How to Stay Safe and Secure When Gambling Online

Let’s face facts; frauds and scammers pose issues to both iGaming brands and online gamblers in the digital age, with this borne out by a recent survey carried out by Cifas.

While the threat posed by rogue operators to players is well-known, this particular study found that one in seven Brits had committed online gambling fraud, or at least knew somebody who had.

This was up from one in eight in 2021, while this included actions such as contacting debit or credit card providers after placing a losing bet to claim that this had been wagered fraudulently by somebody else.

Despite this, it’s players themselves who remain most at risk of gambling fraud when wagering in the UK, US or any other vibrant sports betting market. But how can you stay safe when gambling online in 2023? Let’s get into it!

#1. Check to See if Your Casino is Licensed

This should be your first port of call as an online gambler; as every reputable casino must be licensed to operate by a recognised and trusted regulator.

It must also be permitted to operate in your particular jurisdiction, with renowned regulators like the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) and Malta Gaming Authority widely accepted in regions and marketplaces across the globe.

What’s more, licensed casinos must display their credentials prominently on the homepage of their website. In fact, they should include their unique license number, the name of their regulator and their headquarters, while this information should be accurate and verifiable at all times.

In many cases, reputable casinos and sportsbooks will hyperlink their license number, so that you can click through to a regulator’s page and access further information on the platform’s accreditation.

If your chosen casino doesn’t display this information, there are most likely nefarious reasons for this. At the very least, this iGaming brand’s licensing credentials cannot be seen or verified, so the platform should be avoided at all costs if you want to wager safely and with genuine peace of mind.

#2. Does the Site Publish Return-to-Player (RTP) Rates?

This is another key consideration, especially from the perspective of wagering at fair and transparent casinos or sportsbooks.

The return-to-player (RTP) rate is expressed in the form of a percentage, and it describes how much you can expect to recoup on average for every $1 wagered on a particular game or vertical. This varies significantly from one vertical to another, dropping as low as 89% for some progressive jackpot slots and reaching as high as 99.92% for certain iterations of blackjack.

So, for every $1 that you wager on a jackpot slot with an RTP rate of 89%, you’ll recoup $0.89 on average over time. Conversely, your rate of return increases to more than $0.99 when playing ‘Switch Blackjack’, minimizing your risk of loss considerably in the process.

The RTP rate also enables you to calculate the house edge you must account for when playing specific games. To do this, simply subtract a vertical’s RTP rate from a value of 100, and this will leave you with a more rounded and informed perspective on individual casino games.

For example, if we take the aforementioned example of Switch Blackjack, the prevailing house edge here is virtually negligible at 0.08%. When playing a certified, low-variance slot with an RTP rate of 97%, the house edge is also relatively easy to calculate (albeit relatively higher) at 3%. 

Most regulatory bodies compel operators to publish their RTP rates accurately and in full, while most reputable casinos will also have their verticals and games’ libraries independently tested to guarantee fairness and transparency.

I’d definitely recommend betting through this type of platform, as this is more likely to be licensed and will enable you to make informed vertical selections and optimize your starting bankroll. 

#3. What’s the Customer Service Like?

Customer service is another key consideration when gambling at an online casino or sportsbook, while once again, this is an excellent way of distinguishing between safe and rogue operators.

Certainly, the best online casinos and remote sports betting sites offer 24/7 customer service and usually operate an interactive live chat feature. This enables you to contact an agent quickly and real-time, which is ideal when looking to resolve urgent queries as a matter of urgency.

You should also be able to access an email channel and comprehensive FAQ. The former is ideal for more complex and less urgent queries (while you should ideally receive a response within 24 hours or less), whereas a detailed FAQ resource should provide answers to the most frequently asked questions and negate the need to contact a customer support agent in many instances.

While a reputable operator won’t always enable you to make contact by telephone, if they do, they should offer a toll-free number that won’t see you incur charges. This is an important consideration, as deploying a paid telephone number that charges a premium to mobile callers is a highly questionable practice.

I’d recommend that you test an operator’s customer service before you sign up and make an initial deposit, paying attention to the range of channels and information available and the relevant response times!