Choosing what online casino to play at is the most critical decision online casino players are faced with. While there are lots of casinos online offering different games, one thing to always keep in mind asides from your thirst for fun is your security.

Playing at the wrong online casino can end up becoming a drastic mistake, as while there are various reputable, licensed casinos online, there are equally a few rogue operators looking to scam unsuspecting players.

However, despite the existence of fraudulent online casinos, there are still lots of noticeable differences between a legitimate casino and a fraudulent one. Telling the difference is only a matter of doing some research before depositing any money, as some of these sites can be incredibly convincing on the surface.

Here are a few tips that should help you avoid fraudulent online casinos.  

1. Verify the Casino’s Reputation

Reputation is key in every business and the online casino industry isn’t left out. Today, there are numerous casino review sites and forums that take time to analyse multiple online casinos, presenting you with the best options.

Therefore, when you find an online casino that interests you, dedicates some time out to research them and find out what other people online are saying about them. You’re bound to discover both positive and negative opinions that can help you make an informed decision.

However, if you can’t find any additional information about them online, it is best not to play on such a platform.

2.  Be cautious of outrageous bonus offers

Just as with most things, if it appears too good to be true, it most likely is. Therefore, if a casino is seeming desperate by offering outrageous welcome bonuses, it is most often a negative sign and such a platform should be avoided.

However, there are still some legitimate sites offering cool bonuses like Matchbook Betting Welcome Bonus, but most casinos will only give a welcome bonus of about 150% to 300% with a limited amount cap. Any company that offers a higher percentage should be treated with caution and you should conduct more research about their credibility.

3.  Look at their funding options

For legitimate sites that have been licensed to accept gamblers from the regions they cover, they would always have multiple options for depositing money and withdrawing winnings from your account.

A huge red flag would be a gambling site that doesn’t support popular payment methods like MasterCard or Visa credit cards—or even popular e-wallets like Neteller or Skrill.

Nonetheless, not every site would accept every payment method—and their availability may be dependant on the player’s region. However, if a site only offers direct money transfer between bank accounts or Western Union as their payout method, it is enough to discourage you from gambling there.

4.  Verify their casino license

Every legitimate casino operator must be licensed by a governmental agency in the regions they operate and for most online casinos, they vividly display their license information at the bottom on their homepage—or tucked away in their terms and conditions.

If for some reason you can’t find any license information on the casino website you’re on, it is most definitely an illegitimate platform and shouldn’t be gambled at. It is important that any casino you’re playing at has its licence information clearly displayed in a public part of their website.

Typically, there are three major licensing bodies: Curacao, Malta, and the United Kingdom. For sites that acquired licenses from Malta or the UK, they are generally considered to be the most trustworthy. However, many casino sites hold licenses from both.

While this in no way discredits sites holding licenses from Curacao, however, there are known to have less strict gambling regulatory authority and fraudulent sites often take advantage of this.

5.  Check the software providers

There are numerous popular gaming providers and game development companies online that are independently licensed in various jurisdictions.

Therefore, if you see a game on a casino site from these companies, it is a strong indicator that the website is trustworthy.

Some casinos go the extra mile to list out the gaming providers they work with, just to add to their credibility. However, others make it less visible and you might have to load a few games to decipher who manufactures them. Popular gaming companies to look out for include, Microgaming, PlayTech, NetEnt, Play’n Go, Evolution, Yggdrasil, etc.