Safe and Legitimate Online Gambling
The rapid development in technology and internet has led to an increase in online gambling and sports betting in recent years. Online casinos and sports betting platforms are known to be one of the biggest revenue creators in the world. The rise in mobile phone adoption has also facilitated this growth, with more and more mobile apps being developed and released to cater to many different customers who want to participate in just a few clicks. Futuristic developments are also well underway as technology continuously advances, particularly in the areas of Blockchain, Internet of Things, and Virtual Reality. VR is a revolutionary addition to online gambling experiences that minimizes the need to travel in order to gamble. VR experiences have also been gaining more popularity recently.
However, this continuous rise of online gambling has also resulted in an increasing trend of fraud and cheating. Fraudulent activities are a cause of major concern for users in the online gambling community. Some types of fraud in online gambling include using stolen credit card information, collusion between players, and abusing online casino sign-up bonuses.“Hence, to avoid fraudulent activities, it is important to be cautious and be on the lookout for signs that the online gambling website is a safe site. There are even services in multiple languages to help you, for example, there is a site in Korean to allow online casino players to check that the site is a 안전 사이트. (‘safe site’ in Korean).”
Here are some tips on how you can check that a website is safe:
- Use Google Safe Browsing to check that it has been tagged by Google as safe. According to the website, Google scans the internet daily to identify unsafe and potentially compromised websites.
- Check the URL. If it contains “HTTPS” that means that the website is secure. This is commonly used in online banking and shopping to prevent criminals from stealing sensitive and confidential information.
- Check the address bar on your browser. Some browsers will show a padlock or a text “Secure”. And other browsers will indicate ‘Not Secure’. Be cautious when transacting with websites like this as your personal information may not be fully secure.
- Look for a privacy policy. Reputable websites should have a privacy policy page, where they state the types of information they collect from you, the purpose for which they collect your information, and how they handle your information. While this is not a full-proof sign that the website is safe and secure, it is an added layer of protection in the event of a fraudulent activity.
- Be cautious of spammy pop-ups or redirects that ask for your personal information and credit card details. If you can, contact the website directly before you transact with them. A reputable website should also have a contact page with phone numbers or email addresses that actually work.
It is also important to consider whether the online gambling website is licensed or where it is located, so that you do not run into any troubles with the government. In the US, gambling is not illegal while online gambling remains to be a grey area. Based on US federal laws, it is illegal to operate online gambling websites or casinos anywhere in the US. However, this does not make it illegal for individuals to place wagers on an online gambling website. As a result, there are offshore websites that accept wagers and bets from Americans. US state laws may also be different as the US federal government allows each state to set their own rules. A couple of things to look out for to identify a legitimate online are a valid license issued by a government, fairness and transparency in setting deposit and withdrawal limits, and guaranteed security for your payment and personal information.
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