Secure Online Casino Gambling
- Certified by eCOGRA & IGC
- McAfee Secure Online Casino
- Socially Responsible Operator
Are you new to online gambling and confused by all the conflicting information you find on the Internet? How many times have you come across websites trying to convince you that playing online for real money is the safest thing in the world, and then you stumble upon a forum where you mostly find the word ‘scam’? In this article we hope to shed some light on the main issues that bother new players when they enter the boundless world of online gambling. We will also give you suggestions for safe online casinos preferred and recommended by us, the professional team behind bestcasino.biz, and certified by the biggest and most respected authorities in the gambling industry.
Why is safety such a concern when it comes to online gambling? It’s all due to the fact that if you want to play casino games for real money and then be able to withdraw your winnings, you have to provide your real name, address and bank details. And you can imagine the kind of trouble you will be in if this sensitive information falls into the wrong hands. Therefore, the first and foremost matter you should be concerned about when searching for the right website, is how to distinguish the truly safe online casino operators from the rest. The first step to acquiring this essential skill would be to familiarise yourself with the authorities that issue licenses to the legal casino operators and the independent agencies that regularly test their security level and vouch for the fairness of the games.
Safe Online Casino Sites – Security Symbols
The first thing you should keep in mind when you investigate the security of a gambling site, is that all safe online casino operators are licensed and monitored by the gambling regulatory bodies of the countries they are based in. But since gaming and taxation laws are different around the world, certain countries have become significantly more popular with the gaming operators than others. As a result their governments have become much more experienced in regulating remote gambling operators and the seals they award are a guarantee for safe gaming and only the most trusted online casinos in the world are marked with these security symbols. Below you can find the 4 most renowned gambling licensing authorities and their trust symbols, which you will also notice in the footers of the websites operating within their jurisdiction.
United Kingdom Gambling Commission
In the end of 2014, the United Kingdom closed its online gambling market and now the only authority that can issue a legitimate certificate allowing an online casino to offer their services in the UK is the Gambling Commission. Therefore, if you are an UK player the only thing you should be looking for at a casino in terms of security is the Gambling Commission Seal.
Gibraltar Gambling Authority
Gibraltar is a popular destination for casino operators due to the favourable tax conditions of the country, but in order for a company to get licensed there, it has to comply with all the severe requirements of the Gibraltar Gambling Authority, ensuring player privacy and protection, fair gaming and prize payouts.
Antigua and Barbuda Directorate of Offshore Gaming
The Directorate of Offshore Gaming is the authority responsible for licensing and regulating gambling operators based in Antigua and Barbuda. Since the rules and requirements for these operators are extremely strict, you can be sure that only 100% safe online casino sites bear the seal of this regulatory institution.
Lotteries and Gaming Authority of Malta
All legal gambling sites that operate in Malta are licensed and regulated by the Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LGA) of the country. The mission of the LGA is to ensure fair gaming, transparency and player safety by making the licensed online casinos under their jurisdiction adhere to the strict rules of the ‘Lotteries and Other Games Act’.
While a license from an acclaimed gambling authority is a testimony to the legality of a certain casino site, different testing agencies are there to assess its quality and trustworthiness in other aspects. There are quite a few independent organisations that advocate responsible gaming and player protection, which issue certificates to the secure online casino operators. Here are some of the most prominent testing agencies and their seals of approval:
eCOGRA
eCOGRA is an independent testing agency formally recognized by the governments of Gibraltar, United Kingdom, Isle of Man, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Alderney and Kahnawake. Their ‘Safe & Fair’ trust logo is an evidence for fairness and integrity and a sign that you’re about to play in a 100% secure online casino.
TRUSTe
TRUSTe is a privacy management provider that enables companies to use their customers’ data safely while developing new technologies and products. The seal ‘TRUSTe certified privacy’ is awarded only to responsible gaming operators which protect their customers’ personal information and do not pass it to third parties.
GamCare
GamCare is a non-profit organization, whose mission is to raise awareness of problem gambling and provide free counselling and support to gambling addicts. Every casino site displaying their logo is invested in helping the users avoid these problems.
Interactive Gaming Council
The IGC serves as a forum for interactive gaming companies to advance common interests and find solutions to the challenges in the industry. Since the organisation has extremely high standards for their associates, only a truly safe online casino operator can be an IGC member.
Safe Gambling Online – Technical Security
Once you’ve made sure that the site you intend to play on is managed by a legal and trusted online casino operator, you have to check out its technical security. In order to make sure that the communication between your browser and the website’s server is secure and private, all of the safe online casino operators use a special encryption protocol called Secured Sockets Layer (SSL), which protects all your confidential information from cyber-attacks. Moreover, it wouldn’t hurt to know if the company that you trust your personal data with take their security seriously and perform regular malware checks while always on the look for potential vulnerabilities in their software platform. Here’s what you should be looking for:
RapidSSL
RapidSSL is a company that provides online businesses with SSL certificates. These certificates have great importance in the gambling industry since they assure players that they play at a truly secure online casino where their privacy is guaranteed and give them the opportunity to identify the owner of the website.
Technical Systems Testing
TST is an internationally recognized testing and consulting agency for iGaming companies. It evaluates the Random Number Generators used by online casinos and issues payout reports. The ‘TST Labs Certified’ seal of approval is granted only to the most trusted online gambling sites that comply with the industry standards.
Norton Secured
‘Norton Secured’ seal (formerly known as ‘VeriSign’) is one of the most trusted and widely recognised security symbols online. The gambling sites that have it are scanned for malware on a daily basis and when you click on the symbol, you will find important information about the encryption used to ensure that exchanging information with the online casino is safe.
McAfee Secured
‘McAfee Secured’ is another widely-known trustmark that makes online users more comfortable when sharing their personal information with a certain site. In order for a site to be granted this seal, it has so undergo a rigorous testing for vulnerabilities every day.
And finally, while searching for the best safe online casino to play at, make sure you find the operator’s software provider. The safe online casino operators would only trust the leading software providers with the development and maintenance of their platforms. Here are the best developers:
Playtech
Playtech is one of the best known casino software providers in the world, that gives players the opportunity to enjoy an incredibly rich selection of high quality games, and provides online gambling operators with gaming platforms that are always compliant with the industry standards as far as security goes.
Microgaming
Microgaming is another universally acknowledged casino software developer that offers users both great gaming experience and high security level. Microgaming’s download, web, live and mobile platforms are used by some of the most reputable online casinos in the industry and have earned the company more than one EGR award.
Dragonfish
Dragonfish is the software development division of the industry giant 888 casino. It powers the world-wide famous and highly trusted online casino and also offers software solutions to other operators. Being under the wing of a company with more than a decade of experience in the sector, Dragonfish know how to develop safe online casinos.
List of Secure and Trusted Online Casinos
Now that you know how to spot a safe online casino, it’s time for you go out there and find the best site for you to play on. In attempt to make it a little bit easier on you, we have narrowed all the trusted online casino sites down to the three best. We’ve taken into account all of the previously mentioned key points while reviewing the many contenders and we’ve come to the conclusion that the casino sites that deserve your attention the most are the following:
- 1.gibraltar mcafeeeCOGRA: ‘Safe and Fair’Approved by the IGCGamCare certifiedClaim £88 for free!
- 2.antigua & barbuda, PCITST Labs CertifiedPowered by PlaytechUp to 6000€ BonusClaim 30€ for free!
- 3.gibraltar rapidsslCertified by TSTSecured by RapidSSLUp to £1000 BonusTest the casino now!
Conclusion
Playing at an online casino can in fact be both entertaining and secure. To make sure you are at a truly safe online casino, you shouldn’t forget to inform yourself about the software, license and other certifications of the company. Only after doing that, you can go about playing all your favourite games, certain that your privacy will be protected and your winnings will be paid.