With the total number of online casinos now well into the thousands, there is a huge variety when it comes to choosing a new platform to game with.
Unfortunately, however, this diversity also extends to the levels of customer trust and safety that each of these casinos adhere to. And while the vast majority of online casinos stick to the highest levels of customer trust, safety and security, as we would expect, this might not always be the case. The risks have increased in recent years, particularly as cyber-attacks and various types of online fraud seem to be on the rise globally – in fact, the rising online fraud epidemic has recently been labelled a threat to national security in the U.K.
For this reason, depending on what online casino platform you choose to use, you may expose yourself to a considerable degree of risk if you use a casino platform that does not meet the industry standards. This is a particularly acute danger, given the importance of the financial information you are handing over to these platforms when playing online.
With all that said, taking the time to choose an online casino that does maintain these standards when it comes to topping up your account is clearly very important, particularly where your deposits and funds are concerned. But how can you tell whether or not an online casino is safe to game with? Is it always a risk, or are there some tactics we can use to make sure we don’t put ourselves at risk?
Look out for a license
When choosing an online casino to play with for the first time, you should always check their licensing and regulatory status before committing any funds to the platform. Having a valid license means they are registered with an appropriate regulatory body that will ensure they comply with various customer trust and safety procedures. In the event that something goes wrong with your account, this also means you will have an independent third party to direct your query to.
Check for online security measures
It is important to make sure that the online casino platform you choose to play with has the appropriate technological measures in place to keep your account safe from unauthorized access. Most often, this will come in the form of SSL encryption technology, which means the financial and personal information of users will be kept fully secure from any attempted cybersecurity breaches.
Choose your payment methods wisely
The majority of the top online casinos, such as any of those listed on sites like SuperLenny, will offer a fairly standard array of payment methods. You may well be familiar with many of these – such as Visa or Mastercard – while there are others you might not have come across before.
Generally speaking, if you are looking to be as safe as possible, try and only use well-known payment methods or third-party payment processors. The better the reputation they have, the more likely it is that your details will be kept safe.
Using a third-party payment method, rather than using depositing money directly to the casino, is a good way of adding some extra security to the process. Some of the most popular third-party options include the likes of PayPal, Neteller, paysafecard and Skrill.
Practical steps you can take
Although this article has mostly focused on the various signs you can look out for to make sure you choose a trustworthy online casino, there are also several things you personally can do to ensure you top up safely online.
One of the most important steps you can take to stay safe online relates to basic password management. Although it is an incredibly easy habit to slip into, going months or years without changing the password you use to log in to your casino account opens you up to a huge risk that your online casino account might be accessed without your authorization. If you want to ensure that you are depositing to your online casino account in the safest possible manner, make sure that you regularly change your password and have separate passwords for each platform you use. You would be amazed at how effectively this small step can secure your account. With almost every facet of life moving to an online platform at the moment, password fraud and phishing attempts are big business.
Another step you can take to ensure you are depositing and withdrawing from your online casino account in the safest possible manner is to use third-party payment platforms. This allows you to make a deposit to your casino account without the need to have your account details stored on the casino website. Importantly, this adds another layer of security that will prevent unauthorized access to your bank account.