How to Spot a Safe Online Casino
Definitions and Assistance
By "safe online casino" in this article, I mean a casino who you can trust to pay out in a timely manner when you win and one that has fair games that can't be tampered with. Most of the safety indicators below are included as fields in the Online Casinos Grid Application which can be used as a reference.
Safety Indicators: Licensing Jurisdiction
The first thing I look for when I visit the website of an online casino I am unfamiliar with is where it is licenced. Some jurisdictions, most notably those associated with the UK and her colonies are stricter and in general are a very good indicator of a safe online casino. Examples of jurisdictions I trust implicitly are Alderney and the Isle Of Man - and the UK itself for that matter. Worth mentioning also are Gibraltar and Malta as this means the casinos conform to UK Whitelist standards. The Kahnawake jurisdiction has made improvements to it's player support procedures recently and in general is also pretty reasonable. Beyond that, I wouldn't take other jurisdictions as a safety indicator, but it doesn't mean they are bad, just cheaper and easier to obtain a licence from and with less restrictions on operators. A friend of mine has put up a very good guide to the individual gaming jurisdictions on his page on offshore gaming jurisdictions - even includes photos!
By "safe online casino" in this article, I mean a casino who you can trust to pay out in a timely manner when you win and one that has fair games that can't be tampered with. Most of the safety indicators below are included as fields in the Online Casinos Grid Application which can be used as a reference.
Safety Indicators: Licensing Jurisdiction
The first thing I look for when I visit the website of an online casino I am unfamiliar with is where it is licenced. Some jurisdictions, most notably those associated with the UK and her colonies are stricter and in general are a very good indicator of a safe online casino. Examples of jurisdictions I trust implicitly are Alderney and the Isle Of Man - and the UK itself for that matter. Worth mentioning also are Gibraltar and Malta as this means the casinos conform to UK Whitelist standards. The Kahnawake jurisdiction has made improvements to it's player support procedures recently and in general is also pretty reasonable. Beyond that, I wouldn't take other jurisdictions as a safety indicator, but it doesn't mean they are bad, just cheaper and easier to obtain a licence from and with less restrictions on operators. A friend of mine has put up a very good guide to the individual gaming jurisdictions on his page on offshore gaming jurisdictions - even includes photos!
Safety Indicators: Software Provider
Casinos that use one of the Big 4 software providers will normally display their logo on their site. If you see a logo for Wagerworks or Microgaming, I regard that as a good sign for 2 reasons. Firstly, their games are fair and I am informed by a previously reliable source that the casinos are not given the facility to alter payout percentages on any game (see the article on Casino Game Fairness for more information). Additionally, both these providers are comparitively expensive to licence software from and strict about who they licence too. This means their licencees are serious operations and also that the software provider will be likely to share responsibility for ensuring players are paid should an operator ever hit trouble.
Although not widely used, Wagerlogic software is also operated in a similar fashion and I would regard that as very safe and trustworthy. Two more software providers you will see regularly are Playtech and Realtime Gaming (RTG). I am convinced that their games are 100% fair, but they are less strict about who they licence to and I would not take the presence of their logo as a safety indicator on it's own. I do play at Playtech and RTG casinos, but woukd suggest you restrict your choices to those on my list of Playtech's and RTG's in the Online Casinos Grid App that I have tried and tested.
Casinos that use one of the Big 4 software providers will normally display their logo on their site. If you see a logo for Wagerworks or Microgaming, I regard that as a good sign for 2 reasons. Firstly, their games are fair and I am informed by a previously reliable source that the casinos are not given the facility to alter payout percentages on any game (see the article on Casino Game Fairness for more information). Additionally, both these providers are comparitively expensive to licence software from and strict about who they licence too. This means their licencees are serious operations and also that the software provider will be likely to share responsibility for ensuring players are paid should an operator ever hit trouble.
Although not widely used, Wagerlogic software is also operated in a similar fashion and I would regard that as very safe and trustworthy. Two more software providers you will see regularly are Playtech and Realtime Gaming (RTG). I am convinced that their games are 100% fair, but they are less strict about who they licence to and I would not take the presence of their logo as a safety indicator on it's own. I do play at Playtech and RTG casinos, but woukd suggest you restrict your choices to those on my list of Playtech's and RTG's in the Online Casinos Grid App that I have tried and tested.
Player Protection Bodies
The online casino market is regulated in some countries, but not in others. As a result, there are one or two independent bodies that are able to assist players. The foremost of those is eCOGRA. Although some people believe that eCOGRA isn't as independent as it should be, they do offer a fair player disputes channel in my opinion. In addition, the Player Advocate site at Casinomeister offers a Pith-a-Bitch service for most online casinos along with an accreditation service which once again is independent. As a moderator on the forum there, clearly I believe that this is a useful service when a potential dispute arises, although it does not cover every online casino, so use the information above as your initial trust indicator and either eCOGRA or Casinomeister will offer you a backup if you require it.
The online casino market is regulated in some countries, but not in others. As a result, there are one or two independent bodies that are able to assist players. The foremost of those is eCOGRA. Although some people believe that eCOGRA isn't as independent as it should be, they do offer a fair player disputes channel in my opinion. In addition, the Player Advocate site at Casinomeister offers a Pith-a-Bitch service for most online casinos along with an accreditation service which once again is independent. As a moderator on the forum there, clearly I believe that this is a useful service when a potential dispute arises, although it does not cover every online casino, so use the information above as your initial trust indicator and either eCOGRA or Casinomeister will offer you a backup if you require it.
A Note about Disputes
The majority of disputes that occur at safe online casinos revolve around bonuses or in some cases, getting cashouts processed (see my article on casino cashouts for help in avoiding issues). Players often fail to understand the implications and restrictions placed on signup bonuses and I would urge you to read my Casino Bonuses article before you decide to accept one. Players that don't choose an honest online casino stand a higher chance of running into other difficulties, mainly with getting paid out, so be sure to pick a safe casino. The majority of online casinos are safe, but to be sure, use my list of online casinos that I have personal knowledge of and you are far less likely to encounter a problem.
The majority of disputes that occur at safe online casinos revolve around bonuses or in some cases, getting cashouts processed (see my article on casino cashouts for help in avoiding issues). Players often fail to understand the implications and restrictions placed on signup bonuses and I would urge you to read my Casino Bonuses article before you decide to accept one. Players that don't choose an honest online casino stand a higher chance of running into other difficulties, mainly with getting paid out, so be sure to pick a safe casino. The majority of online casinos are safe, but to be sure, use my list of online casinos that I have personal knowledge of and you are far less likely to encounter a problem.