It comes at no one’s surprise that online casino frauds exist, even in 2024. While the online world has made things much more convenient for us, it is still way a dangerous place where you could lose all of your money in a heartbeat.
More in the case of online casinos, the online world is regularly developing ways to scam you. This task doesn’t fall on the shoulders of ordinary users, but people malicious people that create these services only to better themselves.
Are Online Casinos Generally Safe?
With hundreds of thousands of online casinos out there, many aren’t safe for users. This marketplace is obviously vast and filled with scams and frauds that are only after your money and information.
On the global spectrum, you have those that are big and established and those that are dark, shady and lesser-known. The former are generally established and safe players in the industry, while the latter are obviously the ones to avoid at all costs.
The former is also becoming household names, with millions of users on their books, all of which are actively playing their casino games. Of course, there are smaller ones which are trying to make a name for themselves, but they don’t have nor the respect nor the trust to rise to such levels of notoriety.
And while these are only trying to grow bigger legally, they can pose a threat to the ordinary user through external means.
With all that said, we’ve distinguished the good from the bad, now let’s take a look at some warning signs that might point towards online frauds.
1. Can’t Find The Physical Location of the Company
The first warning sign to look out for is closely related to the physical location of the parent company. The online casino in question doesn’t have to own a physical location, but the company has to own offices where they run and maintain operations.
If you try your hardest to find the physical location of the company, but for some reason, you cannot, then this is a clear warning sign to avoid the establishment.
2. Cannot Find the License Number
All online casinos are issued a license number, usually found around the footer area of the website, vouching for their legality. This is the first thing you should be looking before making an account with a specific casino.
The license number located in the footer will also be highlighted whenever you hover over it. This license number is essentially a link that takes you to the official authority that issues the number to the casino owner. Without it, do not make an account with the specific service as they do not own a license to operate the business.
3. Long Withdrawal Time
The World Wide Web is an excellent place to look for information on specific things. Chances are, there is at least one other person that is interested in the same thing you’re interested in.
So, before you make an account with a specific online casino, make sure to conduct a simple Google search regarding how long it takes to withdrawal funds.
If reports say that the service experiences long withdrawal time, then you need to avoid the service at all costs.
Is Your Online Casino Safe?
Chances are, most of you reading this article entre various online establishments for your daily entertainment. Most of you have accounts with different establishments and are interested in whether it’s safe or not.
Well, as mentioned, look for the signs above to make sure everything is in order. For example, the popular service is CasinoChap.com. This service validates other establishments regarding how safe they are. They mostly operate around Europe, but they offer excellent resources on some of the top players in the industry.
There are also other services out there that determine whether a specific establishment is safe or not. So, before you create an account, do your due diligence and dome some digging around.
Also, a great thing to do is get familiar with your laws regarding gambling validations. Also, different countries have different laws, and you should get familiar with those as well.
Most casinos around the world are also issued a certificate vouching for their legality and safety. Examples of such certificates are the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) and Curacao eGaming.
Common Frauds to Watch Out For
We talked about specifics and we talked about signs, now let’s take a look at the common frauds.
1. Banking Options
If a specific online casino has very limited banking options, then do know that you might be facing a fraudulent establishment. The top players in the industry support all credit card issuers such as Visa, Maestro, and Master cards, payment options such as PayPal, Neteller, and Skrill, as well as, options for bank and wire transfers.
Some also support an even wider range of options such as prepaid cards. However, if you notice a lack of these or even a payment option that sounds and looks very weird and shady, then you should avoid doing business with it.
2. Lack of Customer Support
Another quite common fraud is for establishments to have no customer support on their websites. This is because why would anyone hire people to talk to other people regarding the validity of their business if they are fraudulent.
First, it doesn’t make sense to do business with a company that has no customer support and secondly, how would you get into contact with the establishments regarding issues if they arise?
3. Insane Sign Up Bonuses
While this isn’t something unusual, the top casinos distinguish themselves from the rest by having moderate to solid sign up bonuses. Those that are fraudulent offer you insane bonuses that every person would instantly go onboard.
When you see such as offer being presented to you, do understand that you’re facing a fraudulent player.
For example, legitimate casinos will mostly offer you a 100% sign up bonus, meaning if you deposit $10 you’ll get an additional $10. You could deposit $50, $100, etc, the main thing is that you need to deposit a sum.
A fraudulent establishment will give you a betting requirement. Most frauds say that if you bet 10x what you deposit, then you’ll get the reward or bonus. They will even give you a specific game to bet on and even give you a specific time frame to do it. Avoid these at all costs.
