When choosing an online casino, one of the vital factors you need to consider is safety. Any safe online casino is easy to spot, as you’ll see in our guide below. While you’re looking, keep an eye out for a lock icon in your search bar and valid security seals.
These indicate that the online gambling site has some form of encryption built into the website. But the real test is the games, deposits, and withdrawals. Only the safest online casinos will use more than industry-standard methods to keep your information secure.
So, read our guide below to start finding the safest online casino to play for real money.
When you’re looking for a safe casino to play at, we recommend checking some factors first. This will help you make an informed decision and minimize risking your hard-earned money to scams.
So keep the following criteria in mind as you research your next casino:
1. Gambling Licenses
Always check for a license from a regulator that requires more than just an office in their country and a fee. Reputable organizations will always check the security of a site and everything it does every three months.
2. Regular Audits
Legitimate websites have third-party auditors who check their practices and make a public report. These cover payouts, policies, and player treatment, as well as the usual games and security measures.
3. Technical Security
Next up, check the data protection and fraud prevention measures used by the site. Any safe casino should outsource its technical security to a third-party specialist.
4. Game Fairness
Every game the casino offers should use a random number generator (RNG) that features an SHA-3 Hash Algorithm. This prevents tampering from outside and will add another layer of security to the site.
5. Casino Software
When we commit to a casino review, we always look at the software providers who partner with the casino. These should be well-regarded game studios who know how to encrypt games and keep things running smoothly.
6. Banking Options
With real money casinos on the line, we expect sites to offer safe payment options that are encrypted with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology. Your cash should be safe with providers like Visa, Mastercard, Wire Transfers, and Bitcoin.
Top 5 Safe Casinos
While we list our most recent reviews first, we have a handful of favorites we’ll recommend any day to players. These are the best sites we know of that offer a secure gaming experience:
El Royale – 240% up to $12 500
Wild Casino – 250% up to $5000
Vegas Casino Online – 100% up to $11 000
Café Casino – 500% up to $5000
Bovada – 100% up to $3000
What Makes Casinos Secure?
Typically, there are a handful of security measures you need to be aware of before you claim a casino bonus. Trusted online casinos need all of the factors we mentioned above and a little more.
We generally look at these security protocols as well when we review reputable online casinos:
Security Protocol
What it does for you
SSL
Everything should be protected when you’re playing at a casino by encryption.
2-step verification
Two-step processes double up the protection and your personal information better than the usual login process.
ID verification
When you make payments, the casino should ask you to verify your identity with your card, a utility bill, and forms.
Segregated funds
Your funds should never be accessed by the site for any reason, so this is essential.
Responsible gaming
Only safe casinos will be forced to offer responsible gambling practices like self-exclusion, permanent bans, and support resources.
Things to Look Out For
With the above basics ticked off, you need to keep some other factors in mind when you’re considering a site. Some red flags we’ve noticed in our years of reviewing top rated casinos include:
Extremely low payout limits – websites that limit you to a meager amount monthly are definitely having money troubles. And, if they close down, you could lose everything you deposited.
Installment payouts – if you win a progressive jackpot and the casino demands you take monthly installments, it is a major red flag. Any jackpot you win should actually be paid out by the software developer.
Using “illegal” payment methods for payouts – no safe casino would force you to use weird cashout options instead of credit cards or Bitcoin. This is highly illegal and could get the site shut down by authorities without warning.
Crossing the legal line – sites that cater to “grey markets” without gambling laws are usually doing shady things. Try to avoid any site that isn’t licensed in your state and offers to banned markets.
Vague terms and conditions – if you ever see jargon and ambiguous language in the terms and conditions, leave immediately. Any loopholes will be exploited to keep your money and give you a runaround.
Waiting for deposits to payout – last but not least, casinos that wait for a deposit before you can cash out. Cashflow shouldn’t be so limited that they can’t freely payout winnings.
Playing at Safe Online Gambling Sites
If you’re still struggling to find a safe online casino, we recommend getting a second opinion from a team of expert reviewers, public forums for player ratings, and on blacklist websites. Any casino operation with bad reviews should be avoided at all costs.
Also, customer service is a vital feature you need to look at because gambling operators need to keep players in mind. After all, they need you to keep coming back for more online slots, table games, and other gambling games.
Yes, if you have followed our review process and reviewed everything you can about the casino. We can recommend Slots of Vegas as a safe casino choice.
Any review site like ours will be able to point you to legitimate sites and not rogue casinos. After all, we’ve put in the legwork to verify our reviews.
That will depend on your state or country and what it allows legally. Some countries, like Germany, are in talks to ban gambling entirely. So, double-check your local laws to ensure that you can play safely.
All safe casinos are regularly checked by their license issuer, third-party auditors, and a game tester. Any irregularities are always made public by law so that players like you are kept safe.
Try to choose a banking method for both transactions you know is speedy and secure. We recommend prepaid cards, e-wallets, and similar services for that.
