With so many people turning online to have a bet or wager on their favourite casino game, staying safe by making sure your personal details remain private between you and the sites you choose to share it with has never been more important.
What Can I Do to Help Myself?
Before we look at what modern casinos sites put into place to keep your data safe there are things that should not be overlooked that you can do towards keeping yourself safe and secure online.
- Firstly always choose strong and unique passwords and remember not to tell anyone or write them down.
- When asked to set up a password security question tell a lie as you will be surprised how many people do know your mothers maiden name or the name of your first pet etc
- Use a VPN as the virtual private Networks do add an extra layer of personal security by scrambling your identity.
- Remember not to click on links and attachments in emails that you are not sure about
- Always log out of any website properly as if you don’t you are leaving the back door open to someone else
- If you have an incognito or inprivate browser then use it so your browser history is not on show. This option also deletes cookies and temporary files which can also track your online activity.
- Always keep your anti-malware up to date
- Be very careful what you do share online
How Online Casinos Protect Your Data
- Online casinos know what data to hold about their customers – so to do this they audit all the personal information that they hold about you. Data can be anything from your contact details to your financial information such as your banking or card details. All data requires consent from the customer and should be stored securely which today means the latest encryption software.
- The online casino should not collect unnecessary data and is open to scrutiny by The UK Gambling Commission who can suspend operator licenses or even revoke an operator for not complying with the strict rules and regulations set out to protect the customer. The Gambling Commission can also fine any operator for not towing the line. The financial year 2020-2021 saw a total of £32.1 million being paid in the form of fines (from 15 gmabling businesses)
How to Recognise a Safe Online Casino
- Firstly safe online casino sites must have the ‘S’ in the HTTPS within the URL – it’s very easy to check. The ‘S’ indicates that the site is encrypted with the security provided by an SSL certificate that protects all your sensitive information that you enter into that site making sure it stays confidential as it travels to a server.
- A safe online casino protects your data and also its privacy policy will clearly tell you how your data is collected, used and also how it protects it. A clear and transparent privacy policy will tell you that the website owner cares about complying with all the privacy laws that have been made to protect their customers – spending a few moments reading over the casinos sites privacy policy is well worth the time.
- A modern online casino that is safe and secure will readily display its contact information, so always make sure you can contact the site in several ways like email, perhaps a phone number, a physical address if they have one, possible social media accounts and of course live chat if on offer.
Not only do safe and secure modern online casino sites set in place the above they also go a lot further to protect your data. Some will offer banking methods like Pay by Mobile where customers can pay for the cost of games using their phone bill (so there is no need to give any banking details for deposits) to add an extra layer of security. In fact if you check the bottom of the home page and click any link there like ‘BeGambleAware’ you should be taken to the relevant page for all the information you could need.
The laws that cover today’s modern online casinos are far stricter than they once were. If you put into practice what you can do for yourself to stay secure online as well as playing at a safe online casino then your time will be one that is full of fun and entertainment.
