As we approach the final quarter of the European soccer season, it is not long until sports bettors will start looking elsewhere for their winnings. Many will look to gaming, be it slots, table, and card games, or bingo.
The best thing about wagering on these games in the 21st century is that many of us don’t even need to leave the comfort of our own homes to do so. All you need is an internet connection and a phone, tablet, or laptop and you can get started within minutes.
Despite its ease of access, many may be tentative to use online games, doubting whether they can trust them. If you are one of these people, then fear not. Here is a quickfire guide on how to know whether you can trust your online game.
Search For A Support Chat
One of the first steps is to see if your app of choice has a live support chat available. Every online game should have an email, phone number, or social media contact but the most trustworthy apps are likely to include a live chat option. This way you can contact them immediately through the app and base your decision on their trustworthiness on the quality of their feedback. It is also important that these services are available in multiple languages.
Visibility of Terms and Conditions
The most trustworthy games, having nothing to hide, will be upfront with their terms. These can usually be found on the homepage or by using the ‘Help’ option. Here you should check for their withdrawal policies and their security options. You should also check for their ‘disconnection policy’. This will tell you what happens to your wager or winnings in specific games should you disconnect intentionally or unintentionally. Most all trustworthy games will keep your wager restricted in-game whilst also awarding you any winnings you made before disconnecting. Always make sure to check these before you deposit into your account and start playing.
Secure Payment Methods
A big symbol of its credibility is the number of payment methods they accept and its security of them. When depositing, keep an eye out for established methods such as PayPal, Skrill, Visa, and Mastercard. Additionally, research the data security and encryption of the site you are using. You can view details on how providers keep your account and information safe by using the previously discussed ‘Help’ and live chat methods or a separate Security and Privacy page. You can check the security of the payment methods themselves by visiting the sites of the payment providers.
Check For Licensing
Every legal online game must be regulated and licensed by an international regulatory organization. These organizations include the Malta Gaming Authority and the UK Gambling Commission among others. If they have been granted their license, you can find their stamp on the bottom of the casino’s website along with detail of their licensing. They will also have a license number. These are essentially the universal signs of a trusted game. If you cannot find these anywhere and you have opened an account with the game, you should consider closing it immediately.
Check For Reputable Reviews and Audits
Online games are subject to audits from third-party organizations to ensure the games are fair and impartial. You can find details of these on the privacy and security page. Additionally, read reviews for respective casinos, especially from review websites and magazines. Something to keep an eye out for is any awards that games may have won from these reviewers, especially EGR whose awards are considered the Oscars of the gaming industry.
Study The Web Address
Cybercriminals may be able to make sophisticated duplicates of reputable, known casinos but they cannot duplicate domain names. Many of these criminals will work around this by creating very similar web addresses that, to someone who was not paying attention, could be missed very easily. This is often done by adding in slight spelling mistakes. Additionally, if the URL begins with ‘HTTPS’, the letter ‘S’ means that the connection is encrypted, therefore safe.
Check For Help with Game Addiction
The most important part of staying safe when wagering in an online game is never wagering more than you can afford to lose. To combat gambling addiction, every trustworthy game will provide users with tools to manage their playtime and budget. These include cool offs, loss limits, and complete self-exclusions. They will also provide links at the bottom of their page to free gambling addiction services such as Gamstop and Gamcare. Win, lose, or break even, the most important part of an online game is that you enjoy yourself!
If all of these criteria are met then you have chosen a trustworthy game. It is important you check every time you use a new game. If they pass the test, then you are free to enjoy all the fun of the game with no worries about the safety of your data and cash!
