When money is on the line, the unscrupulous among us will usually be lurking somewhere in the background. They will be lurking around while waiting for an opportunity to strike. When they strike, it’s all about the cash they can steal by hacking or cheating.
It’s been over two decades since online gambling became a real thing in Europe. Since then, thousands of online sportsbooks and casinos have graced the internet. That has led to the creation of governmental regulatory agencies that have been tasked with figuring out how to protect online gamblers from rogue operators.
How Online Gamblers are Protected
There is no denying that the online gambling industry has been flying high for over a decade now. The good news is that for the most part, regulators have been able to stay up with this unfettered growth.
If you enjoy gambling online, it’s safe to say you only want to be treated fairly. You don’t want your money stolen and you don’t want to be cheated while playing an online casino game of chance. As long as you feel you are being treated fairly, you will probably have fewer concerns over winning and losing.
Here is some good news. There are industry concerns that are out there trying to make sure you are not scammed. The three concerns that are out there trying to protect online gamblers, particularly online casino gamblers, are:
- Governmental regulatory agencies
- Software auditing firms
- Watchdog and review websites
Governmental regulators like the Malta Gaming Authority and the UK Gambling Commission exist to make sure online gambling operators are offering fair online gambling services. They dictate how operators advertise their services, and they create regulations related to deposits/withdrawals and how gaming options are to be controlled.
Software auditing firms exist to ensure that online casino games are fair and provide random results. They do this by employing auditing techniques that create statistical evidence that programmed online casino games cannot be manipulated.
The last layer of protection that online gamblers can use to protect themselves from rogue operators is the layer of protection provided by watchdog and review websites.
What are Watchdog and Review Websites?
First, watchdog sites and review sites are two different kinds of entities. Given the difference, let’s look at both of them.
Watchdog Websites
A watchdog site is an independent industry player that works to confirm or refute the integrity of online sportsbooks or casinos. The term independent refers to the fact they typically don’t have any kind of financial affiliations with online operators. They simply report on the viability of an operator as a fair operator.
One of the most popular and important watchdog sites is Casinomeister. Casinomeister was founded in 1998. They started by simply providing written reviews on online gambling sites. As they grew into a reputable industry player, they became intimately involved in handling disputes between gamblers and online operators.
While getting involved in dispute resolution, they developed a rating system by which they could rate operators as far as fairness and integrity. If the agents at Casinomeister sensed that a particular operator was trying to take advantage of its customers, they would say so in a report or review.
Eventually, online gambling operators began to fear poor ratings from Casinomeister. Even today, online gamblers pay attention to what Casinomeister has to say. That holds the potential of hurting online operators in terms of securing new business and keeping existing customers.
Today, several watchdog groups are providing similar services. Through marketing efforts, prospective online gamblers have become more aware of the notion they should check with one of these watchdog sites before joining an online sportsbook or casino.
Review Websites
Review websites are similar to watchdog sites with a couple of significant differences. First, review sites don’t get involved in the dispute resolution aspect of the industry. Second, they might have affiliations or sponsorship deals with certain online gambling operators. When one of these affiliations or sponsorship deals exists, it’s usually apparent based on some type of marketing reference included on the review site.
The role of a reputable review site is to look at gambling operators, discuss what they are offering, and ultimately issue some kind of opinion related to the viability, reliability, and integrity of the gambling site. They will typically report on information like:
- Website’s ownership and history
- Information about the website format, access, and software development
- Types of gambling options that are being made available
- Bonus info – things like a huge list of no deposit bonus offers
- Banking options
- Customer service
- Administrative information like affiliations and problem gambling resources
- Final verdict
If you are using reviews to help you decide whether or not to use a certain operator, pay attention to the final verdict. That’s where a reviewer will likely tell you what they really think.
As you contemplate getting involved with online gambling, you can use the aforementioned information to help guide you in the right direction.