Picking a new online casino is exciting, but it’s important to focus on factors that make the casino safe to use rather than just entertaining. As important as games and features like payment options are, safety and security should be the top priority.
Here are the most important things to keep in mind when joining a new online casino as a South African.
Licensed online casinos only
The single most important thing you can do to stay safe in the world of online gambling is to only register with licensed online casinos. Certified casinos are considered the gold standard by fans, reviewers, and legal experts.
Using an unlicensed casino is a big risk, as they don’t always uphold responsible gambling standards. This means that even in the hands of a good-natured casino operator, they may unknowingly break the law or make their site vulnerable to hackers looking to steal money or personal info.
In a worst-case scenario, an unlicensed casino is deliberately set up to be a scam. This is reason enough to avoid unlicensed sites and apps altogether.
The best South African casinos will always have a license, with no exceptions. They will not only have a great reputation amongst their customers for games and services, but they will also make it easy to find info on their licensing, as they will be proud to be an honest business.
Protect your personal information
No matter which online casino you’re using, you should never openly give out your personal information to anyone when they request it. The exception to this can be when signing up for an online casino and they need some info to verify your identity.
Some online sweepstakes casinos have social functions where you can talk to other players in between games. Though this feature is usually harmless, some phishers will use these chatrooms to try and coax players into revealing information. You should never discuss anything private in these places; stick to discussing the entertainment at hand.
Consider a VPN
As a South African player, it may be beneficial to use a VPN in conjunction with an online casino. Standing for virtual private network, a VPN is a useful tool when trying to bypass certain region locks.
In Africa, it may sometimes be difficult to sign up for a website that’s based in North America or the United Kingdom. Many of these sites will automatically detect that you are from a different country. With a VPN, you can set your region yourself and be considered a member of that country or continent.
VPNs are also great at making your online activity anonymous to anyone watching, including an Internet service provider. No matter what you are doing online, a VPN is widely considered one of the top ways to stay safe online, be it for online gambling or anything else.
Set a budget
Depending on your own personality, you could be your own worst enemy when it comes to online gambling. This is why you should protect yourself from any accidental overspending by setting a budget and sticking to it.
It’s a misconception that only people who are problem gamblers can run into money trouble with online casinos. It can happen to anyone, so caution is always advised. With this in mind, you may want to take extra measures by downloading an app that can help you decide your gambling budget.
Whether you want to organise your budget day by day or game by game, it will help you stick to regimented spending sessions. Knowing when you need to stop can be very useful in the long run. Safe gambling isn’t just about cybersecurity, but wise spending habits as well.
Customer service quality
Even with a license and a good reputation, not all online casinos are flawless. Mishaps are bound to happen, be they glitches on a mobile app or a transaction that has been frozen for unknown reasons. Should this ever happen to you, you will be happy you selected an online casino that has a great customer service team.
These teams make all the difference between a problem being a minor inconvenience and a major headache. They should be able to be contacted via multiple channels—email, social media, online chatrooms. They should also be available 24/7 and offer a fast response time.
Checking the quality of a customer service team can be simple. Start by checking the user reviews and looking for all mentions of the customer support quality. If a major event happens to you that threatens your funds or personal info, one of the best ways to stay safe is to know you have a dependable team that will work hard to sort out your issue.
Choose casinos with responsible gambling features
Last but not least, choose online casinos that take responsible gambling seriously. Online casinos are meant to be places of fun and entertainment, not a major financial issue. This is why using casinos that offer resources for responsible gambling is a good way to fully fortify your online security.
These casinos should offer FAQs or mission statements that go into detail on their thoughts on the matter, but more importantly, they also need to offer tools that are accessible to all players. Deposit limits and self-exclusion periods that last anywhere from weeks to years are a common option. Any tool that gives players more control and freedom over their spending is a green flag.
