At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic back in 2020, many establishments closed down, including casinos. As such, casino goers have been looking for a place to satisfy their gambling needs, and they found it in online casinos. Even though it’s not as lively as a real brick-and-mortar casino due to the difference in atmosphere, their gambling needs are met because they offer the same casino games just like a casino in real life.
From blackjack to poker, there are a lot of games that you can still play online. However, due to the increased prevalence of online casinos, some people will inevitably take advantage of them by running scams through fake online casinos.
While these fake online casinos are in the minority, it doesn’t mean that they don’t exist. They exist and are out to cheat you out of your money. If you think it sounds scary, it sure is. How do you know if the online casino you frequent is legit?
1. It Has Good Reviews
The first thing that you should consider doing before you delve into an online casino is to see its reviews.
There are a lot of third-party review sites online that allow people to give feedback online casinos. On these sites, you’ll see reviews of people who have tried playing in a specific online casino and what they can say about it.
Usually, if they aren’t happy with the service, they tend to voice it out through these reviews. Thankfully, if they think that the online casino isn’t legit, they also make a bad review on it and make a statement, warning other players that the online casino probably isn’t legit.
2. Reasonable Bonuses
It’s not uncommon to see a live online casino run promotions and other perks to entice bettors to play in their online casinos. It’s a very common strategy that online casinos use, after all. But of course, there’s always a catch when it comes to these bonuses. For example, suppose you see an online casino saying that they’re offering free money for first-time players.
In that case, you can assume that you can only get that free money if you deposit a specific amount or more for your first-time deposit, or you can only get that if you’re a member of the online casino for at least a month.
Fortunately, most of these bonuses are legit. They’re regulated by the commissions, after all. However, if you think the offers are too good to be true, then there’s a chance they are. Fake casinos tend to make their offers very good to lure in more bettors in their casinos.
3. Legitimate Banking Methods
When looking for an online casino, you can notice that the legit ones have the most common banking methods, like PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, Amazon Pay, etc. This is to signify that the online casino is on good terms with these banking companies. You can be almost 100% sure that the online casino is legit.
On the other hand, if you don’t see any of these banking companies in the withdrawal and depositing methods in an online casino, there’s a chance it’s fake. Companies tend not to partner with shady online businesses to protect their reputation.
4. It’s Fair
To be reasonably fair (no pun intended), this can be very subjective since some people tired of losing will complain that the online casino is unfair regarding the game.
Some will even go as far as saying that the online casino is running a scam. It’s very common, and it’s better to ignore these people. Legit casinos are fair because, in most cases, their results are completely random.
You know what they say, you win some, you lose some. Usually, legit online casinos have their fairness tested by a third party like eCOGRA and iTech Labs. But of course, when you look for a casino, research its RTP first.
RTP refers to the percentage of the money you’ll eventually get back after playing a specific game for some time.
5. Check the Certification and Licenses
Most online casinos have a dedicated page that openly shows their certifications and licenses, saying that they are regulated by the commissions and have had their games audited. This is like a brand that tells its players that their online casino is fair and legit.
If you encounter an online casino that has no certification and licenses or you feel like they are hiding it, then it’s most probably they are running a scam.
Final Words
Most online casinos you see on the internet are mostly legit, while the fake ones are in the minority. However, it doesn’t mean you should be complacent when picking an online casino. If you don’t want to lose your money through a scam or something similar, you should always be vigilant and look for signs that your online casino is legit.
