Tips to Spotting a Fake Online Casino
I have been in the online gambling industry for more than a decade, with much of that time spent reviewing casino games and sites, so I’ve learnt a thing or two about how to quickly sift out the worst sites. If you want to avoid a scamster, fake site or untrustworthy provider, you’ll need to know how to spot one. Here are my top tips:
Relevant licensing
Although an online casino can operate without a licence, I definitely suggest you steer clear of such a site. Without a licence there is little to no protection for you, the player, if something goes wrong.
Some licences are better than others. The Malta Gambling Authority (MGA) and the UK Gambling Commission are by far the most respected and your best bet to look out for when choosing a casino.
Keep in mind, a fake site might try to claim that they have got a licence even if they don’t. When a site holds a relevant and valid licence, you’ll find a link through to the licence on the bottom of the page. Beware of a licence that doesn’t include a link.
Testing certification
Many of the best online casinos don’t create their own casino games. Rather, they use game studios such as NetEnt, Yggdrasil and Evolution. In order to ensure the fairness of their games, casinos will reach out to another third party: companies that specialise in technical systems testing. eCOGRA, TST and BMM Test Labs are all examples of organisations who perform this task.
A trustworthy casino will display badges received from these agencies, guaranteeing that you can trust that the providers use methods such as Random Number Generators within a game to ensure fairness. No badges are a cause for suspicion.
Payment options
One red flag to look for is an online casino that only accepts payments made by bank transfer. A trustworthy casino will only use certified third-party banking processors.
Partnering with well-known and valid payment methods is a great cue to suss out the legitimacy of a site. Look out for sites that offer credit and debit card options, as well as a variety of newer methods such as e-wallets and cryptocurrencies.
Who’s running the show
Legitimate sites won’t try to hide who they are and where they come from.
Usually you’ll find an “About Us” section detailing how the online casino started and who is behind the curtain. Small or big, they shouldn’t be hiding their background. Look out for physical addresses, functioning telephone numbers, company set up and if they are perhaps a subsidiary company of a far better-known brand.
A caveat… I’ve noticed a few sites that actually provide fake addresses to make it look like they are for real. To double check, take their address and pop it into Google Maps to see if it is a registered business address.
Trust the experts
It’s always a good idea to do your own research. But when your own expertise in a field won’t cut it, trust the people in the know. You might want to send a rocket ship to the moon, but we’d guess you aren’t going to strap yourself in until you get a little advice from a specialist in aeronautics.
Same applies here. There are plenty of review sites out there built by reputable casino experts, such as this one! So, make the most of them and read their online casino reviews about the different casinos out there.
Game selection
As I’ve already mentioned, online casinos usually obtain their games from game studios. Have a look at the selection of games on offer. Are they from a variety of studios? Are the studios well known?
If you aren’t sure what studio the games are from, try playing the game for free before you sign up and you’ll see the studio name as the game boots up. You could also do a quick search of the game to find out if it is a fair game with a decent Return to Player.
Ideally casinos should have a wide variety of games, including several games in each of the following categories: table games, video slots, progressive slots and other games (such as scratch cards and video poker).
Live Dealer games can be a great indicator of the quality of a casino. These games aren’t cheap to run as dealers, studio time and studio crew all need to be paid. A dodgy casino won’t be able to provide this type of game.
Customer support
A little like a parachute or a bullet vest, you won’t really appreciate all this until something goes wrong. If you have a problem with your payment methods, payouts or verifying your account, you might need to reach out to customer support.
A good customer support team will be available 24/7 in several languages. You’ll also be able to reach them via several channels including Live Chat, email and by phone (although this one is likely to become obsolete in the near future).
Want to test it out, why not go on site and try out the Live Chat option?
