Stealing Your Deposit
This is likely one of the most common online casino scams and it can be one that could permanently put you off of online gaming. Players that fail to do their research will often fall victim to this scam as they’ll sign up for what they believe is a legit online casino. This is a very simple form of fraud and the casino itself might not even be one that exists despite the website looking like one that exists.
The goal of the scammer is for you to provide your banking details and register your bank card, and once you deposit cash into your casino account, you’ll quickly find that you’ve been booted from the casino with your account being frozen and your money has gone. You’ll then be handed every possible hurdle to prevent you from getting back to the casino and reactivating your account.
There are cases where the scammer will target a player that has made many small deposits and then convince them to make a larger deposit to claim an even larger cash amount. If the player does this, they’ll then be locked out of their account. While this sounds scary, many steps can be taken to prevent this from happening.
Theft of Your Personal Data and Identity
Around NZ$107 billion has been stolen from people due to online scams. However, the good news is that this number has significantly decreased from 2017 onwards. A small portion of online fraud still exists and this comes from scams of online casinos operated by fraudsters that are still around today. These online casinos exist only to siphon as much data as possible from unsuspecting users.
The data that’s been stolen will either be used to help themselves or it will be sold on the black market to other criminals that will use it to possibly steal your identity. The worst part about this scam is that it can be very difficult to pick up on as the casinos that are used seem very legitimate. The casino will operate as normal and you’ll even be able to play games, win cash, and use the promotions that are offered.
Some scammers will choose to freeze your account and request various documentation and proof of ID before they reactivate your account. This might not have you question if the casino is a scam as this is something that some legitimate online casinos would do as well.
Rigged Games
Some scammers will attempt to take as much from you as possible and one of their favorite ways to do this is to ensure that any money that you put into the casino will go into their pockets. This includes deposits, withdrawals, and bonuses scams, and this poses no risk to them. One of the ways to do this is to provide clients with games that have been rigged.
A reputable online casino with genuine slot games will have an RTP rate which provides you with a rough estimate as to how much you can expect to get back over a set period. The RTP rate of a slot is generally between 87% and 97%. If a slot has been rigged, the player will either lose all the time, or the losses will be frequent enough to ensure that they keep playing until they have no more money left.
Failing to Pay Winnings
When online gaming was in its early days, online casinos often had massive prizes up for grabs; however, they usually didn’t have the money to pay out the amount that they advertised or they simply had no intention of providing the winner with the cash that they owe. While small wins were provided, larger ones weren’t. If a large amount was won the casino would generally provide complex reasons why the money can’t or won’t be paid.
These casino scams aren’t as widespread as they were before due to strict licensing standards that are being enforced by casino authorities.
Malware Scams
This is likely one of the most concerning types of scams as it doesn’t only relate to online casinos. Malware can affect anyone that downloads a file that comes from a questionable source. Malware has the potential to affect the speed of your device while also being extremely annoying; however, there are cases where this can put you at risk of ransomware. Ransomware can look you out of your device and it can result in the attackers expecting an absorbent fee to get rid of the malicious software.
Avoiding Scams
By sticking to the following steps, you’ll never need to ask the question “is online gambling a scam?”, ever again. Scams might be concerning; however, there are easy ways to avoid them. The key is to stick to online casinos that are licensed and regulated by legitimate authorities. To avoid all forms of scams, the following steps should be taken:
- Don’t join an unlicensed online casino.
- Don’t download software from an unreliable source.
- Check out casino reviews on forums before signing up to confirm if a casino is legit.
- Stick to the bigger casinos as they have a good reputation.
- Avoid third-party apps.
- Conduct thorough research on the casino that you’re planning to join.
- If it sounds like an unbelievable deal, it’s likely a scam.
Red Flags of Online Casinos
Is online casino a scam? In most cases – no. However, there are online casinos out there that have bad intentions, but fortunately, there is a list of red flags that you can look out for. If an online casino has any of the following, avoid it. Red flags include:
- The casino has no license or the license on the side can’t be clicked on.
- The bonuses on the site feature false advertising.
- The terms and conditions of the bonuses on the site are unfair and can’t be met.
- If the casino closes your account around the same time you’ve claimed a big win or if you tried to withdraw your winnings.
- If the casino fails to pay you your winnings and constantly requests additional files.
- If the customer support system is a constant dead-end.
Forums Don’t Lie
If you’re researching an online casino, the best thing you can do is check out a forum dedicated to online casinos. While there might be a few people that might purposely leave negative comments and reviews of a particular casino, look at what the majority of them are saying and go with that opinion.
If players are complaining about a specific casino, look at the complaint and how many players are saying the same thing. This will be a good indication of what’s expected and whether or not this specific platform should be avoided.
Licensing
It’s the law for an online casino to be licensed and if an online casino doesn’t have a license then it should be avoided altogether. There are different types of licensing authorities depending on the location of the casino. These licensing authorities include:
- Malta Gaming Authority – This is the most popular licensing body and many of the best online casinos feature an MGA license.
- UK Gambling Commission – This licensing body is responsible for regulating online casinos in the UK; however, it’s known for being notoriously strict and the license is very difficult to get. Any casino with this license is guaranteed to be legit.
- Curacao eGaming – This used to be the license that many operators went after because it was easy to obtain. However, the body has become very strict and has been known to impose large fines on operators that violate the rules.
- Gibraltar – Responsible for many online casinos, especially those in NZ, this licensing body has come a long way since and has become a respected licensing authority.
- Kahnawake Gaming Commission – Many NZ casinos are licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission and this is known to be a highly respected licensing body, especially for poker sites.
These are the most common licensing bodies and some of them are significantly stricter than others.
Conclusion
Scams can be avoided in many ways and as much as it is the responsibility of the region that regulates gambling to clamp down on these entities, you need to be responsible and educate yourself when it comes down to scams. Ultimately, there are many ways for these to be avoided and there’s no reason why you should be a victim of something that’s meant to be enjoyed.
