How to choose a secure & right online casino
Playing a few rounds of your favourite online casino game – feeling that rush of adrenaline shoot through your body as you inch closer and closer to that next big win – is a fabulous way to blow off steam after a hard day or treat yourself to a spot of ‘you’ time.
When you are trying to unwind and get your head in the game, the last thing you want to have to worry about is whether or or not your chosen casino is safe and reliable. That’s all well and good – but how exactly can you tell that your provider is really trustworthy? There are literally hundreds of online casinos on the market. The main purpose of RightCasino is to help you find your right casino: a safe, honest and high-quality gambling website with the games and products you want.
That’s where we come in, because today we’re taking a look at 6 of our top tips on how to choose a secure online casino, and how to spot the warning signs of a more…disreputable one.
1. Look at license quality
In poker terms, this is the equivalent of a player’s tell – if the licence doesn’t look right, then it probably isn’t. It’s absolutely essential to check out an online casino’s gaming license before taking things any further.
Your best bet is to stick to UKGC or MGA logos, because that means your provider has passed rigorous checks required by the UK Gambling Commission and Malta Gaming Authority respectively. That being said, you’re generally safe with most European licensing authorities.
2. Can I play here?
There are various legal restrictions that prohibit certain players from taking part in online gambling. In some cases, you might sign up to a casino and deposit, only to find that you are unable to cash-out. This is why it is imperative that you check a casino’s terms and conditions to see whether you are able to play.
Age: Every territory that allows gambling places restrictions on the minimum age of player. The precise legal age for gambling varies worldwide, but as a rule most online casinos only accept players aged 18 and over.
Restricted territories and grey markets: Players from some regions are unable to gamble online due to the laws imposed by their countries of residence – these are known as ‘restricted territories’. Other regions are considered ‘grey markets’, meaning that, although they are not strictly prohibited from online gambling, they are restricted by some casinos for one reason or another. Players from grey markets are sometimes unable to claim bonuses.
Languages: Most casinos support a variety of languages and usually display them on their homepage. Information about language options is also displayed in all of our casino reviews.
Currencies: Many casinos accept multiple currencies. However, if your preferred currency is not supported by an online casino, you might have to convert your bankroll before you are able to play. This is time-consuming and can incur additional fees. Also, the value of your bankroll will be subject to fluctuating conversion rates.
Local casinos, near you: Some territories with relaxed laws on internet gambling run online casinos within their borders. These casinos are optimised for locals, providing content in their own language and exclusively supporting local native currencies. While it’s great that some casinos cater directly for nationals, the flip side is that winnings are often subject to domestic taxation. This means the government will take a healthy bite out of your winnings. For this reason, many players from locations where gambling is legal choose to play at international brands to dodge tax on their winnings.
3. What’s the games library like?
You can tell a lot about a person by the company they keep, and the same can be said of online casinos and the game providers they work with!
When you visit the site, you should of course check the game library to find out if your favourites are available – but don’t forget to take a wider look at the casino’s offerings as a whole. If you can see reputable names across the board, then there’s a really good chance that you’re in safe hands.
This isn’t the only thing that you should look out for, but it does act as a great indicator of the site’s reputation, simply because any game providers worth their salt wouldn’t want their products to be associated with any shady, unlicensed or unprofessional casinos.
4. Keep your ear to the ground
Staying up-to-date on what’s happening in the wonderful world of gaming is a fantastic way to suss out which casinos are legitimate operators and which ones aren’t worth your time and money.
Whether you are Googling the casino or checking out their Facebook page, the internet offers a wealth of information that promises to give you a complete picture of what players and news outlets are saying about it.
Oh, one more thing: reading honest reviews about the online casinos you’re interested in is a surefire way to know which ones have the best selection of games, top-quality customer support, and what kind of user experience they offer. Basically, you get all the knowledge of first-hand experience with none of the risk. Win-win!
5. Customer support is key
Let’s be honest – it is all about you, you, you. When you’re putting time, energy and money into one of your favourite pastimes, you need to know for certain that you can count on quality customer support whenever you need it.
What does ‘quality customer support’ actually mean? It means knowing that without a doubt, your withdrawals are quick and straightforward. It means having access to FAQs that really do answer your most urgent questions, and that you can get in touch with the support team if anything does go wrong.
Any reputable casino will have a customer support structure in place that can respond to your queries and concerns in a timely manner, working to solve any problems with zero stress. Keep an eye out for what kind of support channels are offered, and what their operating hours are like.
Prioritise casinos with 24/7 service over those with limited working hours, and expect at least three different support channels from serious, respected operators.
6. Listen to your fellow players
Hit the forums, ladies and gentlemen. As you probably already know from your Facebook feed, people just love sharing their experiences (especially the negative ones) online, so if the casino you are looking into has a bad reputation, you can rest assured that you’re going to hear about it on message boards and Facebook groups.
If you want to find out about a casino’s customer support quality and security level, forums are an absolute goldmine of information because they give players a platform to share their unbiased, unfiltered opinions with the world.
That being said, it’s equally important to remember that even the crème de la crème of casinos will get a few less-than-stellar reviews from time to time. What matters is how they respond to these reviews, and that they’re the exception rather than the rule.
If you’re looking for unbiased casino news and reviews and a way to compare casinos side by side, you can rely on Right Casino to stay true. For examples of some online casinos you can trust, check out Casumo, InterCasino, and Mr. Green!
