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Do The Safety Dance!
Looking to find out more about what makes a casino safe? Then keep on reading for our top tips for safe online gambling.
If you don’t have time to read all that and just want to choose a safe casino below to play at, then here’s a super-short summary you need to remember when visiting casinos online:
- Licenses: Do they have a proper and respected license? If not, do not deposit!
- Payment Methods: Do they have popular methods for withdrawals? If not, do not deposit!
- Customer Support: Are they accountable and contactable? If not, do not deposit!
Read below to find out all you need to know!
Which Online Casinos Are Legitimate?
With so many online casinos popping up all over the world wide web it can, at times, be difficult to keep track of which ones you can trust. As a rule of thumb, there are a couple of things you’ll want to keep an eye out to ensure that your chosen site is a secure online casino.
First and foremost are the licences that each individual site holds. This is a good way to measure how safe your money, along with your personal information, is likely to be. This is due to the fact that in order to obtain a licence each operator must commit to upholding all of the stringent stipulations and regulations that the awarding regulatory body has set in place.
These are the foundations which ensure a safe and secure gambling environment.
Each jurisdictional body will have varying requirements that must be met before a license is awarded. Therefore, if you come across a website with multiple licences, you can be sure that it is one of the more secure online casino sites.
That being said, there are certain licences that are considered to be much more reputable than others. For example, online casinos that have gained the approval of the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) or the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) have passed the strictest inspections and can be treated as some of the most secure online casino sites.
Something else that you may wish to look out for is whether or not your chosen site has been independently tested by a third party.
These companies are approved to test compliance against a regulatory body’s technical standards and equipment requirements to ensure that a site meets the highest of demands. There are a number of certifications to keep an eye out for, which ensure an online casino has been thoroughly examined and passed inspection, including those awarded by: eCOGRA, BMM Testlabs and iTechLabs to name but a few.
Ultimately, if you’ve found a site that has multiple licences, along with third-party certification, you can be sure that it is a legitimate online casino.
Can You Really Win Money On Online Casinos?
If you’re new to the world of online gambling, you may have certain reservations about whether or not you can actually win real money. Well, we’re here to allay your fears and assure you that you can.
Just like any business, online casinos award services for the exchange of funds. The service in question is that these sites offer you the ability to play a range of casino games for the chance to win money. Obviously, it’s not guaranteed that you will win, but if you do so you can withdraw your funds, providing you haven’t breached any terms and conditions and are of legal age to play.
After signing up to one of the safe and secure online casinos that we’ve listed below, you may be required to make an initial deposit in order to play. Certain sites do offer no deposit bonuses, which allow you to play for real money without the need for a deposit, but more often than not you will have to transfer money from your bank to your casino account balance. When you have done so, the credit in your account can be used to play a range of online casino games.
Before you start gambling with your deposited funds, you may want to check if your chosen online casino offers a demo version first. This will allow you to familiarise yourself with your chosen game, whether it be blackjack, roulette or video slots, without wagering real money.
Note that when playing in demo mode you cannot win real money.
Once comfortable, you can switch to real play to enjoy the same game and stand the chance of winning actual cash.
At the end of your session, if you’ve been fortunate enough to win, you may want to withdraw any remaining funds. This is typically done by navigating to the cashier page, where you will have the opportunity to perform a withdrawal using the same method that you used to initially deposit any funds.
After confirming your transaction the online casino will have to process your request before confirming the withdrawal. This is sometimes performed instantly, but in most cases, it can take longer – up to 48 hours.
The funds will then be transferred to your account of choice. Timeframes may vary depending upon your chosen payment method, with eWallet transactions being the fastest and debit card transactions normally taking up to 5 working days to complete.
Are Online Casino Games Rigged?
The old saying is that the house always wins. However, this isn’t because of any fraudulent behaviour on their part, it’s because when certain players win, they may continue gambling and eventually hit a losing streak. Essentially, the saying relates to expectations over the long-term.
This is why any online casino game that you come across will have a Return to Player (RTP) percentage. This estimates your returns over an extended period of play – the higher the percentage, the greater your theoretical return.
Casino games such as blackjack tend to have a higher RTP due to the fact a mathematical approach can be used. Obviously, there’s still an element of luck involved, but the game isn’t based on Random Number Generation (RNG) in the way online slots are.
Okay, you may still be thinking: ‘that’s all well and good, but how do I know the outcome of a blackjack hand isn’t predetermined and that the online casino is always going to win’?
Well, again, all of these games have to be tested and verified to ensure that this isn’t the case and trusted online casinos would never do this. Unfortunately, as is the nature of gambling, there will be occasions when you hit a run of bad luck and it seems like something fishy is going on, but all legitimate online casinos provide a fair environment in which to gamble.
In relation to online slots, RTP isn’t the only thing you must consider. These casino games also come with certain volatilities, which have a bearing on the overall gameplay. Slots with low volatility, or low variance, tend to provide consistent wins of a smaller value. However, those at the higher end of the scale favour infrequent wins of greater value and this is where some of the largest prizes can be found.
If you were to play a high volatility slot without realising, this is why it may appear that the game is ‘rigged’. However, this is simply the nature of the online slot’s gameplay. It may go through a long series of losing spins before a win is awarded.
As such, it’s always worth checking the RTP and volatility of your chosen game before playing, so that you will have an idea of what to expect.
Where Can I Find Safe Online Casinos?
So, we hope that we’ve managed to answer any questions and lessen any worries that you may have had about gambling at online casinos. The next step is to inform you where you can find the safest and most secure sites.
Whilst there are many websites and search engines out there that you could use to find one, we have provided a list of those we have thoroughly reviewed and established as secure online casinos below for your convenience.
Each of our reviews focuses on not only what each individual site has to offer in the way of game selection and bonuses, but also lists the secure payment methods you can use and which licences they hold. Additionally, we point out the countries whose residents are unable to play at these sites so that you don’t run into any trouble when attempting to register a new account.
Our goal, as ever, is to assist you in making an informed decision. We would never recommend an online casino that we didn’t believe was completely secure.
As such, we invite you to take a look at the range of online casinos that we’ve provided below to discover the best the industry has to offer. You’ll find plenty of welcome offers, promotions and exciting extras when you sign up at any of these, along with a great selection of NetEnt games to play.
Most of these are fully optimised for mobile, so you can also play your favourite casino games on the smaller screen!
Here’s hoping Lady Luck favours you and that you walk away with plenty of winnings!