For most people, gambling is about two things – the rush of adrenalin when you place a bet, waiting eagerly for the results, and the money. Who doesn’t love winning?
Whether you are a newbie or pro at playing at online casinos in India, the first thing that comes to mind is your safety. Research shows that there are over 1 million unsafe casinos, and if you aren’t careful, you could fall prey to one of these and lose your hard-earned money.
Luckily, choosing a safe online casino is not as difficult as people think. It only needs a bit of research before you start playing.
Reasons to choose a safe casino
- To prevent identity theft
- To avoid cheating software
- To ensure easy cashouts
- For favourable payback percentages
One advantage of online casinos in India over land-based casinos is the availability of many games. While this is a good thing, it should also be your first step to finding out if a casino is safe or rogue.
Tips for finding a safe casino
1. Think about your needs
With over one thousand safe online casinos, it makes sense to start with your needs. Think about it, would you rather go through thousands of online casinos or just the ones with games that interest you?
So, first, decide which games are important to you. Do you prefer to have thousands of slots available or a handful of games? Is a variant of blackjack better? Also, check the types of bonuses you’d prefer.
Some casinos need you to deposit before you qualify for a bonus, while others give cashback bonuses. A deposit bonus will have a wagering requirement attached, while cashback bonuses won’t. Also, decide if you’d like a loyalty program that will give you rewards for coming back.
2. Research
This is where things get real.
First things first. Check if the casinos you have selected have an active SSL. This ensures that all information is travelling on a safe path, and hackers can’t get access to your credit card information. Secondly, check which software the casino uses.
If you notice a lot of cheap software, take it as a red flag and dump the casino. Safe casinos use software from trusted companies to offer high-quality games. Look for big names such as IGT, Microgaming, NetEnt and Playtech, among others.
That’s not all.
Check if the casino’s licence is from a major regulatory body. Licences back up the reliability, integrity and legitimacy of a casino. This is because the licencing body ensures that all players get fairplay. You also get the confidence that an independent third-party is monitoring the casino and will be impartial in case you need their help during a dispute.
3. Check the site
Is the site easy to navigate? If you are looking for a specific page or game, is it easy to find? How fast do the pages load? How about the games?
If the loading time is slow and full of errors, it means the online casino can’t be trusted. A site with such an experience will only be frustrating. Imagine you are about to place a strong hand only for the website to load an error. When the site is back online – you find out you lost!
Also, see if you can chat with customer service. Are they quick to answer your questions? How knowledgeable, helpful and professional are they? If the customer service team doesn’t care about your needs before you sign up, you can imagine how unresponsive they will be once you make a deposit or need to withdraw your winnings.
If you’ve gone through this process, you are almost done. But, before you sign up and start playing, you need to know how to identify a bogus, rogue casino. Here are some red flags to look out for:
- They change terms on a whim. This usually happens when a casino doesn’t want to pay your winnings. The casino changes the terms as you speak to a customer service agent. Ensure you have read all the terms and conditions before signing up
- They force you to take bonuses. This happens when a casino wants to force you to comply with their bonus terms so they can benefit when you lose
- They practice illegal marketing, such as spammy emails and phone calls. They might even acquire your contact information from other shoddy businesses to spam you
- They have shoddy games and avoid paying the players once they’ve won
With these tips, you can easily tell a fake casino from a safe one. Take your time if you want to have a great experience playing online.