Online gambling is a beautiful thing when done safely and profitably. However, only some people on the Internet have good intentions. Here are some ways to spot the crooks and avoid their snares.
Suspiciously Slow Transactions
Sometimes online payments take time – not just online gambling but e-commerce. It’s common for a withdrawal to take some days or up to a week. However, modern online casinos and payment providers have significantly streamlined their processes. In this age, a withdrawal that takes months to reflect in the punter’s account should be a red flag. The same applies to a deposit that takes too long to appear in the player’s betting account. Something else that should spook a punter is if the casino offers up a bunch of bogus excuses when asked about these delayed deposits and withdrawals. These excuses are usually just pork pie to pacify the gambler as the scam casino tries to cover up its tracks. After waiting, such a casino will devise some fancy rationale that allows them not to pay or refund your money. To avoid this trap, do proper diligence on the casino before signing up with them. Well-established casinos are a safer bet, but it helps to read as many customers’ reviews as possible, even for those.
Fake Apps And Sites
Online gambling has brought convenience and other welcome benefits to the industry. However, it is also easier, in many, many ways, to fall victim to online casino scams and fraud when playing online compared to when visiting actual, brick-and-mortar casinos. The primary factor is that it’s more challenging to fake a physical location than to impersonate a digital or online resource. And should some wannabe crook try to pirate a physical casino, it would be far easier to bring them to book than to pursue a fraudster sitting with their laptop in some garage halfway across the world. There are many online casinos with tremendous and honorable reputations. These businesses have withstood the test of time, trusted by everyone in the online gambling community. However, it is too easy for someone else to take up the identity of, say, SBOTOP, bet365, etc., and pretend to be the company. Such scammers can create remarkably genuine-looking appearances online and pass themselves off as a genuine article. They’ll create professional-looking websites and attractive apps bearing the branding of whoever they wish to impersonate and then collect, among other things, personal information and betting deposits from unsuspecting gamblers. Here are some signs that a site or app is an imposter:
- Lack of contact info for owners.
- Lack of customer support.
- The very narrow range of deposit and withdrawal options.
- The minimal roster of games available to play.
- Sometimes iffy branding fails to convince.
In addition, always double-check the online casino’s web address to ensure you are on the right site. Only download betting apps from the authentic provider’s site.
Suspiciously Alluring Bonuses
Online casinos, just like any enterprise, are in business to make a profit. They are not running a charity. Therefore, as much as it has become the order of the day for casinos to offer welcome bonuses and other incentives, they try to be prudent with their offers. Online casino scams almost always try to lure in their victims using outrageous sign-up bonuses. A good gambler must be good at numbers. Do the math first, weighing the offer against the bonuses offered by competing sites. If the pot appears inconceivably sweet, run for dear life.
