With over 4.3 billion occasional players and over a billion regulars, the global online gambling industry is flourishing: estimated at approximately $75 billion and boosted by the notorious pandemic, it is expected to reach $150 billion by 2025 and over $250 billion by 2030.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of online casinos to choose from, but that doesn’t mean all of them are safe. Unfortunately, even the ever-growing competition in the online gambling sector cannot shut down cunning and even downright fraudulent sites once and for all. They still appear from time to time, making safety & reliability analysis a crucial part of online casino selection.

But what should you analyze in the first place if you want to pick a trustworthy, reliable, and safe place to gamble? We’ve addressed this question to Anna Rosak, a Polish gambling expert from KasynoHEX, and got some valuable insights into online casino security. Without further ado, let’s dig into it!

Licensed vs. Unlicensed Casinos

Licenses come before everything else. Now, regardless of whether you’re looking for a classic casino, cryptocurrency casino, or mobile one, it would only be logical to assume that you should prioritize a licensed site. And while there’s a lot of truth to that, there might also be circumstances forcing you to pick an unlicensed casino.

If

     a)   you’re playing from a country where online gambling is banned,

     b)   you can only find your game at unlicensed casinos,

     c)   or you don’t want to share your personal data,

then it might be reasonable to look for an unlicensed casino. In all other cases, a licensed casino would be a much safer choice, especially if it holds several licenses from reputable issuers, such as the UK Gambling Commission, the Malta Gaming Authority, the Government of Curacao, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, etc.

Reliable Payment Methods

All players will agree that you need to take all needed precautions to guarantee the safety of your funds. When looking for a casino, it is worth checking what are the available payment options that will allow you to make a deposit. The most popular casinos are those that offer a broad range of payment methods. If a gambling site owner entered into agreements with different payment and e-wallet operators, then their chances for getting more users grow. It’s usually the fast payout casinos, or how we call them in Polish - polskie kasyno z szybkimi wypłatami that attract most attention among Polish players. Some popular payment options include credit cards and e-wallets.

Certified Casinos vs. Provably Fair Casinos

Besides licenses, check for certificates, awards, and seals of approval from software testing agencies like eCOGRA (which is believed to be the most reliable one). Any worthwhile casino would want its software and Random Number Generators (RNGs) to be tested so that it could prove its fairness and equity.

But the best choice might be blockchain-based Provably Fair casinos, as they will allow you to verify the fairness of your gambling sessions:

    •   First, the casino generates a unique Server Seed, and you do exactly the same (User Seed).
    •   Then both seeds are combined into a unique Seed Pair that generates the gambling outcomes for you until a) the end of your session or b) until you decide to change your User Seed.
    •   Once either a) or b) happens, the casino sends you the previously used Server Seed, using which you can verify all your gambling outcomes.

It goes without saying that Provably Fair casinos don’t need verification by a third-party agency since they mathematically exclude the possibility of fraud.

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

Using a VPN as an extra protection layer is a good idea as long as the casino allows it. But then again, not all VPNs are equally safe. Though the issue of selecting a VPN is highly debatable, it might be reasonable to avoid VPNs from the 14 Eyes Alliance countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Norway, France, Span, Belgium, Sweden, and Italy. And if you are really cautious about it, then you may also want to avoid VPNs registered in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Israel.

Inside the Casino: Clear Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy

Once you’ve chosen a few candidates for a more detailed examination, pay attention to:

    •   Clears terms & conditions. Everything that has to do with your pastime at the casino (bonuses, wagering requirements, payment details, etc. – literally everything) should be explained in detail on the Terms & Conditions or the Bonus Terms & Conditions webpage. If the information is not full or ambiguous – and especially so if the customer support team cannot clarify things as well – it would be safer to steer clear of this site.
    •   Privacy Policy. Check what information about you the casino collects, stores, and protects. Privacy policies are usually standard for all casinos, but it would be wiser to check it all the same.
    •   Responsive Customer Support. All casinos guarantee you a glitch-free, smooth experience, but that won’t always be the case, which is why it’s crucial to have access to professional and swift customer support available through as many channels as possible, including live chat, email, and phone calls.


Keep Your State of Mind in Check

Last but not least, no matter how well you are protected at your casino, make sure to keep your mental health in check. Approximately 2% of the world population has some type of gambling issue, and you definitely don’t want to become one of them. If you’ve spotted symptoms of gambling addiction in yourself or your close ones, immediately ask for help at international – BeGambleAware, Gamblers Anonymous, GamCare, etc. – or local problem gambling organizations.