How to Spot an Unsafe Casino Website
We are huge fans of online gaming (for obvious reasons), but we also know there are unfortunately a lot of scam casino websites. The good news is scam casino websites are pretty easy to spot if you know where to look.
Checking that the connection is secure, testing the customer service, and using a test balance are all great ways to ensure the site you are using is on the up and up. For more details on spotting an unsafe casino website, keep reading.
1. Check for an SSL Certificate
The number one way to check if a website is safe is also one of the easiest—and the most overlooked. When you look at the address bar, is there an https before the website address? Despite common belief, https and http ARE NOT created equal. The s stands for ‘secure’, and if the website you are on has just ‘http’, it is not secure, and you probably shouldn’t use the website.
2. Contact Customer Service
Another good method of spotting an unsafe casino website is to contact customer service. They should respond to you within a reasonable amount of time (1-2 business days) and be able to answer your questions or concerns. If they are pushy, rude, or don’t answer—that isn’t a good sign.
3. Check for a License
While you’re talking to customer service, ask to see their gaming license. In most countries, a gaming license is required to operate. Of course, there are some exceptions, but when you ask about the license, customer service should be able to provide you with information on where they are located and registered as a business. Then, you can double-check this information with the local authorities.
4. Is There an FAQ?
Scam websites make money by urging you to make decisions fast so that you don’t have too much time to look closely and realize you are being scammed. Any legit online casino website should have a lengthy FAQ and cover anything you could possibly need to know about the website. If there is no FAQ or information about any of the games, or if you are told you have to pay for that information, run.
5. Does it Sound Too Good to Be True?
Other than encouraging you to make a decision fast, scam websites also sound too good to be true. No legit casino website can promise you any sort of win, nor should they be claiming they have the “most winners” or “largest jackpots.”
Instead, any reputable casino website should have information about how their outcomes are chosen. They should be able to direct you to a random number generator or some other technological process that determines winners. If customer service can’t provide this when you ask, or they say the decisions are made by humans, it is probably a scam.
6. Check Reviews
Checking reviews is a good way to find scams—at the cost of other individuals having already been caught by the scam and writing a review. Though reading reviews can let you know you’ve found a good casino website (with lots of positive reviews), this item is number six on our list because it isn’t as easy to check reviews as you may think.
Scammers are constantly changing their website names, domains, and methods of scamming to ensure they don’t get caught, meaning you are unlikely to find negative reviews about the site you are investigating. In fact, once more than a few reviews pile up, most scammers change direction.
Not only that, but reviews can be manipulated, as the scammer can make several profiles to leave their own reviews. So, while you should still check, take this tip with a grain of salt.
7. Look At the Overall Design (Typos?)
Hopefully, by now, you know whether or not the website you have found is a scam, but sadly, the best scammers can fool you to this point. If you’ve gone through everything on this list and you still aren’t sure, it’s time to look at the website.
How is the design? Is it nice? What domain are they using? Are there typos? Legitimate websites invest lots of money and time in website design, and it shows. Additionally, most legal requirements force casino websites to host their own domains. So, if the website you are on says WordPress, SurveyMonkey, Wix, or any other domain name somewhere, know that this is a red flag and you should proceed with caution.
8. Trust Your Browser (Are There Pop-Ups?)
We do want to mention that some of the best defenses against unsafe websites is your own browser. When you open said website, do you get a warning about the website being unsecure? How many pop-ups are there? Generally, if there is more than one pop-up, the website is probably a scam, especially if the pop-ups are about topics like porn and the enlargement of certain appendages. If your website has warned you, then definitely don’t proceed.
9. What Information Are They Asking For?
If you have made it this far and everything looks good, then it is probably safe to sign up for an account, but be wary of what information they ask for. While all countries are different, most casino websites should let you do a basic sign-up with your name, email, and location (but not your exact address).
No casino website should ask for your SSN or credit card to open an account (remember, this is just for opening an account, not depositing yet). If a website asks for these details, proceed with caution.
10. Do a Test Bet
After making an account, we recommend waiting a few days before playing to ensure you aren’t making rash decisions. Regardless, when you do decide to play, start with a deposit of no more than $10 or the equivalent in your currency.
This deposit will allow you to test the games, to ensure they are fair. After a few games, we recommend trying to cash out what is left, as long as it is above the minimum. If you struggle with withdrawing, then you know the casino website you’ve found isn’t safe.
