The Risks Of Unlicensed Online Casinos
With so many online casinos popping up on an almost daily basis, it can be very difficult to keep track of which is which. Especially since almost every new online casino is on a mission to attract customers, and so offering often incredibly good sign up deals. The vast majority of these online casinos are perfectly fine, and generally aim to offer as good a customer experience as possible. After all, repeat business is based on customer satisfaction.
There are, however, unlicensed, illegal online casinos that occasionally make an appearance, which can pose a very real risk to unwary customers. There are not an overwhelming number of such dangerous online locations, but those who frequent online casinos should still be on the lookout for them. It goes without saying that such digital locations should be avoided at all costs, lest visitors walk away with nothing but empty pockets and bad memories.
What Is An Unlicensed Casino?
Online casinos must be licensed, which is an indication that the digital location is bound by laws, and must abide by them, or risk being fined and shut down. In order to receive a licence an online casino must present themselves to the appropriate government department, which will ensure that everything the casino does is according to established laws. If granted a license this is an indication that the law is satisfied the casino is in no way trying to rip off customers, and meets all approved methods as far as offered games is concerned.
An unlicensed casino is simply a website that has not received such a license, which means that there is no telling if any actions taken by those running the website are legal. The games may be faulty, or rigged to cheat, and depositing money in such a place is all but asking for trouble. There have been a number of reports of players hitting an online slot game jackpot at an unlicensed casino, only for the owners to refuse to payout the jackpot amount. And this, of course, is one of only many things that could go wrong when visiting such a website.
How To Spot An Unlicensed Casino
Licensed casinos generally display a symbol on the bottom right of their home page, which is an indication that they are running according to the law. This is the first thing that visitors to a new online casino should look for. If seeing this symbol, it is a good sign, but still not 100% proof that the website is genuinely licensed.
If in doubt, a person can do a quick Google search on the casino, and look for any other players complaining about the website. This is perhaps the easiest way to see if any online location is reputable. If the casino does not have a Facebook page, for example, it should be seen as a giant red warning sign. Unlicensed casinos often avoid having Facebook pages, which could be used by those who have been cheated to warn others.
How They Operate
It should always be kept in mind that unlicensed casinos are few and far between, and generally don’t stay active for very long. They generally spring up, hope to lure as many customers as possible, and shut down again, taking any ill gotten gains with them. Since word tends o get around about an unlicensed casino, they are forced to shut down after only a few months, or even just a few weeks or days.
Since it takes a fair amount of effort to set up a website that looks genuine, however, offences of this nature are not frequent. It takes a good amount of technical know how to create a website that operates in the same fashion as a licensed casino, and having to shut the website down only after a short amount of time means that the effort is often not worth the small amount of money stolen.
Report Unlicensed Casinos
It goes without saying that if an unlicensed casino is come across that it should be reported immediately. Plus, it certainly wouldn’t do any harm letting friends know that the website is not to be trusted. If a player falls victim to an unlicensed online casino, and money is lost, the sad reality is that there is very little chance of ever getting the money back. Since the website could have been run from just about anywhere in the world, it is incredibly difficult to track those responsible down.
The only real steps to be taken against such websites is, therefore, simply not using them, and helping others likewise avoid them at all costs. It stands to reason that in time, such websites will likely stop appearing, as users become more aware of the situation and avoid them altogether.
