Most online casinos are generally safe, but just like in any industry, there will be a few bad apples out there. Setting up a fake online gambling site demands a lot less work than many people think and virtually anyone with the resources or basic coding/web design skills could have an online gambling website that looks just like the real thing.
A savvy online casino player will usually be able to spot them right away, but that might be a bit more difficult for a newbie. Thankfully, there are some simple things that you can look at that will allow you to know exactly what type of casino you’re dealing with. Here are a few signs that you may be dealing with a fraudulent casino.
It’s Suspiciously New
There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with being new as an online casino. After all, even the biggest online casinos on the planet were new and unknown at some point. But playing at a brand-new casino comes with its share of risks and you have to apply more scrutiny when reviewing them.
There’s a difference between a new and a suspiciously new website. A new legitimate site will have taken the time to get registered by the right regulatory agencies. Some will also go a step beyond and will hire an auditing company early on to show a good face. If a casino happens to be new and you can’t find any registration information, then there’s almost a 100% chance that you’re dealing with a fraudulent site.
You Can’t See the RTP on Games
If you don’t know what RTP, or return-to-player is, it’s quite simple. It’s a theoretical percentage of the amount of money that is returned to players on the money they wager. A good casino will allow you to access RTP information either through their website or by using their customer service. If, for some reason, you can’t find it or they flat out refuse to give the information to you, leave this casino immediately.
Bonuses are Too Good to Be True
Online casinos offer special deals to attract players to their casinos. Some casinos will have very generous bonuses, while others will have deals that seem impossible. If you come across a casino that offers match deposit bonuses on uncharacteristically high amounts or doesn’t have playthrough requirements on their bonuses, then it’s a clear sign of a casino that shouldn’t be trusted.
Before choosing a casino because of its bonus structure, we suggest you take a long hard look at the fine print first. If the terms seem too simple or complicated, it’s usually not a good idea to play there. You should be able to see things like wagering requirements for bonuses along with maximums on deposit matches.
The Pay-out Structure is Bad
Even some reputable casinos will make it tougher for you to get access to the money on your account sometimes. But there are times when an online casino will have ridiculous requirements for you to be able to withdraw your money. They will often do this so that they can use the money for financial manipulation or amass enough of it before running away.
Even if a casino is not fraudulent, you should never go to a casino that makes it too difficult to withdraw money. Don’t assume that all casinos will allow you to withdraw any amount of money after playing a few days and get the funds in your bank account immediately.
We’ve seen casinos that will require you to bet insane amounts for you to make a withdrawal. Others will have incredibly high minimum withdrawal requirements. Some will even only pay out in cryptocurrency. So, this is something you need to pay special attention to with any online casino you deal with.
You Can’t Find Reviews About them
This is another major red flag to watch out for. If you can’t find a word about the casino on any online casino review sites, then there’s a very good chance that it’s fake. The only exception is if it has just opened, but online players will pick up on new casinos very fast.
So, before you decide to play at any online casino, we suggest you check out a site like onlinecasinos.co.uk first. This will allow you to know exactly if the casino you want to play at can be trusted as they only feature licensed and proven websites. You’ll be able to find the casinos with the best bonuses fast while being reassured that you won’t get swindled for your money.
Bad or Inexistent Customer Service
Good online casinos will make it very easy for people to get in touch with their customer service. They know that people could experience issues with games or their accounts and take customer service very seriously. Before you pick an online casino, you need to check if and how you can reach them. A legitimate casino will usually allow you to contact them either through email, live chat, or phone. If you try using their live chat option and they don’t answer or they don’t have one, then this is a red flag. Not responding to the live chat should be a deal-breaker in most cases, but you can try to contact them via phone to see if there’s a technical issue.
When speaking with their customer service rep, make sure to ask very specific questions. Ask about the game selection and which software operator they’re working with. Ask about their bonuses. Also, ask about very specific information about the games. This would be a good time to ask them about the RTP ratio on certain games. If they can’t answer any of these questions or the person on the other end of the line sounds like a complete amateur, you might want to look for something else.
Spotting a bad or fraudulent casino is pretty easy when you know what to watch out for. The first thing to look at is their license. Once this is done, you’ll have to delve deeper into the inner workings of the casino and look for as many second opinions as you can find.