The number of online casinos has increased exponentially over the years. These casinos aim at providing quality gambling experience to players, but there are a few casinos that want to dupe you out of your money. That is why safety at online gambling sites has become a major issue. You need to be careful about the gaming software used, as well as the mode of money transactions.

Licensing

Every casino must work under a legal gambling license provided by a government authority. This is very important because a license means that the casino will have to function as per the regulations of the issuing authority. This also means that if you face any problem then you can directly approach the authority. Usually, you will find all the information about the site's licensing in the 'About Us' section.

Safe Online Casinos

There are various ways to tell if an online casino is safe and it is always best to double check in order to make sure that every piece of personal information is secure and that there will be no problems when withdrawing the winnings. A review of a safe online casino can offer a lot of information without the player having to risk anything and also without having to spend time going through countless sites before finding a good one. Reviews are always the best way to learn about new sites and how secure they actually are; it is the easiest way to learn where the online casino is licensed in and how long has it been operating.

Another great way to check out safe online casinos is to verify the software provider behind the games. Large companies such as Realtime Gaming never associate their titles with shady sites and online casinos that don’t offer a secure environment. A long list of games from a respectable software developer is always a good sign. Even the way the site is designed can offer some important hints regarding the quality of the online casino since the top names are always looking to offer something new and appealing to their users; a welcoming site with nice details can mean a secure online casino.

Regular Audits and Certification

Audits are done in a company to ensure that it is operating fairly. Online casinos are not required to go through independent audits, but they do so to establish their trustworthiness. At land based casinos, these audits are not very frequent, but some online casinos have audits about once every month and they also publish the reports. These reports tell about the financial status and also about the payout percentages that the players have been receiving. A safe online casino will have an independent auditor and their site will also have the logo of the auditing company. TST (Technical System Testing) is one such auditing company.

Even though the online gambling industry is quite new and is not regulated, there are a few bodies like eCogra that are present to help the players. Any site that has been certified by eCogra will have a player dispute form on their site, which can be filled and submitted to eCogra. The certificate provided by eCogra will also tell you about the payout percentage of the various games that are present in the casino.

Random Number Generator (RNG)

Most of the casino games have an element of uncertainty. To provide this element in the online versions a RNG (random number generator is used). A RNG is basically a computer program which randomly determines the final result in casino games. They give out the result based on a programmed code that cannot be changed by the casino. These programs are very accurate and will payout a given percentage over time. You should check the gaming company that powers the software. You can trust the software from companies like PlayTech and Microgaming. Also the site should have the certificate of fairness from authorities like iTech Labs that have tested the random number generator.

Payments

Financial transactions are another safety concern for a lot of players. One way to figure out if a casino is safe or not, is to look at the payment options provided. Any good casino will support multiple payment options like credit cards, various e-wallets and bank transfers.

Also, when it comes to transactions, the site will secure all the vital information using latest encryption technology. The technology used should be mentioned clearly on the site. It is important that you should read the terms and conditions carefully before you deposit your money in a casino. Some of them have withdrawal requirements that have to be fulfilled before you can take any winnings. Some of them also have limits on the amount you can withdraw.

Importance of Online Reviews

The best way to determine the safety of an online casino is by getting the opinions of other players. A lot of players search for online reviews about a casino to determine whether they should join it or not. This can be very helpful but you need to take these reviews with a pinch of salt. You should ask yourself a few questions about the review before you believe in what is written. Firstly, you should see whether the author has anything to gain by taking a positive or negative stand about the casino in question.

A lot of times casinos will create review sites that offer biased opinions. Sometimes, the site in question might be getting commission from casinos for every user that uses the link on the review page to go to the casino site. So, it is critical for you to make sure that the review site is not biased. Apart from this, make sure that the review addresses all the important issues like the payment options, software used, bonuses and the customer support. If you are unsure about a particular site then you should look at multiple reviews of that casino to get a fair idea.