How to Properly Vet and Check an Online Casino

Verify That They Have a Valid License

Every online casino that you play at should have a valid gambling license from one of several regulatory authorities. Organizations like the Phillippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, the UK Gambling Commission, and the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority are just three of many regulatory agencies that issue licenses to online casinos. Most online casinos will show a badge depicting one such authority at the bottom of their site or on their "About Us" page. 

Even if they do show such indication of having a license, that's still not enough. Many less scrupulous sites will claim to hold a license but, instead, use a fake license number to trick users. Others may even go as far as creating fake licenses and domains that mimic a licensing authority, making it even harder for users to know if the casino platform is reliable. Luckily, licensing authorities all have registries that you can use to check and verify that the online casino actually has a license. 

How to Use a Registry to Check the Authenticity of a Casino License

If the site claims to have a license from the UK Gambling Commission for instance, you can head over to their website and search their public register for the name of the online casino you're trying to check. If they do have a valid license, it will appear along with some other information about the business, including additional domains and the business address. 

You still need to be careful, though. Just because there is a license in that name doesn't mean that the site you're visiting is the same one listed in the registry. Scammers will often create sites with similar names with the same design to trick users into thinking they're playing at the real site. Double-check that the domain listed on the license in the registry matches the domain of the site you're currently on. When in doubt, you're better off copying and pasting the URL on the licensing site to make sure you're at the right place.

Examine Bonuses and Promotions

Bonuses and promotions are some of the best aspects of playing at an online casino, but they can also tell you a lot about the people operating it. While an offer like a free spin no deposit bonus isn't unheard of, and is typically a good deal, some sites offer wildly enticing bonuses that are simply too good to be true. 

Any site offering lots of free money, free plays, huge welcome bonuses, or anything that raises an eyebrow should be examined carefully. While it doesn't necessarily mean that the site is a scam, the bonuses could come with terms and conditions that are impossible to meet. Most bonuses have something called a turnover requirement, which essentially means that you cannot withdraw the bonus until it has been wagered a certain amount of times. If that turnover requirement is enormously high, then the bonus is essentially impossible to withdraw and isn't really a bonus at all. 

Reading User Reviews

User reviews can often tell you everything you need to know about a company  - especially online casinos. While there will always be a group of gamblers complaining about how they were scammed when, in reality, they just made bad bets, you can still learn a lot by reading online reviews from different social media sites like Reddit and Facebook. 

You want to try and find a pattern of bad behaviour on the part of the online casino. A history of reviews with users complaining about not receiving their withdrawals, being locked out from withdrawing in general, or shoddy customer service are all red flags and a sign to avoid that casino at all cost. As stated earlier, there will always be someone complaining, as it's impossible to earn and maintain 5-stars as a business these days, so use your discretion and try to decipher if there is actually a problem or if a bettor simply didn't like their draw of the cards.

Looking at Software Providers

One of the most overlooked ways of telling if an online casino is reliable or not is by looking at its software providers. If you've played at online casinos before, you probably already know some of the big, reputable names such as Pragmatic Play, Evolution Gaming and Playtech. These companies are just a few of the big names out there that provide software and live dealer services to reputable online casinos. Generally, if you see their names on a website, it means they've partnered with that site and have allowed them to host their products. This can often be a good indicator that the site is trustworthy. 

Testing Customer Support

This is highly suggested for almost every service you use online, not just online casinos. These days, almost every online casino has 24/7 live chat as a method of communication, and you should probably avoid any casino that doesn't have it. There's just no replacement for an instant connection with a customer service representative, day or night. 

That said, not every casino uses in-house customer service reps. Some sites outsource this to third-party companies that have little to no information about your account and the casino. Before you make a deposit into your casino account, test the customer service representatives. Start a chat with some basic (or not-so-basic) questions, and see how they respond. Customer service reps that respond immediately with apparent knowledge about the site's services are a good sign that you'll be taken care of should any problems arise in the future .

Conclusion

It's not hard these days to find a reputable online casino if you know how to go about it. If you're hoping to get started in the world of iGaming, just remember the tips laid out in this guide that will help you find the best online casinos to play at. Always double-check their gambling license, check out the bonuses, read user reviews, examine software providers and test customer support. After you do that, you will feel safer about betting online.