Playing any game online can put your computer or smartphone at risk if you are not taking the necessary precautions. Such a risk is elevated with online gambling, as you may not be sure whether you are using a legitimate site or a scam service. Losing a few dollars during a poker or blackjack game is not an issue but having your bank account wiped by a hacker is another matter.
Below are some tips to stay 100 percent safe when playing online casino games.
Find a Licensed Casino
The best way to stay safe when playing games online is by finding a licensed casino that is legal to use in your state. When it comes to online games safety, the biggest risk is using a site that is not reputable.
There may be some very good sites that do not have the proper casino licenses in your state. The problem is that you cannot take a risk with one of those platforms, as you have no recourse if something goes wrong. When you use a legal, legitimate site, you can make official complaints should you experience a scam or some other problem.
Start by searching for online casinos and sports books in your state. Several options should pop up. Make a list of the top three or four, research them further, and then decide on where to put your money.
Reading online reviews of the various sites is a helpful way to know whether other people had a good experience using that particular online casino platform.
Use Proper Passwords
Far too many people use basic passwords and then act surprised when someone can easily access their account. If your password is your name, a family member’s name, or a combination of names and birthdays, then you are in trouble.
The best passwords are those that combine letters, symbols, and numbers, along with upper and lower cases. You can use words within these passwords but using random combinations of letters is often more secure. Your password should also be at least eight letters.
When someone is attempting to crack a password, they use software that brute forces thousands of attempts until one of them is correct. The more complex your password, the less likely any program can hack into your account.
Even if you do use a high-quality password, you can further protect your online security by investing in a VPN. That will ensure no one can snoop on your online activity, not even your internet service provider.
Pick a Trusted Payment Portal
When you sign up to an online casino, you will be asked to add money to your account to play games. Most casinos even offer welcome bonuses to entice you into adding several hundred dollars, as they match the first deposit anywhere from 25 percent to 200 percent, depending on the promotion.
Rather than directly adding your bank account or credit card details into the online casino website, you should use a payment portal. Using payment portals such as PayPal is the safest way to add money to online accounts or pay for transactions.
The reason such a method is more secure is because you enter your payment portal account and complete the transaction through that service, not directly through the online casino or sports book.
If there are any issues with the transaction, you can easily dispute the charge with the payment portal. That adds a level of security that would otherwise not be present if you were to directly add your card details to the website.
Another reason to use payment portals is that you are limiting the number of institutions you must trust with your sensitive payment and personal information. Rather than twenty different sites having your card details stored on their servers, only the payment provider like PayPal or Payoneer has that information.
Enable Two-Factor Authorization
Almost every reputable online casino and sports book now offers two-factor authorization for your account. That means you can choose to always have the site send you an authorization request when you attempt to enter your password.
One option would be to choose your email address as the authentication method, while your smartphone is also an option. When you sign into the online casino, they send you an email or text message with a time sensitive code.
Enter that code on the website, and you can log in. If you do not enter the correct code, you will not be able to access your account. Such authentication may seem cumbersome, but it is one of the best ways to protect your account.
Two-factor ensures that should someone get a hold of your password, they are not able to log into your account. While both email addresses and phone numbers are good options for the second factor, a phone number is more secure, in case someone gets access to your computer.
Trust Your Gut Instinct
There are occasions where your gut instinct may save you in a dicey situation pertaining to any online site.
You may see an offer that seems too good to be true, but you are not entirely sure whether it is legitimate or a scam. If your gut instinct tells you that something is wrong, steer clear of such a website.
By putting your money into reputable, licensed online casinos and sports books, using payment portals you trust, you can stay safe when gambling online.
Also Read: 8 Surprising Benefits To VPN Services
