Beware of Online Casino Scams
how to avoid Casino Scams – Online casinos seem like an easy, seamless way to earn money with little to no effort on your part, with the bonus of being addictively fun, But can these sites be trusted? Entrusting your hard-earned cash to these online casinos can give one cause for pause, and rightly so, as certain casinos will steal your winnings from under your nose.
But how do they run these scams? Reported cases include unjustifiably closing accounts and taking the player’s money, non-payment of winnings, fine print that prevents the player from ultimately walking away with cash in hand, cheating software, delayed payouts, changing odds during gameplay, altering terms and conditions after play has commenced. the list goes on! But don’t let this scare you from enjoying the online gambling scene. Be wary and stick to the following tips and guidelines to navigate the world of online gambling:
Reputable and Trusted Online Casinos
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Casino Red Flags
Many shady scam casinos try to disguise themselves as legitimate places. However, several points give away, and we will review them so you can safely pick your optimal online casino.
We refer to the points as red flags; it is recommended to know them before signing up and depositing with any online casino; think of it as a non-scam checklist:
- License: does the casino have permission, and does it feature on their site as a clickable icon somewhere?
- Unfair Bonuses: they are bonuses and promotions that have false advertising.
- Unfair Terms & Conditions: Using the site as a player and bonus condition gives the casino an unfair advantage.
- User Lockdowns: casino that suddenly closed player accounts out to avoid payments, with no legit reason.
- Payment withdrawal: casino that refuses to pay a user or takes a very long time to deliver the payment to the player, with repeated file requests.
- Dead-end customer support: when reaching a casino’s customer support and being thrown around between people with no actual answer.
Avoiding Casino Scams
Now that you know the points to look out for in online casinos, we can learn more about making the right casino choice and avoiding casino scams.
When a scam casino spits a new promotion bonus, it tends to be vast amounts of money, so much that they go double or triple the best offers in the bonus market. But the tricky part comes when you dive into the T&C of the request, which makes it impossible to get.
When reading the Terms, look out for your rights as a player and the conditions to get the money to your bank account. Check the game and withdrawal restrictions and if you have further questions, contact customer support to explain it in detail before jumping to playing.
Find out accurate player comments and testimonies about the casino before depositing the money, and see if there are things that pop up constantly in the complaints; usually, that’s a great indicator to check the casino value; there can be over-the-top positive comments; keep in mind it can be a fake account which is trying to give you the false impression.
Ping customer service to see the response time and check if they are helpful so you know they will be there when you need objective help or assistance. If there is no response, you can think of skipping the casino.
Check the casino licensing information and ensure it’s not a scam place, you can click the license icon on their site, and it should direct you straight to the licensing group.
Real Player Comments on Online Casino Scams
When you go over a brand name on the internet in comments or forums, you will likely find that most of them are negative ones; people reply and comment when they are emotionally triggered; when Casino Scams a player, the feeling of unfairness and anger rise, and users want to take action to warn people, get assistance or to get it out of their chest.
You may find a pattern as you review the comments and testimonies; if you read that several people complain about a specific aspect of the casino, you can assume it is true.
Some comments are there to scam you into thinking the casino is lovely; if the words are over the top friendly and sound, they may be paid personally by the casino brand to make you believe the casino is perfect and there is no need to be worried when depositing and playing in it.
Use your common sense and read several user impressions on the online casino to get the correct assumption.
There are hundreds of online casinos in NZ. Most of them are legit and fun to play at, but some online casinos are more stinky, with bad experiences and scams.
We want you to have the right experience while playing at casinos online, so we overview and check that every brand we showcase on our site is legitimate and trusted by players.
To do so, quickly check the casino and read our reviews to make sure you pick the right casino for you, to avoid Casino Scams you will have to verify several things:
Licensing, promotion bonus rules, withdrawal processes, customer support interactivity, user recommendations, and previous experience.
Before playing casinos, you may ask yourself, is SkyCity casino online legit? If you checked our review of this respected and known casino, you would know that it is legit and trusted; it is an excellent example of how NZ online casinos should be.
Every Kind of Casino Licensing Company
It is legally required for every single online casino to be registered with at least one licensing authority; this is the essential checkup you will have to go through to avoid casino scams; when there are many kinds of different licensing authorities around the world, we will try to gather all of them into one place and describing a bit what they are.
Kahnawake Gaming Commission
Located within the Canadian province of Quebec, Kahnawake is an Indian territory that licenses and regulates a wide range of NZ online and online casinos based in other areas of the globe. Kahnawake licensing and regulation has come a long way over the years and is now one of the most respected of all online casino (and online poker) licensing bodies.
The LGA, or Lotteries and Gaming Authority of Malta, is one of the industry’s most common online casino regulatory and licensing bodies. You will see quite a few top online casinos with this particular seal of approval.
Gibraltar
Another famous or ubiquitous online casino licensing and regulatory seal of approval is found on many top online casinos, including a fair number of NZ online casinos. Although there have been several complaints regarding a lack of recourse and arbitration from this body, lately, the GBGA, or Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association, has come a long way in mediating disputes between players and casinos.
The UKGC was set up in 2007 to regulate the UK gambling market, but the requirements are so strict that any online casino that obtains the license must have various trustworthy and accountable systems. All UKGC casinos are licensed in another jurisdiction besides the UK licensing and thus have even more accountability. If you are trying to find a casino that is guaranteed to be legit, then you can do as good as dual accreditation, including the UKGC.
Curacao, a tiny island off the coast of Venezuela, is home to one of the more common licensing for online casinos. They are less respected than the others on this list, but they have come a long way in recent years, having strict rules and hefty fines for those casinos not following the rules.
Independent Testing Firms/Authorities
TST
TST, or Technical Systems Testing, is trusted by millions of players and online casinos worldwide. TST also has offices in Vancouver and uses its proprietary testing techniques to test various casino games, including multiplayer online games. In 2010, TST became part of the GLI Group, although they still operate under their original brand name.
GLI
Gaming Laboratories International or GLI, has been operating within the gambling industry for a quarter of a century and offers a full range of services testing a wide range of gambling systems. GLI uses a team of highly qualified and experienced mathematicians, engineers, and technicians to test every aspect of online gambling games. The brand is trusted in over 500 jurisdictions and works in the online, resort, and tribal spheres.
GA
The Gaming Associates logo is one of the most common in the industry and can be found on hundreds of online casino websites, including New Zealand casino sites. The GA brand has been active within the casino industry since 1990 and is considered one of the pioneers behind independent testing and auditing of online casino and poker sites. Gaming Associates provides various services, including testing online gaming machines (RNG), auditing payout percentages, checking compliance with regulations, auditing player logs, and much more.
eCOGRA
The eCOGRA logo is a general site on Microgaming-powered casinos. The full name of this independent watchdog is eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance, which is quite a mouthful. Most online casinos and forums will refer to this highly respected body as eCOGRA, one of the top seals of approval you can see on an online casino’s website. eCOGRA essentially acts as an online casino regulator and publishes a list of approved online casinos (that get their seal of approval). While eCOGRA is based in the UK, they regulate online casinos in NZ and other parts of the world.
Reduce Your Chances of Getting Scammed at Online Casinos
Now you have the right tools to detect and locate an online scam casino, we know it may take some time and effort to verify all the points before playing. You probably want to jump in and start playing for money; we recommend you read a specific casino review from start to finish and then decide which casinos are good candidates for you. If you hunch the casino is shady, you can put it on hold and search for a new one.
Common Gambling Scams and Cheats
Many people believe they can hack and scam online casinos to get more chances to win money; doing such acts is illegal and can result in punishment; furthermore, online casinos are equipped with the latest and newest security systems. Below are some of the most common methods people have tried to hack and cheat casinos:
Online Casino Hack
Some hackers have tried before to reach the casino systems’ random number generators to change and control the pokie reels of specific games to collect winnings; nowadays, online casinos are equipped with the latest software protection systems to prevent it.
Casino Slot Cheats
Some players try to gain and use the free spins features to get an advantage and win; the system is opening several accounts with a casino and playing the free spins in the hope of winning big and cashing out the money; however, online casinos have ways to prevent such usages by verifying the user information before playing.
Roulette and Blackjack Cheats
When playing roulette and blackjack at online casinos, it’s not always easy to cheat as you think; nowadays, several cheating apps can give players an edge while playing the games with statistics and card counts.
Check the Software
Casino software developers power online casinos. These platforms offer many games, which you can find in land-based casinos. The reputable ones feature names such as Microgaming, Playtech, and PlaynGo, to name just a few. Try and look for casinos that use these big names in the software industry to ensure your gameplay is of the highest quality, with a less likely chance of a scam being run. Factors to consider include stability, software effects, graphics, file size, security, and speed. Check out the game’s rate of return (generally in the form of a percentage) to see how successful previous players have been.
Terms and Conditions
Take note of the terms and conditions regarding age requirements, bonus wagering requirements, limits on free spins, casino winnings, withdrawal and deposit procedures, jurisdiction, and basic game restrictions. You can save yourself a lot of hassle by reading these quickly before you commence play. If you cannot access the terms and conditions, this should be a big red flag – leave the site immediately! It’s also worth noting that some casinos will change the terms and conditions while you are playing, denying the player their winnings – so regularly check that these have stayed the same.
Check Watchdog Sites
Watchdog sites supervise the operation of online casinos and provide reviews from players, licensing information, and other essential details to assist the player in choosing the gaming den of their choice and avoiding Casino Scams. Here at NZ Online Casinos, we monitor online casinos.
Check for the names of reliable casinos on these sites to ensure you deposit your funds in a trustworthy gaming institution. eCOGRA (eCommerce Online Gaming regulation and Assurance) is an independent and internationally approved testing agency focusing on online gaming software and systems. The organization endeavours to ensure that players are protected, gaming is fair, and that the operators conduct themselves responsibly. Any site approved by eCOGRA will proudly display its logo to show that it has been certified as legitimate and fair, so keep an eye out for it.
Provably Fair
Some online casinos offer a provability option for the player. This entails using an algorithm to analyze and verify the fairness of the game that has just been played. Not all casinos have this option, but it gives the player peace of mind that they haven’t been cheated out of their money.
Casino Reviews
Other sites cover casino reviews to give users a reliable opinion about new casino brands. Still, some are not as reliable as they should be, giving away positive reviews for cash, be aware of any website with a comments section that tries to mimic fake user comments to shift your opinion on the study.
New online casinos pop up daily. With so many new options, new casino players are easy targets for con artists showing off the top casino choices on featured pages regardless of their ranking, reliability, and security for the users.
Remember to check the casino terms & conditions briefly to ensure it is not a Casino Scam.