How to Avoid Online Casino Scams

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Avoid Online Casino Scams!

In the last few years, there has been a massive boom in the online casino industry. People are choosing to play the slots and tables from the comfort of their own homes, rather than taking a trip down to the actual casino.

Introduction

With this recent boom, more and more casino sites are popping up. This is creating healthy competition between the sites trying to win new members over. The growing market attracts a very dark type of character – scammers.

Scammers will work their way into any growing industry that they think might earn them an extra buck. They hide behind legitimate-looking entities and don’t care who they rip off.

Unfortunately, often those who aren’t well versed in the internet, or maybe don’t have too much to spare, are the ones that are caught in the scammer’s web. With the anonymity of the web, there is usually no way of catching them.

When signing up for a new online casino site, you need to have your wits about you. If something seems fishy, follow your gut and do your research.

What red flags to look for

What red flags to look for - Avoid online casino scams
What red flags to look for

Scammers will do anything to try and make their scams seem legit. It is so important to always look out for red flags, they may be well hidden, but with enough digging you will find them.

1. Too good to be true

As the old saying goes, if something looks too good to be true, it usually is. If an online casino site is offering promotions or bonuses that seem ridiculous, it might be a big red flag.

They do this in order to draw in new members. They make their offers seem like the best on the market, almost unbelievably good. This attracts players who think they have found the deal of a lifetime.

More often than not, you will not see a dime from these. Drawing you in is the most important part. Once they have all your details (including credit card deals) they can do what they want with you, take your money and disappear.

If a bonus or promotion looks too good to be true, trust that it probably is.

2. Terms and Conditions

Most people click “agree” without even opening the terms and conditions. As conditioned as we are to do this, we need to be careful. Online casino sites all have their own T&Cs.

These are usually similar to legitimate sites, but the scamming sites will have T&Cs that benefit them the most. Once you agree to these T&Cs, it will be difficult arguing them.

Even though no contract may override the law, online gambling in South Africa is illegal, so you will be a bit stuck. Trying to sort out this problem with a regulatory body overseas will most probably be more trouble than it’s worth.

That is why it is of utmost importance just to take an extra few minutes to read through the Terms and Conditions.

3. Problems withdrawing

As online casinos are illegal in South Africa, withdrawals might take a little longer when being sent to a South African bank account.

However, if there is a withdrawal from a site that is taking much longer than necessary, it is a major red flag. This is why you should avoid online casino scams. Sometimes these scam sites will keep delaying by requesting more and more personal information.

Not only is this a delay in you realizing your money is long gone, but people hope that by providing more information they will get their money out.

By giving all your precious information to these scammers, who will more probably use it for fraudulent activities.

4. Unreliable customer service

Any legitimate online casino site will have good customer service. They will usually respond to your queries quickly and resolve any problems fairly hassle-free. Being able to speak to an actual person helps move your query along fast, and gives you peace of mind that you are being looked after.

As scammers don’t want to invest any money into their scam, or even hire people, most of their customer service will be an automated response, if you receive a response at all.

They are there for a quick buck, they are not invested in keeping members signed up. Once they have what they want, they are long gone.

5. Check for a licence

This is one of the easiest ways to see if a casino site is legitimate or not to avoid online casino scams.

Check the licensing body on their website, and then check up on the licensing body to check its legitimacy.

If an online casino is a shame, it definitely won’t be registered under any legal authority. This is a surefire way to ensure you are signing up for a trustworthy, legit site.

6. Google reviews

Google reviews
Google reviews

If you have doubts, simply type the online casino’s name into the search bar followed by the word “scam”. If anyone has had a problem with the casino before, their reviews will definitely pop up for you to read.

Read also – How To Identify Rogue Online Casinos?

There are also sites that test out the legitimacy of the site. If the casino has in fact been doing some scamming, a Google search will definitely help you determine this.

This is why it is important to share your experience of illegitimate sites, to save some poor soul from falling prey to the same scam in the future. This is how you can avoid online casino scams.

7. Have your own back

There are way too many scammers out there for us to just trust that something is legit. Rather a research and research until you are 100% sure that the site you are signing up to, and entrusting your personal information to, is fully legit.

Save yourself a lot of time, money and hassle by only using proper, established online casino sites.

All the online casinos that are linked on our page are legitimate and safe to use.

Synopsis

Keep your wits about you and don’t feed the hungry scammers. The best way to avoid online casino scams is to work together and do our background checks, these lowlifes will eventually be out of “jobs” and we can enjoy the internet without having to constantly look over our shoulders!

About the author

Rebecca Brown