Regulations
One of the easiest ways to check whether or not a casino can be considered safe is whether or not it is regulated. Many gambling jurisdictions require any casino brands to register with their governing body. Before they let players in for gambling in a casino, whether it is online or land-based, the regulatory organization needs to fully evaluate the casino.
In the UK, all casinos must have a license from the UK Gambling Commission. The best safe online casino might carry licenses from several other jurisdictions, such as the Malta Gaming Authority, but a license from the UKGC is a must if they want to offer their games to UK citizens. As an example, the popular 32Red online casino has that crucial UKGC license, and they also carry one from the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner.
How can you tell if a potentially safe casino is regulated? Somewhere on the casino’s website (usually in the small print at the foot of the page), you should be able to find confirmation that the casino is licensed by the UKGC. It will also have a license number that you can take and cross-reference at the UKGC’s website. Please note that this license is sometimes granted to the parent company of the brand rather than just the one casino, as this allows them to cover their whole network instead of applying for individual ones for each casino brand.
Unregulated casinos will not have a license from the UKGC. If you are based in the UK, you must only play at casinos that are licensed for UK players. It does not matter that a casino is safe to play at if you were in Sweden or Germany, it is not considered somewhere you should play at. There are plenty of other trusted casinos for you to try, be it the MrQ Casino or any of the other brands that we love at PlayRight.
Some casinos attempt to fly completely under the radar and might not have any licenses at all. If they are particularly nefarious then they might even try to claim that they are regulated. Remember, you can always check whether a site is an online safe casino by searching for it on the UKGC’s database. If it doesn’t come up, it is probably for a good reason.
Safer Gambling
All well-regulated and safe online casinos should be committed to promoting safer gambling. They have a range of tools that players can use to protect themselves at online casinos, plus partnerships that can benefit players if they need help. For example, Mansion Casino is partnered with the service GAMSTOP and several other resources to help promote safer gambling. At a trustworthy casino, safe gambling will always be a top priority.
Safer gambling tools are often optional, but more and more brands are choosing to make them accessible from the moment someone signs up. A common one used is deposit limits. These can be set weekly or monthly and are usually a cap on the amount that you can deposit. They will prevent someone from going in and making repeated deposits to try and recuperate losses.
Another safer gambling tool you will find is self-exclusion, where you ask the casino to ban activity from your account either on a temporary or permanent basis. Some casinos that are part of larger networks might even extend the exclusion to cover all sites on their network.
The Best Online Casino Software Providers at Safe Online Casinos
Of course, the sites themselves are just the beginning. Good knowledge of what makes safe casino software is also a must if you are trying to track down the safest of online casinos for you to play at.
Everyone has heard of casinos that are allegedly fixed. No matter how much someone plays at them, they will never be able to win. This is usually not the case. Most casinos host games from third-party game developers. They, therefore, have no way to influence the outcome of the games. Many of these slots are also powered by random number generators or RNGs. These will randomise the outcome of every spin of the game. Many software designers get their RNGs independently tested to prove that they do indeed provide random results.
Since it might seem like there is no guarantee that this casino software is indeed random, many casinos bring in third-party testers to confirm that their games are properly up to standard. As an example, NMi carries out independent testing on the games at TonyBet Casino to ensure that they are safe for all types of players. Another name to look out for is eCOGRA. They are an independent regulator for sites and games, so if you see a casino that has been verified by them, you can be certain that it is a safe and trustworthy place to play at.
Looking for safe online casino software extends well past the games themselves. One of the first places to check is the level of encryption in place for transactions. A safe online casino will always have the latest in SSL encryption technologies to protect their customers’ personal and financial data.
They should also have good partnerships with a range of different payment providers. Playing at casinos that allow deposits through e-wallets such as PayPal and Neteller is a great sign that you have found a more trustworthy site to play at. These payment providers do not want to associate with potentially unsafe websites. Though you do not have to use these payment methods, seeing that they are an option is a fantastic indicator that you have found somewhere safe to play at.
When checking out a site to play at, you also need to think about their withdrawal methods. Many sites require you to submit documents to verify your ID before they will release your funds. Untrustworthy sites will claim that any documents that you submit are not valid and will freeze your account, essentially “stealing” your money as you cannot withdraw your funds. Some also do not accept or deny your verification and will instead leave you in limbo with no clue about when you are going to get verified. If you do contact customer service, you usually only get silence back.
Trustworthy sites should verify you within the allotted time period (usually about 72 hours) and should have active and helpful customer service for you to call on if you need assistance. Sometimes, even trustworthy casinos can slip up with verification, so it is important that you thoroughly research a casino before signing up for it. Check out peer reviews alongside ones from experts like us at PlayRight. This will be one of the easiest ways for you to double-check that the casino you have your eye on is a good place to play.
PlayRight and Safe Casinos
Is there such thing as a “safe” online casino? Of course, there is! Here at PlayRight, we always want to point you in the direction of safe and trustworthy online casinos. With so many sites out there looking to “steal” their players’ credit and take away their wins, our experts always put in the work to ensure that any casino we recommend is fully regulated and safe to play at. We want to pass on information about casinos that are well-known by players and other industry experts alike, and that is visited by plenty of people each day.
