From protecting yourself from online fraud to ensuring you’re in full control of your gambling, we would always recommend sticking to the below guidelines to ensure a safe, fun and hopefully fruitful online gaming experience!
Do your research
Always check out a casino’s credentials before you sign up or enter any of your personal or banking details. For every reputable casino there’s a not so reputable one, so it’s important to know what to look for.
- Do they have a gambling license in place? Without a license you are at risk of unsecured play and the possibility of not being able to cash out your winnings. Look for details of a casino’s license in the ‘About Us’ section or on their homepage.
- What kind of customer service do they have? If there’s no address or contact details, steer well clear! Live chat is a big plus point.
- Check out the online reviews. There are plenty of casino bloggers and reviewers out there, so it’s really easy to get an idea of a casinos reputation. Do they have unresolved or outstanding issues and customer complaints? How do people score them for customer service and pay-outs?
Stay secure online
Make sure whichever casino you are using has your online security under lock and key.
- Is the site secure? Most online casinos will use SSL (secure socket layer) encryption technology throughout their site, this ensures all data passed back and forth remains private. You can usually check this in the FAQs or under the security section of the website. A quick check is to look for the padlock symbol at the start of the web address and it should come up as ‘https://’ as opposed to an unsecure site which would come up as ‘http://’.
- Keep your user name and passwords safe. Like with any online activity you should always keep your passwords to yourself. Make sure they are as complex as possible (but make sure you’ll remember it!), we’d suggest using a mix of letters, numbers and symbols. Don’t duplicate the same password across multiple accounts either as you may find that hefty win has already been withdrawn by someone else!
- Secure payment methods. Do they offer plenty of well-known and secure payment and withdrawal methods? Make sure they do before you deposit any money, you want to know you can cash out any winnings quickly and securely. Payment and withdrawal methods are often listed along with any cash out times and fees that may apply.
If you have any concerns over the authenticity of an online casino, then don’t use it. Find yourself somewhere else to play, there are hundreds of reputable casinos out there, for a few suggestions check out some of our reviews of the best places to play.
Stay in control
Gambling online should be an enjoyable experience, if you follow the below guidelines each time you play, you can make sure it stays that way!
- Agree a gambling session time in advance of play. It can be so easy to lose track of time when you’re gambling, set yourself a time limit for your session and be sure to quit when you say you will. The chances are if you keep playing or chasing losses the more money you’ll lose. Even if you’re winning, when the time’s up remember to quit while you’re ahead!
- Budget your betting bankroll. Only play with what you can afford to lose, and never chase your losses. Hopefully you’ll be lucky, but make sure to walk away once you’ve spent your bankroll for that session.
- Only play when you’re ok! Don’t ever gamble when you’re depressed, upset, or under the influence of drink or drugs! It might sound obvious but your frame of mind when gambling can severely affect your judgement. Keep a clear head!
If you have any concerns about the amount of time you spend gambling online, or feel out of control we’d suggest you contact one of the many support organisations such as the National Gambling Helpline of take a look at Gamble Aware for some helpful advice.