Whenever you’re browsing the internet in modern times, no matter how safe you might feel, there are always prying eyes trying to steal both your personal and financial information. As more of us use the internet on a more regular basis than ever before, the black market for financial details and phishing opportunities has grown exponentially. This has led to cybercriminals not only taking advantage of those who may not be all that tech-savvy but, at the same time, making their attempts ever more sophisticated.
And there are a few areas of the internet in particular where I feel particularly in the line of fire when it comes to having my information stolen and that is usually when I’m making a purchase online or depositing at an online casino. Even some of the top players, such as Drogo Schultz, take extensive measures to make sure they’re protected when they’re playing online. And so today in the spotlight: just how important is how secure and safe a website is to the average gambling site user?
Initial green flags
There are sometimes things I watch out for and things I want to see whenever I land on an iGaming website to start off with. Firstly, you’re going to want to make sure that the gambling site that you’re signing up to is licensed by an authority such as the UK Gambling Commission. This may not seem like it involves the digital side of things, but certain aspects that the likes of the UKGC and the MGA like gambling sites to uphold to attain their license are to ensure that they are looking after all customers and information responsibly and legally and this means a lot to me.
They also ensure that software for things such as online slots from these companies is tested by an independent laboratory on a regular basis. This means that the games are being held to account. And then, no matter what game I choose to play, I can rest assured that it has not been rigged in any way to put me at a disadvantage and at a higher chance of losing due to data manipulation.
Secure payment methods
It’s also important for the major players in the gambling world to be able to offer a range of different secure payment methods for players to choose from. Take my preference for example, which is PayPal. If an online gambling site doesn’t offer this as an option, it will deter me from playing. Even though I have other means of depositing funds into my account, PayPal is known for the advanced security protocols they have in place to keep customer information safe. Other payments that are readily available also include:-
- Google Pay
- Apple Pay
- Boku
- Skrill
- Credit/Debit Card
- Pay By Phone
There are also other options if you, like me, feel particularly vulnerable when making payments into our online gambling accounts and that option is something called crypto casinos. These are operationally like any other normal online site but the thing that separates them apart is that they allow you to deposit and play with cryptocurrency, which of course means that you don’t have to enter any personal or financial information.
Tools to improve your online safety
Although all of the top online sites should be doing everything they can with their resources to keep you safe, there are also additional steps that you can take to improve your safety online. A lot of the time, if you’re playing from a device such as a smartphone, laptop, or tablet, you are identified by an IP address. This identifies your particular device and where you’re located.
If your IP address falls into the wrong hands, this can leave you open to attacks such as a DDoS attack, which is a distributed denial of service attack, essentially flooding your network with data packets so that you can no longer continue playing. However, if you install a VPN or Virtual Private Network, what this does is mask your device so that you can’t be individually identified and can also keep all information encrypted and safe.
Hopefully, if you’re a fan of online gaming like me, you can now understand how important it is to keep ourselves safe. I have a VPN installed and I also take many other steps, such as making sure that I always use a strong password to reduce the risks of being attacked online while I’m simply trying to have fun.
Likewise, you’re going to want to do your research to ensure that the service that you’re signing up for also pulls its weight and ensures that they are doing everything they can to keep you safe while you’re playing at its site.