With so many online casinos around, some are naturally far more trustworthy than others. Choosing safe online casinos is paramount if you want a fair shot of winning. Rogue casinos and unlicensed sites may keep hold of your winnings, fix their games, and provide you with far-fetched bonuses with outlandish T&Cs. Avoiding these casinos is an absolute must, and today, Go Spin shows you how to check if a casino is legit before signing up.
The 10-Point Checklist for a Safe & Trusted Casino
Go Spin’s guide to finding safe online casinos features a ten-point checklist you can take to the bank. Follow each of these steps to rest assured that you’ll end up at a trusted and safe online casino today.
1. Valid Licensing & Regulation
The best-licensed casinos feature the most sought-after licenses, such as MGA or UKGC licenses. These ensure a high level of regulation, so you can rest assured player protections are in place. Just because a casino claims to have a certain type of license doesn’t make it so, though. You can easily verify if that license is legitimate by obtaining the licensing details at the bottom of the site or via the casino’s terms and conditions page and comparing that with the license information found on the issuing authority’s web page.
2. Strong Security & Data Protection
Secure online gambling sites will always feature SSK encryption and data protection compliance. They’ll also support secure payment options, protecting your cash from the moment you process a payment to the second it lands in your casino account. It’s also important to see transparent privacy policies. You can explore those privacy policies at the bottom of any trustworthy casino.
3. Fair & Transparent Terms and Conditions
While looking at the privacy policy, it certainly won’t hurt to explore the casino’s general terms and conditions, as well as its bonus T&Cs. You’ll find these in the same place, on the footer at the bottom of the site. Look out for predatory terms, including high bonus wagering requirements, low monthly withdrawal limits, and restrictions on how you can use any bonus you receive, such as the games you’re eligible to use it on.
4. Verified & Fast Payment Methods
The end goal is playing at a top-rated casino with fast payouts. E-wallets and cryptos represent the fastest withdrawal options. Fair casinos pay your winnings in 1 to 72 hours, while payout policies should include flexible withdrawal limits worth at least the equivalent of any deposit limits listed and a thorough but not impossible KYC process.
5. Fair Games & RNG Certification
The fairest casino games always have random number generator algorithms, ensuring a random outcome each time. You need to know that your casino supports RNG-certified games. Many independent, third-party auditors, such as eCOGRA and iTech Labs, certify games, and their certificates are proudly displayed. Never trust a casino that certifies its own RNGs. You should find such information on the site’s lobby (homepage), or under the responsible gambling page.
6. Responsible Gambling Measures
The more jeu responsable tools a casino supports, the safer you are when playing (assuming you use them). That said, the availability of self-exclusion tools isn’t necessarily enough – most casinos offer those. We recommend choosing sites that allow you to set deposit limits, perhaps even wager and loss caps, and that feature reality checks. Reputable and trusted online casinos also align themselves with problem gambling programs and organisations, including GamCare, BeGambleAware and others.
7. Reputation & Player Reviews
Don’t underestimate the community aspect of safe online casinos. It’s well worth exploring player feedback on forums. Naturally, red flags include anyone complaining about delayed withdrawals and banned for winning. Also, avoid over-optimistic reviews. There are some truly sensational casinos out there, but every casino will have at least one aspect they can work on. Well-balanced player reviews will often lead you to trusted casinos.
8. Reliable Customer Support
You never know when you’ll need to reach out to a casino’s support team. The availability of live chat, e-mail and, where it is available, telephone support is a must. Merely offering support options isn’t enough. Top casinos will also feature professional staff eager to help – they won’t just outsource such a service to a call centre in a distant land. Testing the response times of support and the attitude of its support professionals before committing to play long-term is worth doing.
9. Game Providers & Software Quality
Games shouldn’t just be RNG-certified; you’ll also want them to come from established top-tier providers. Generally, top brands such as Evolution, Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, and others (those big developers in the public eye) produce the fairest games. They are heavily critiqued and feature the most reviews; therefore, they provide quality software you can trust. If you want a fair shot of winning, then finding reputable software providers at online casinos matters.
10. Bonus Transparency & Promotions
Lastly, safe online casinos will support generous but ultimately fair bonuses. Don’t worry so much about how much money or how many free spins you receive. Instead, pay a visit to the bonus T&Cs page. This will reveal the bonus wagering requirements, any restrictions associated with it, and which eligible games you can play with bonus funds. When it comes to casino bonuses, the fairness, attractiveness, and, ultimately, whether there is value to an offer are all found in its terms and conditions.
FAQ
How do I check if an internet casino is licensed?
Head over to the casino in question and scroll to the bottom of the site to its footer. There, you’ll likely see any licensing authority the casino is associated with, along with its license number. In some cases, there may be dedicated pages for this information, too.
What are the warning signs of an unsafe online casino?
A lack of licensing is the most obvious one. However, poor player reviews, dodgy payouts, hidden or absent T&Cs, excessive wagering requirements, and complaints surrounding payment are all hallmarks.
Are crypto casinos safe?
Crypto sites can certainly be safe online casinos. If they are licensed and feature Provably Fair gaming technology that allows you to verify the randomness of each bet, they may very well be safe, secure, fair and trustworthy.
How can I ensure my personal and payment details are secure?
Casinos should support 128-bit SSL encryption at a minimum. They’ll also feature trusted payment providers that protect your transaction every step of the way, and have crystal clear privacy policies explaining how your data is kept confidential from third parties.
What should I do if I have a dispute with a casino?
The first step is to try to iron out your dispute with customer support. If that’s not possible (and your casino flatly refuses to assist you), consider escalating the issue to the licensing authority involved or any third-party mediators online, of which there are several to consider.
Choose Safe and Trusted Casinos Today
If you follow each step of our ten-point plan, we’re confident you’ll wind up playing at a trusted site. You don’t have to do all this research yourself, though. If you want to dive straight into gameplay at a trusted casino, then explore Go Spin’s recommended online casinos today.
