For centuries many casinos made up the rules as they went along. The house usually had the advantage and players were never 100% certain that rules were being adhered to and protocols followed. However, skip forward to modern times with regulatory bodies and mandatory checks in place, as well as heavy fines or even expulsion should it be discovered that you are not following the rules to the letter, and you will find that legitimate casinos are the rule these days, rather than the exception.
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A similar occurrence is taking place in the world of online casinos. Though still in its infancy, this industry has employed extensive security measures in order to establish credibility, dependability and trustworthiness. However, as with most industries, you are bound to find scam artists whose main goal is to lure gullible players and surreptitiously steal their hard earned money. Thus choosing a reputable casino from the very beginning is of vital importance.
So, how do you distinguish between a fly-by-night and a top end casino? The following points will assist you with making that distinction:
- The one thing all legitimate online casinos have in common is that they are licensed by an accredited gaming authority. The importance of this is that these gaming authorities perform all the check and balances on your behalf and will only grant certification if the casino, under scrutiny, passes all tests with flying colors. Regular auditing takes place in order for casinos to retain their licenses.
- In order to be completely impartial and fair, online casinos make use of Random Number Generators (RNGs). RNGs are an integral part of all games. Without a truly legitimate RNG you will never know if the game you are playing is fair or if it’s stacked against you in favor of the house. When you request more cards to be dealt, you need to have peace of mind that chance is genuinely at work and that the outcome will be fair.
- Always make sure that your casino of choice makes use of well-known payment vendors. Top casinos will offer you a variety of payment vendors to choose from – in the case of one notable casino, they offer an impressive 6, who have all been thoroughly screened and vetted.
- Ensure that the casino you are using offers a secure connection. SSL, or Secure Sockets Layer, is the standard security technology which creates an encrypted link between two points – namely the web server and web browser. Other methods are Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) and Transport Layer Security (TLS). The important this is that your connection is secure.
- All information which you supply to the casino must remain strictly confidential at all times. Upon signing up with the casino, there needs to be a clause in the fine print stating that your information will never be shared with 3rd parties unless your consent is expressly given.
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It is all fair and well that the casino makes use of the latest anti-virus software and complies with all rules and regulations, but this means very little if you, the consumer, isn’t responsible and doesn’t exercise caution. The onus lies on you to do your homework and make level-headed decisions.
