Ensuring you choose an Honest Casino
August 6, 2008
Choosing an online casino is a major decision because you have to be certain that the casino is honest and that you will be paid if you win. By reading through our site, you will find a long list of reliable casinos, who have been independently checked and verified. It is not recommended to use casinos which do not appear on our site, but if you feel the need to, check through our guide below to ensure that you are safe.
Bonuses
If it looks too good to be true it probably is. Check the terms and conditions for the bonus and comp program gaming requirements. If you can’t find anything suspicious there, then check the site. Casinos are businesses, and businesses are there to make money. Most casinos have a wagering requirement anywhere between 5 - 20X the deposit + bonus amount and can have special details attached, such as different wagering amounts depending on country or if you are a student.
Customer Service
Do they offer phone support? Email? Chat? Is it 24/7? Do they know your language? Try whatever type of customer support that they offer. See how quickly they respond and how well. Often it will be customer service that handles bonuses or winnings payments, so it’s important that they answer you back quickly.
Site Ownership
Does the site state who the owners are? If so, does it list their email addresses, phone numbers, and/or street address? Check the phone numbers and email addresses for authentication. If neither an email nor a phone number is listed do not bother with the site. Who does their software? You may want to check that company out as well.
Licensing and the IGC
The site should be government licensed. This will typically be listed on one of the following pages: about us, rules, FAQ’s, or terms and conditions. If you can’t find it in an obvious spot (or you don’t feel like looking) you can write in to the sites customer service for the information. Now just because they say they are licensed doesn’t necessarily mean that they are. They should also display the verification from the government they are licensed by.
Many casinos are registered with the Internet Gaming Council. To be a member of the council you have to agree to their code of conduct (i.e. be honest and have good customer service). You can find out if the casino you are interested in is listed by checking www.igcouncil.org. However, not every site is a member, so don’t make this your final judgment.
Website
Legitimate operators take the time, money, and effort to create a nice looking professional site. They will present all of their information on their site clearly and will not hide information. Steer clear of sites that aren’t well done.
Auditing
Most sites will list their odds. The question is how did they come to this number? Does a respectable third party firm, such as PriceWaterhouseCoopers, audit them? They should link to the auditing companies site, so you can check them out as well. Remember, if an outside firm isn’t auditing them, they can tell you whatever numbers they like for the odds. You have no way of knowing if they are lying or not.
Security
The deposit and payment system should be 128 bit encryption technology. When you deposit you should see the little closed lock sign on the bottom of the web page showing that it is secure. They should have a privacy policy regarding all of your personal information (typically on the terms and conditions page). If you don’t want two million emails from every affiliate they have, be sure that they do not share their information!
Good luck and have fun gaming!
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