How to Avoid Being Scammed By Online Casinos

The Internet is a fantastic tool that brings people together. But it is also used extensively to scam people. One way to avoid being scammed is by properly researching before sending anyone money. Naturally you will turn to Google to check both positive and negative reviews. When it comes to online casinos, the majority of gambling related websites promote an online casino in some form or another. This article discusses how to know if reviews are honest or dishonest.

Not all reviews are credible.

Theoretically any casino affiliate could promote any casino. Some websites review a very broad range of recommended casinos, with the affiliate links. But the majority of review sites promote specific casino brands. This could be for various reasons, but primarily because promoting some casinos is more profitable than others. Therefore it’s only natural to assume that a reviewer could be biased in their opinion.

Generally people are more trusting of negative reviews than they are a positive reviews. This is because we almost expect product vendors to dishonestly post fake positive reviews of their own products. We don’t expect that the publishing of fake negative reviews is just as common.

So when researching whether or not a particular casino is trustworthy, you must consider a much broader range of information than reviews alone. Certainly there are credible review sites on the Internet, but the vast majority are biased in promotion of particular brands.

What makes a credible casino?

First and foremost, casinos should offer fair random roulette games. For example, if the game was live roulette, it would include a real physical wheel and ball viewed by WebCam. Don’t confuse this with RNG roulette. RNG stands for random number generator. There are various types of random number generators, which is beyond the scope of this article. But basically a fair random number generator has an equal chance of selecting one winning number over another. In the case of random number generator roulette, there is no physical roulette wheel and ball to decide the winning number. So essentially it is a slot machine, with roulette graphics and computer animations. There is no known way to beat such casino games, unless the random number generator is flawed. But in the context of casino offering fair gambling, they must have no control or manipulation of the winning number.

Depending on the jurisdiction, a casino must demonstrate to regulatory authorities that the casino games they offer are a fair random game. Otherwise the casino is not granted a licence. And by checking the jurisdiction and relevant laws of the jurisdiction, you can determine with almost certainty that a casino offers fair games.

You should also check payouts for roulette bets in case payouts are lower than normal casinos.

Do online casinos cheat?

Casinos can still cheat even if real wheels are used. Different jurisdictions allow different casinos to behave different ways. In some jurisdictions, it is perfectly acceptable for a casino to force a win or loss depending on what other players have been paid. This guarantees the casino a profit, and that they don’t pay players with effective betting systems. In the vast majority of modern countries, such a practice is highly illegal. Most casino laws strictly prohibit the forcing of any game outcomes. These rules apply to both the player and the casino.

One problem with Internet casinos is they can be run from any jurisdiction. The servers could be located anywhere, and the owner could claim to live in any jurisdiction, which may not even have gaming laws. This means the casino could behave dishonestly, without breaking any laws. Such a casino is known as a rogue casino. They are not bound to any laws. The purpose of any such casino is simply to cheat players out of hard earned money.

Tips to avoid getting scammed by online casinos.

Research the software provided by the online casino. Often online casinos use the same software, and re-branded with various logos and images. Research can determine how fair the software is.

Favor live dealer games such as live roulette. This way you can physically see game outcomes. It doesn’t mean it’s impossible for the casinos cheat. It just provides you with an extra layer of protection. In fact it wouldn’t be difficult for an organized casino to use rigged roulette wheels, to ensure you lose. But we have never heard of it happening with any of the more established online casinos.

Carefully consider the terms of service. The fine print may have an unfair term that could be used to justify payout refusal.

Check the jurisdiction the casino is registered in. Most online casinos are registered in the same regions. But a different country can have completely different laws, despite being in the same region. If you already know particular online casinos are honest, then other online casinos registered in the same jurisdiction are more likely to be honest. It isn’t always the case, and again it’s just another layer of protection. If no jurisdiction is specified, avoid the casino completely.

Check neutral online casino review websites. There are a few around, which include casino chat forums where cheated players can tell their story. But be aware that even these sides are paid as affiliates to promote particular brands. Ideally focus on websites that don’t have affiliate links. Of course still it’s possible competing casinos may run the websites, so don’t rely on them alone.

If an online casino has been around for some time, they are bound to have both good and bad reviews. Often misunderstandings and misinterpretations by players can lead to a bad experience. And when players have a bad experience, they tend to post details of their story on gambling forums. But always be skeptical of any feedback on gambling forums, whether it’s good or bad. It only takes one person to post multiple negative or positive reviews about a competing product or service, making it look like multiple people share a similar experience.

The majority of negative information about online casinos has to do with poor customer service, or refused payouts. Any company can have poor customer service, perhaps because an employee had a bad day and didn’t fully respond to an email. This doesn’t make the company bad. Payout refusal is a bit more complicated though. But generally if a casino refuses to pay out winnings, it’s usually because the player has not met minimum wagering requirements. This means that the player accepted a deposit bonus, and has not bet the minimum amount before requesting a withdrawal. This isn’t at all the casino’s fault. If the player’s fault for failing to read and adhere to the terms of service.

In all with a bit of time and research, it’s quite easy to determine if a casino is likely honest. But big licensed casinos don’t necessarily mean honest. In fact there is one particular very large online casino, which readily blocks accounts that win too much. So basically you either consistently lose, or don’t play at all. It’s legal because the casino is allowed to refuse service. It’s not particularly fair to players. Nevertheless, the majority of casinos (online or not) will eventually take action against consistent winners, one way or another. But the honest online casinos are more likely to review weaknesses in the games, than to place restrictions on players accounts.