Casino Expert and Editor-in-Chief
When coming across a new online casino, players instinctively inquire if the platform is legit. It’s an understandable concern, considering hard-earned money and personal information is entrusted to a website. That’s why our online casino review team set down and prepared a comprehensive guide that will help you identify a safe online casino site.
Before we examine the necessary criteria for a secure platform, it’s important to note that the online gambling industry is generally well-regulated. After all, platforms depend on repeat customers, and a bad reputation is spread fast in today’s interconnected world of social media. It’s time to learn how to find the most trusted online casinos in Australia.
There are several factors that need to be taken into consideration when assessing whether an online casino is safe and secure, including:
If all of these factors check out - you’ve found yourself a safe online gaming site. Below we’ll go into more detail and we’ll help you differentiate the safe from the sketchy casinos.
Reading online reviews will give you an understanding of the overall satisfaction customers have with a given casino. Some reviews have customer testimonials. It's a great method to see if a more in-depth analysis is needed or if you already have enough red flags.
Checking customer service is a good place to start your online journey before you even sign up. We prefer to test out the customer support team and measure their response time and depth of knowledge.
The first thing we check while on the lookout for secure online casinos is the licence. There are many reputable online casinos that are grouped together by an affiliate marketing team. At the footer of the casino website, you can usually find the name of the company and the licencing authority it subscribes to.
The most common licenses are the ones issued by the Malta Gaming Authority, UK Gambling Commission, Curacao Gaming Authority, Kahnawake Gaming Commission, and Gibraltar Gambling Authority. An important takeaway is that if a website has a license number, users can cross-reference in an official register, and know that the platform is secure.
The original purpose of the seal was to authenticate a product or document - signalling to interested parties that a government institution guarantees the quality. And the same practice is present in online casinos, which promptly display logos of official government institutions that regulate gambling within their jurisdiction.
The Australian government has very comprehensive rules and regulations concerning both online and land-based casinos. Currently, Australian Casinos are not available to Australians. But, Australian players are free to bet on legal and regulated offshore online casinos.
Aussie players can trust the licencing authorities from the Caribbean, Canada, Malta, and Gibraltar. These countries and several others have official institutions that implement strict criteria, demanding modern safety protocols and financial disclosure when certifying a platform.
Licenses prove that the company behind an online casino is following safety and business standards. But casino auditors are the watchmen that inspect platforms and see if those regulations get properly enforced. If there are any shady dealing behind the scene, they will identify them.
Players value casino sites that readily get inspected by third-party audits because this brings a degree of impartiality, and is an extra vote of confidence that their selection is the most trusted online casino.
There are several casino auditors, and some of the most well-known is, eCOGRA.The inspections auditors perform focus on:
When you find a casino that proudly states that it gets regularly verified by auditors, and publishes the reports, then you can rest assured you are in good hands.
Bank-grade security is the cornerstone of a reliable cashier's section. Most online casinos gravitate toward recognizable names among payment providers. There may be e-wallets, bank transfers, cryptocurrencies or credit card transactions. This is done for players’ convenience, considering they already use those payment methods, but also because they provide the latest security features.
When it comes to payment methods, there are two layers of security. The first one gets implemented by the payment provider, and the second is by the casino. If by any chance, one fails, the second one will stop the intruder.
Red flags to be on the lookout for are the absence of popular reliable payment methods such as Visa, MasterCard, and PayPal. A narrow selection with unfamiliar brands is not a good sign.
The biggest concern for Aussie players is whether they get a fair deal when spinning the reels or playing a few hands at the card tables. It’s not a secret that the house always has the edge, but this doesn’t mean players can’t win or that the advantage of the platform stems from cheating.
The outcome of all games gets decided randomly. That’s why they get called games of chance. Every game, from video slots to pokies, baccarat, or roulette gets managed by a software called Random Number Generator (RNG). This is a complex mathematical algorithm that determines the outcome of every game.
The best way to check if the casino's RNG is by the book is to look at the lobby of games and the developers that supply the titles. If they use the SHA-3 hash algorithm this further prevents fixing the games.
If a platform sources its games from leading developers, such as Big Time Gaming, RTG, Betsoft, and many others that are available to Australian players. Then you should know fair outcomes are to be expected. Plus, auditors regularly check for tampering and will raise the alarm if the casino has manipulated its system, resulting in a revoked license and possible legal charges.
Trusted games auditors like TST audit RTG games. Rival Gaming uses Curacao eGaming, Betsoft prefers Quinel, and GLI whereas Bovada likes iTech Labs.
Since the EU implemented the GDPR, there has been a global push for increased security of personal information on online platforms. Considering casinos store users' addresses, phone numbers, banking details, and even copies of ID documents that get used to verify gamers' identity, security is a top priority.
Data encryption is very important. Check the online casino uses Hybrid RSA Encryption. This means that external parties cannot intercept messages.
Numerous types of firewalls get implemented, and the most recognizable method is the SSL certificate, which encrypts data and is a widely used method in the gambling industry. The easiest way to identify a secure casino website that is practising this form of security is to find a padlock icon in the address bar of the browser you are using.
Mobile casinos are an extension of the original platform, and by default, all of the security features on the casino website will be implemented on the mobile version. Players have two options when playing on a smartphone or a tablet: to access the online casino via a mobile browser or use a dedicated app.
In the former case, the responsive design will adapt the features on the small screen, and the SSL encryption will continue functioning and prevent unwanted visitors. Some apps may have additional security features, but generally, they meet industry standards.
The biggest weakness in using the mobile casino is not the platform, but the integrity of the Wi-Fi connection used. We would like to warn players not to access open or public Wi-Fi networks when wagering in an online casino. By logging only on secure networks, players prevent interception of their data.
Our parting words of advice will include several tips that you may include in your gaming adventures.
We here recommend you to:
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