game to game. For example, slots typically have an RTP of between 94 and 97%, whilst classic blackjack games should have an RTP not lower than 99%. All reputable websites will list their RTPs somewhere, so looking out for them is a smart way to ensure you’re not being conned.
It’s worth noting though that simply because an RTP is high, that doesn’t mean you’re going to get that amount of your money back. The average is taken from all players of the game over a long period of time. So, you may lose more than you hoped or win big – that’s the appeal of the casino.
Check Security Standards
The internet is a far less dangerous place than it used to be, and that’s thanks primarily to huge advancements in web security standards and improvements in payment transaction safety. Luckily, any reputable casino online will be using the very best in safety standards to protect you.
The most important aspect of web security is encryption. It stops snooping on your connection and helps protect you across the web. It’s also easy to spot when in action because the website will begin with ‘https://’ rather than ‘http://’. You’ll also notice a padlock at the far left of the address bar, indicating the website you’re using is secure.
Casinos often rely on independent companies to ensure their safety, outsourcing to the likes of Thawte, Norton Secured, Rapid SSL, McAfee and TRUSTe. Keep an eye out for a security company logo on your casino’s website, as this will indicate that the company is responsible for protecting data and performing malware checks to protect both you and the website itself from attacks.
Determine Secure Payment Options
Paying for things online has never been easier, safer or faster than it is right now. After all, it wasn’t so long ago that we used to post cheques to people when we bought items on eBay.
That’s all changed, however, and there are dozens of payment processing companies which ensure total security in your transaction. From big names like Skrill, PayPal and SagePay to smaller companies, there are plenty of secure payment companies out there.
Any good and safe online casino will partner with these companies and offer a number of ways to deposit cash and retrieve your winnings. If they don’t? Well, move on to a casino which puts the security of your cash first and foremost.