In the last couple of years, online gambling and online casinos have continued to surge in terms of players and profit. It’s even more popular now that the pandemic restrictions have basically forced most casinos to close their doors for the time being. While convenient, there’s no doubting that there are a few downsides to using these online gambling platforms.
In Indonesia, online gambling has been on the rise because of its accessibility and convenience. As such, a lot of websites have sprouted to accommodate those in Indonesia, as well as those in other parts of the world.
As with most websites on the internet, these online casinos are prone to data breaches, hacks, and other threats to digital security. It’s popular amongst hackers because it’s a treasure trove of sensitive information such as your private details and your bank account details. These are very valuable in the black market.
The owners of these gaming sites do their part to ensure that your data is secure. That doesn’t mean that you should act carelessly on your end. You should still take serious steps towards figuring out which sites are safe, and which puts you at risk. Here are a few signs to look for before you play.
Scour Message Boards For Reviews
The first thing you should do before sharing your details with a gambling site is research. It’s enticing to finally play a slot online but keep in mind that you’re putting yourself under a lot of vulnerabilities without research. The easiest way to check out a website’s legitimacy is mostly through message boards.
You can find third-party message boards about online gambling. If the website you are eyeing is popular, there’s a good chance that there are already discussions about its legitimacy and security online. If there are no apparent details yet, you should take the initiative to open up a discussion about it on the message boards.
As there are already countless users of these platforms online, you can find a selection of reviews and feedback about the top sites online. There’s no better way to get referred to a certain website than by searching on message boards, forums, and even Facebook groups.
Aside from reviews, also check if the website doesn’t have any shady tactics to screw you out of your money. It’s not just digital threats that you should look for. You should also avoid gambling platforms that don’t give you a fair shot at making any money through their games.
Only Deal With Renowned Websites
This should be obvious by now but you should only use online gambling websites that are already well-known. In doing so, you are able to assure your safety. Even in gambling in the real world, you only deal with casinos that are already established and trusted.
Let us warn you, you still need to properly check the website even if it’s already a tried and trusted name. Some hackers are able to replicate a website’s looks to create phishing scams. One thing they can’t replicate however is the URL of the website, as such, check if there are any misspellings or odd characters on the address first.
Phishing scams are no longer limited to links via email. They now also come in the form of fake websites that look like the real thing.
Check The Platform’s Age And User Base
It’s important that you deal only with websites that are already established and well-known in the gambling community. Ideally, you’d want to gamble in a website that has been around for at least one year. However, that’s not all. It’s also important that you check how many users the platform has.
Even if new websites look authentic and safe, you shouldn’t take the risk. It’s easy for these platforms to run and take your money once you’ve already given it to them. The longer the history of the platform of the website, the more you can find about it online. As such, all negative and positive feedback can be uncovered eventually.
While you are at it, you should go and search for the latest news about the platforms you are eyeing. Just go to Google and type the platform’s name. If it has had any serious issues during the last couple of years, you may want to hold off on using the website for now.
Check The Offers
There are many online gambling platforms so it’s not surprising that each is provided if trying out the other. They do these by offering you great deals on chips, high win rates, and even great payouts. If you’re a veteran at gambling, you should already know when some deals are too good to be true.
Make sure that the website you are dealing with is sticking to the status quo with regards to payouts and win rates. We all know how risky gambling is, even if it is online. There’s no such thing as a low-risk high reward system when it comes to gambling and any site that offers this is likely bogus.
Use An Antivirus
To begin with, you should never be using the internet without having an antivirus running on your computer first. That being said, today’s top software in this field comes with a special feature that lets you see whether a website is secure or not. This key feature is a must especially when it comes to websites where you have to share your personal details.
Alternatively, there are also many platforms that allow you to do safety checks on websites before you open them. All you need to do is give them the link and it will check the website for you automatically. It’s one of the fastest ways to check the legitimacy of a gambling platform.
It’s imperative that you check the safety and security of a gambling platform before you use it. Hackers can steal a lot of your crucial information through websites that are unsecured. If you fall for these obvious scams, then your luck has already run out even before you begin making bets.