How to Avoid Online Casino Scams
Like any online business, there are good reasons to be skeptical of online casinos. Online casino scams have been perpetrated in the past, and there will always be con men doing anything they can to separate a person from his money. Blacklists of Internet casinos exist, review sites where customers can report casinos for refusing to pay out winnings or operating unfair games, but you can’t just trust a compiled blacklist of rogue online casinos to protect you from Internet gambling scams.
The key to protecting your bankroll is to avoid online casino scams altogether by only doing business with legitimate online gambling sites. There are three simple things you can do to look into the legitimacy of an online casino before you make a deposit to make sure you’re not getting involved in an online casino scam.
1. Read Online Casino Reviews
Not all Internet gambling reviews are created equal; some are little more than spam advertising sites designed to get you to deposit money to a particular online gaming site. But trustworthy casino reviews do exist; you just have to do a little digging. How can you tell if a casino review is legitimate or just an advertisement designed to draw in casino customers? Look for well-written and balanced reviews that don’t play up a site’s bonus offers too heavily.
Honest casino reviews generally point out the good and bad aspects of a gaming site, and don’t put too much focus on deposit bonuses and promotions, since those options change on a monthly or even weekly basis. A good online casino review will tell you how long a casino has been in business, where they hold their gaming license, and details about the games and software available at the site – just enough information to clue you in to a site’s legitimacy without sounding like an ad for a casino’s services.
2. Look Through an Online Casino’s Website Thoroughly
Once you’ve put together a list of some casinos you want to look into, after reading online casino reviews, it’s time to peruse the casino’s website for signs of legitimate casino business. The first thing you should look for is licensure and auditing information. This usually comes in the form of certificates posted prominently on a casino’s home page, advertising the fact that their casino has been tested by a third party for fairness and holds a license to offer online casino games from a legitimate gambling jurisdiction. A lack of that kind of certification is a red flag that a casino site might not be operating within legal boundaries.
3. Contact Online Casino Customer Service
The final step in avoiding online casino scams is simply to call the online casino’s customer service department and talk to them about their business. Online scam casinos sometimes don’t even have live customer support, a sure sign that the casino might be a scam. The friendliness and knowledge level of a casino’s customer service staff is a good sign of its legitimacy.