It’s easy to set up a good-looking website these days. You can use software that does most of the work for you. While the best sites are always created by professionals, individuals of all kinds can still create good sites using the available tools online today.
That means it could be harder than you think to figure out which online casinos are legit and which ones are not.
Of course, there are some famous online casinos that are known to be trustworthy because they’re been around for long enough to prove their worth. If you decide to sign up to one of these, you should still research what it can offer first. However, you should also find that the site has a great track record that speaks for itself.
To make sure you are not caught out, here are some of the danger signs that could be present if you land on a fake casino website.
Read plenty of online reviews
Players like to share their experiences – especially when those experiences aren’t good ones. Look up the name of the casino you are interested in and add the word reviews after it. You’ll soon find out if there are lots of good or bad reviews.
If you find lots of accounts of people saying they won prizes but could not get their cash, you should steer well clear. Look out too for tales of people who might have managed to withdraw funds… but only after paying sky-high fees for doing so.
Find out if the casino has a valid license
This is a big one. A license protects you as a player. If there is no license or the existing one has expired, don’t sign up to that casino. Even if the site has included an image of a licensing authority or body, don’t assume you’re safe. Select that link and make sure the license they claim to have is genuine, and if it is, it is valid. An expired license is just as bad as no license at all.
Another point closely related to licensing relates to testing. If you look at the best online casinos, you’ll see they are all independently audited to reassure the player their games are always fair. None of this is hidden either – everything is transparent, so the player can ask any questions they like to get the answers they are looking for.
Discover how you can get in touch with the casino
We always like to see live chat, but there should be phone numbers you can ring to speak to a real person, too. Some casinos only provide a contact form or email address, which is little use if they decide not to reply. Failing to provide phone numbers or live chat can be a huge red flag.
You can see that accessibility and transparency are the most important elements to consider when you are trying to avoid the fake online casinos. Once you know what to look out for – as you now do – you should find it much easier to stay safe.
