Safe Online Casinos

The question of the safety and security of the online casino industry is by far the most critical and crucial one today. These are major factors in determining the reputability of the online casino brand. Seeing that today’s casino industry is rapidly growing, the odds of coming across a rogue brand are high as ever. Essentially, the online casinos are categorized into two: safe online casinos founded on integrity and those pursuing fraudulent and shady deals. The latter category is also referred to as rogue casinos.

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Since the inception of online casinos, there have been several regulations formulated to decrease the scale of online casino scams. Nonetheless, it is difficult to completely eradicate rogue online casinos as they keep popping up using different names and domains. What is important to you as a player is to know what to look for to know a rogue and genuine casino.

In a bid to help you avoid being a victim of online casino fraud, we’ve prepared this detailed guide for you. It doesn’t matter whether you are an experienced or new player, as long as you are just starting to play online, it’s highly recommended you read through to the end.

Best Safe Online Casinos – April 2024

1. Playluck Casino

£500 Bonus + 100 Free spins

    • Rated with 4,9 / 5
  • Easy registration
  • Fast withdrawals
  • Live Casino
More information

2. Casiplay

£900 bonus + 120 free spins.

  • Rated with 4,8 / 5
  • Live Casino
  • Free Spins
  • 24-7 Live Chat
More information

3. Tonybet

£400 bonus + 100 free spins.

  • Rated with 4,8 / 5
  • Fast withdrawals
  • 24-7 live chat
  • Easy registration
More information

4. Spinhill

£250 bonus + 500 free spins.

  • Rated with 4,7 / 5
  • Free spins
  • Live casino
  • Fast Withdrawals
More information

5. Williamhill

£500 bonus + 50 Free spins

  • Rated with 4,3 / 5
  • Live casino
  • MGA licensed
  • Free Spins
More information

6. 32red

£150 bonus + 32 free spins

  • Rated with 4,1 / 5
  • Great loyalty programs
  • Live Casino
  • UKGC Licensed
More information

7. Unibet

£500 bonus

  • Rated with 4,0 / 5
  • Complete offering
  • Live Casino + Sportsbook
  • Fast withdrawals
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8. Pokerstars Casino

£500 Bonus + 100 Free spins

  • Rated with 3,9 / 5
  • Free Spins
  • Big Pokerrooms
More information

Advantages of Playing at a Safe Online Casino

Playing at safe online casinos comes with several advantages. Besides the security aspect, there are plenty of other things that you are bound to benefit from as a player. Below are some of the advantages anyone can pick from the top of their head and perhaps the most outstanding ones.

Fair Play

There’s nothing that beats the feeling of knowing your game’s results are a 100% replica of the expected results. You play relaxed knowing that any opportunity you deserve to win will come your way. This is what the safest online casinos offer – fair play. As per the licensing agreement, trusted online casinos are required to ensure their games are 100% random and fair. This means by playing games at the site, you have a 100% equal chance of winning, just like anyone else playing the game.

Secure Transactions

Another significant advantage is that your transactions are processed securely. This is another requirement online casinos are meant to meet before being licensed. To do this, several measures are put in place to safeguard or ensure all the transactions are safe and secure.

Guaranteed Payouts

One common feature of rogue casinos is that they never plan on paying out your winnings. They will entice you to sign up, make a deposit and maybe payout the first few transactions. But as soon as you start making huge deposits or have a hefty balance, they decline to payout. They’ll come up with all sorts of excuses not to pay your winnings. But this will not happen at a trusted online casino. As long as you’ve satisfied the set conditions, you are guaranteed your payouts in record time.

Virus Free

If you are a big fan of playing through the download platform(s), you are assured of a virus-free experience. Safe online casinos develop applications that meet the required standards. They will also use the latest virus protection technology, which ensures your mobile phone or smartphone is not compromised when you visit their website.

Large Player Base

Because of the reputation, many players will often visit the site. If you occasionally play live dealer casino games, you know this can result in a more entertaining experience. The tables will always be busy and lively, a factor which amps the whole playing experience.

Responsible Gambling

Safe online casinos are strong believers of responsible gambling. These brands will team up with internationally recognized bodies such as GambleAware, GameCare, and Gambling Therapy to offer any help to affected players. If you think you may have a problem or know someone who is ashamed of getting help, you can always contact the support team and they’ll provide treatment and counselling free of charge.

What Makes an Online Casino Safe and Secure?

Some of the world’s largest online casinos will occasionally brag about the safety and security features put in place to ensure their players have peace of mind while playing. What are these features? From banking methods, licensing and digital encryption, this section explores some of the features of a safe online casino. Presented in a brief yet informative and easy to read format, you will know everything without having to scan through the site’s endless T&Cs.

1

Licensing and Regulation

First and foremost, the safest online casinos should have a valid license. Holding one is an indication that it is a secure and legitimate place to gamble. As a rule of thumb, the license should be issued by a credible and respectable body. This means that once the license is issued, the brand has successfully satisfied the needed regulatory audit.
2

Transparency

Trusted online casinos also tend to have a transparent policy as well as terms and conditions. It will clearly outline the information it collects, how it collects this information, how this information is stored and how it intends to use the information. Furthermore, it will also have bonus terms and conditions that are straightforward to understand.
3

Third-Party Audits

Besides licensing bodies, there’s a group of independent third-party companies tasked with the responsibility of ensuring online casinos stick to the guidelines set by their respective licensing bodies. These include the likes of eCOGRA, Technical Systems Testing (TST), Independent Betting Adjudication Service (IBAS) among many others. The primary concern of these bodies is to ensure that online casinos are fair and impartial to their players. Sites that meet their set guidelines are awarded the safe and fair seal.
Safest online casinos with this safe and fair seal of approval are required to extend or ensure the following for their players:
• Combat fraud and criminal like behaviour on their websites
• Prevent underage gambling
• Promote responsible gambling
• Ensure their marketing strategy doesn’t target vulnerable people such as kids or promote their brands as a way of making money
4

Random Number Generator Audits

The Random Number Generator (RNG) is one of the things you look at to determine whether an online casino is safe. This is the software responsible for ensuring the game’s results are 100% random and unpredictable. Rogue casinos online will do everything possible to alter this software so that it favors them more. But not reputable and safe online casinos. These casinos will provide an in-depth insight into their RNG software. They’ll have audits on all their games and make the results of these audits public to everyone.
5

Partnering with Respectable Payment Providers

Things get thick when it comes to transacting at online casinos. Safest online casinos will partner with only trusted and reliable payment companies. The variety of options also tends to be diversified. Expect the likes of PayPal, Neteller, Skrill, MasterCard, VISA, Paysafecard and Bitcoin to be included in their payment portfolio.
6

Secure Socket Layer Encryption Technology

Another essential feature of a safe online casino is the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption technology. In case you don’t know what this is, it’s the latest technology used to establish a link between your browser and the webserver. This in turn gives you safe access to the online casino website without possible interference by a third party. A safe online casino that uses SSL encryption technology will always have a padlock at the top right corner of the screen. Always check to see if this is available.
7

Forge Partnerships With Renowned Providers

An online casino is as safe as the companies it associates itself with. Reputable and safe online casinos will only partner with renowned software providers. Playtech, Microgaming, NetEnt, Play ‘n Go, Quickspin, Red Tiger Gaming among many others are heavy hitters in the industry. These companies are renowned for partnering with only reputable brands. They develop games and systems that online casinos operate with. Therefore, when you see an online casino with a mixture of these names in its portfolio, you can rest assured you are in safe hands.
They say it's better to be safe than sorry, but when playing at an online casino, it can be a tedious process to read through all the terms and conditions. The majority of the safe online casinos will make the above safety and security measures known through logos and badges on their home page.

What Can You Do to Ensure You Are Safe?

Safety and security at an online casino starts with you. Not only in the online casino industry, but generally, you are responsible for your safety and security. A brand may have all the safety measures above put in place, but you end up being a victim of a scam. Therefore, to avoid this trap, we’ve highlighted some of the common practices you need to observe. The tips will always keep you safe when properly followed.

Always Run A Thorough Background Check

Don’t take the casino’s word for it – in fact, all online casinos brag about how they are the best in the industry. They’ll promise to offer you unappareled services, fast customer support services, safe and secure payment methods and a wide range of games. Scratch beneath the surface and the ugly truth reveals itself. You realize they are a bunch of cons running the site. Everything they promised is total deceit.

To avoid this, you should take some time and run a background check. It’s not difficult to do this. With all the information on the internet, getting solid facts about a casino is just a phone tap away. Read reviews written by players as well as those written by reviewing sites. You don’t have to take everything negative or positive written about the site into consideration, but points that stand out cannot be ignored. If the positives outweigh the negatives, go ahead and put the site through its paces.

Try the Site For Free

One of the advantages of playing casino games online is the fact that you can play for free. Because of the high competition existing in the online casino industry, operators welcome players to try their platforms for free before committing any real money. Any savvy player will use this option to put the casino through its paces. Look at the game’s RTP values; check to see how their customer support services are; ensure they support the payment methods they say they are offering and many other things.

Confirm Your Account Before Depositing

There have been issues regarding payments delays at online casinos. Players will often complain that their withdrawals were declined because their accounts are not verified. The trick to avoiding such inconveniences is to complete the KYC verification process first. Legitimate online casinos will occasionally fasten this process, getting back to you within 24-48 hours. Rogue casinos, on the other hand, will drag the process for as long as possible. This is usually a ploy for you to spend more time playing and lose the money back.

Never Share Your Password

This is general knowledge but many players tend to ignore it. Once you’ve ascertained the online casino is legitimate and signed up, it’s your duty to ensure all data related to the site remains safe. In line with this comment, never share your password with anyone. Be it your spouse, family member or mother, never share your password. This way, you can easily keep track of the activities in your account.

Another important aspect is to always log out from your account once you are done playing. This minimizes the risk of you exposing yourself to cybercrime activities. If you’ve used a public computer to access your account, clear the cookies immediately after use.

Constantly Update Your Password

It is advisable that you always update your password from time to time. Also, make sure your password is unique and isn’t being used to access any other platforms. Occasionally, hackers will try out a password that works on one of your accounts to try and access other accounts.

Read Through The Terms And Conditions

Trusted online casinos will always have all their terms and conditions properly outlined. But very few people will take their time to go through the fine print. And it’s understandable why. These terms and conditions tend to be very long, with most of them being the same across all casinos online. We advise that you don’t throw caution to the wind: always read through the fine print to know what you are being offered. Know what the bonus terms and conditions state. Be sure to keep an eye on the privacy policy. While at it, look for any forms of red flags. Any details that are not clear should be addressed by the customer support team.

Keep It Fun

It’s your duty as a responsible player to ensure you spend cash that is within your budget. Before you start playing, always have a bankroll. This is the amount that you intend to spend either per session, per day or per week. So, if you are unlucky while playing, quit and come back once the limit expires. Equally, if you had set a win limit of £500 and you’ve hit it, quit and come back another day. Having this sort of discipline is important and key to any casino player. Remember, ‘when the fun stops, stop’. Also, they say it’s better to quit while you are still ahead!

Use Gaming Limits

As part of responsible gambling, safe online casinos tend to have daily, weekly, monthly and yearly limits. Players are always advised to set limits from time to time to avoid being victims of problematic gambling. While setting these limits, ensure you stay within your budget. Don’t spend money that you don’t have gambling.

Don’t Share Your Personal Information Online

In some instances, you may decide to play live dealer games. These are online casino games offering you the same experience as live land-based casinos. To ensure they are as realistic and authentic as possible, software developers tend to include features such as live chat. Through this, you can communicate with other players seated at the tables.

Before you can start chatting, there are rules of engagement usually outlined under the T&Cs. Read through them to avoid breaking any, which can see your account being suspended or terminated. Also, be sure to keep all your chats friendly and confidential. Never share any personal or financial information while at it.

Rogue Online Casinos – How Do You Spot Them?

If you’ve found yourself here looking for a way to get your hard-earned money after being conned online, we have some news for you, bad news, unfortunately – it is unlikely to happen! Rogue online casinos are sadly very good at what they do. So even if you have all the documents to support your claim and manage to get the site blacklisted, you won’t get your money back. The good news, however, is you will have helped thousands of other players from falling victims.

But you don’t have to fall victim to such Ponzi schemes. With a keen eye, you can spot them from a mile away. Here are some of the common traits to help you differentiate between a trusted online casino and a “Ponzi scheme” casino.

Payout Problems

If you are lucky to have won a big chunk of money, you expect to be paid out within the shortest time possible. This is especially true if you were not playing a jackpot game. Winnings should be sent in a matter of hours to a maximum of five days depending on the payment method used. However, if you find yourself waiting beyond the time stated, you should be concerned. If the casino keeps asking for verification documents, even after sending them, you should be worried. When customer support stops responding to your emails, then you should go straight and file a complaint with the relevant authority.

Unclear Terms and Conditions

Most players find themselves in trouble because they skipped the most important part of signing up – reading the terms and conditions. Rogue online casinos know most players don’t bother reading through the terms and conditions. They use this ignorance to hide unrealistic conditions in terms and conditions. This especially affects the bonus, privacy policy and withdrawal terms and conditions.

So, when signing up, you see a very lucrative bonus deal and quickly jump to it. You make your initial deposit and start playing the games. When the time comes to withdraw the bonus and winnings, you find it’s not possible to do so as you haven’t met the set conditions. You try withdrawing the money you deposited and discover this is also not possible.

Account Balance Confiscated

By the time your account balance is being confiscated, it means that you’ve already signed up at the casino and it’s too late. It’s usually an unhappy little moment many players have gone through before their accounts are closed. Most of these players will happily share this information across multiple player forums with screenshots to back their claims. When running a background check on a casino, be sure to look out for this.

Rigging Of Games

Legitimate online casinos always ensure their games are 100% fair and accurate. They will have their RTP audited and their games checked for fairness. Some will go to great extents and publish their RTP figures for players to read. But this is never the case for rogue casinos. They will hardly meet the requirements of legitimate online casinos, and worse, offer games with malfunctioning RNGs and RTPs. Before you play, ensure you cross-check the value of the RTP of the game with the software provider. And while playing online, if the figure is below 80%, you should be wary of spending your time at the site.

Reporting a Rogue Casino – A Step By Step Guide

If unfortunately, you happen to find yourself in a rogue online casino, there is a clearly outlined procedure that you need to follow if you wish to report it. Gather all the necessary evidence by taking screenshots, recording any messages and saving emails before proceeding as follows:

1

Contact Support

The first step to escalate any issue at the online casinos is to contact support. Use live chat for a faster response. If that doesn’t work, call them if there is a telephone line. If not, send them an email. Try severally before escalating the issue further.
2

Try Reaching The Management

Every online casino will always have an address at the bottom of the homepage. Write to them if need be. Anyone with several thousand pounds locked in their account won't mind writing letters complaining. While doing this, always ensure you have a copy for yourself.
3

3rd Party Auditing Bodies

Escalate the issue further by contacting several third part bodies. This can be eCOGRA, IBAS, TST or any other reputable auditing body. File a complaint and make sure you have all the records to support your claim. Ensure you also reach the licensing body to raise the issue so that the casino’s license is revoked.

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FAQ

Do I have to provide my personal and financial details?

You don’t have to provide your financial details when transacting online, but you have to provide personal details. Casino licenses require operators to verify that every player who signs up is an adult. In order to do this, operators will require you to submit a copy of your government-issued ID as part of the KYC verification process. Other online casinos safety procedures will also involve asking you to send a selfie or a passport photo. As for the financial details, unless you don’t plan on playing real money games, then you don’t have to provide your financial details.

Is it possible to play anonymously online?

Yes, it is possible to play anonymously online and still win real money. Technology has made it possible for online casinos to offer real money services in several ways. The latest trend is the use of cryptocurrencies to support online casino gaming. Players who wish to make deposits and withdraw their winnings anonymously can use Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptos to transact and remain anonymous.

Are my financial details safe online?

The safety and security of your financial and personal details are of uttermost importance. This is why big players in the industry such as All Slots, 7 Sultans and the likes use the latest and sophisticated firewalls and security systems to safeguard the details you give them. Common security technologies put in place to warrant the safety of your information include:

  • Tokenization
  • 3D Security Address verification
  • Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance

What is 3D security?

3D security, or 3D Secure as it is commonly known, is a secure protocol that adds extra security and strong authentication for players using credit and debit cards to fund their accounts. If you’ve seen terms such as American Express “Safekey”, “Verified by Visa”, or “MasterCard SecureCode”, simply know that this refers to 3D security. As an added layer of security, one has to send a unique one-time password (OTP) to authorize the transaction. This OTP can be sent to you via phone or email, depending on how your settings.

What can I do if I lose my password?

You can always reset your password if you lose it. Simply click on the forgot password button, provide the email address you used to sign up with, and click on the email confirmation link sent to your inbox. Set up a new password.

Jaqueline Author

Jaqueline Quintero

Author

Always positive, always full of energy and with a very professional approach Jaqueline is one of our best i-gaming writers. With her years of experience she is always able to create unique and over the top content for our website visitors.