Millions of Canadians far and wide love to spend their downtime playing games online. Whether it’s at an online casino or playing console titles, if you use online gaming sites to join in on all the action, knowing which one to pick can be difficult. This is because there seems to be an endless choice of websites to join. While the vast majority will be legit, others may have hidden intentions.
When you use an online gaming site, it’s important to have your wits about you. If you’re parting with money, the last thing you want is for your hard-earned cash to end up in the wrong hands. To stop this from happening, here are ways to determine if an online gaming site is trustworthy, and what you can do to protect your money.
Ratings and Reviews
One of the best ways to determine the legitimacy of an online gaming site is by checking out ratings and reviews. If the gaming platform has been in operation for many years, it’s likely players past and present will give their honest opinion on the provider. Should you go onto the online gaming website itself, the chances are they’ll house positive testimonials. But you need to go one step further and look at other websites that won’t be biased.
If you sift through the ratings and reviews and find the majority of them aren’t favorable, this is a red flag that you shouldn’t ignore. Remember, if you’re parting with money, you don’t want to lose any of it to hackers. Therefore, looking at player ratings and reviews is essential before going any further.
Certifications
Any reputable online gaming site will be regulated by an official third-party regulator. If you want to play at an online casino, for instance, these bodies include the Atlantic Lottery Corporation. Whatever page you click on, make sure to scroll to the bottom of it as you’ll find details on which bodies they’re regulated and licensed by. Any trustworthy online gaming page will provide the account number. This should be clickable and will direct you to the regulator’s database which will have information on the gaming website.
Understandably, sophisticated scam online gaming pages can create fake profiles on a fake database, so you need to bear this in mind. If you have any worries or concerns, don’t hesitate in contacting the regulator the online gaming page claims to be linked with.
Registration Process
If you want to play online casino games, the industry is heavily regulated. This means that new players on the scene must go through a thorough registration process before they can join in on all the fun. While each provider’s registration process will differ slightly, they all should require players to disclose basic personal info. This can include your name, address, and age. In addition, you should have to upload an official photo in the form of a utility bill or driving license.
As a new online gaming player, you will need to verify your email address and phone number too. If the registration process doesn’t require these details, it’s sketchy plain and simple. You may find some dodgy online gaming platforms either ask for barely any information or request multiple documents that you may not deem relevant or needed.
Customer Support
Any legit online gaming platform will have a dedicated customer support team in place to help you. Whether you’re having issues getting into your account, or you believe you’ve lost money, knowing you can get in touch and have the matter resolved promptly will help you differentiate between trustworthy providers and scammers.
When checking out online gaming sites, they should offer a multitude of ways to get in touch. This may include via phone or email. More and more online gaming platforms are using live chat as a way to communicate with players. This enables you to speak to someone instantly and get your problem sorted out within minutes. If the customer support is poor, this is a sign not to part with your money.
Payment Methods
When you are looking for an online casino for real money, check deposit methods. Chances are you’ll need to make deposits to win big. This means you need to check out what payment methods the online casino offers before signing up.
Any reliable online gaming site will have trusted payment methods. This can include VISA, Mastercard, and PayPal.
Should you not see any payment methods you recognize, this is another red flag that you should never ignore. Whether you spend a little or a lot of your cash online gaming, you want to be confident your money is safe and secure at all times. If you have any questions about payment methods, make sure you get in touch with customer support.
Appearance
We have eyes for a reason, so paying attention to how the online gaming site looks is essential before signing up. All reputable providers will have professional-looking pages that lure players in. If the website looks a little basic and not much thought has been put into it, you may find the site isn’t trustworthy.
An excellent user experience is paramount for online gaming websites, so you should be able to navigate through the page with ease. If you have difficulty playing and can’t find what you want, it’s wise to continue your search.
Software
When you play online games, you want to know you’re getting the best visuals and graphics possible. If you’re putting money into your gaming, this matters even more. No one wants to waste money on terrible games that offer little to no entertainment. Therefore, it pays off to check out what types of gaming software the website provides.
If you’re playing online casino games, all reputable providers will have partnerships with the top software experts. For example, Microgaming is arguably at the top of the list and it is known for fantastic visuals and graphics. Remember, online gaming should be a fun experience, so to have endless hours of excitement, always stick with gaming software that enhances your play, rather than hinders it.
Language
When checking out an online gaming site, pay close attention to their content. While we all make grammar mistakes from time to time, a reputable online gaming platform should house grammatically correct content throughout their site. If there are numerous spelling mistakes, it shows they haven’t put much thought into making their page a success. What’s more, this may turn you off from becoming a player and signing up.
Sadly, scammers can operate all over the world. This means you may find someone from the other side of the world pretending to be a Canadian online gaming site. One way to determine whether the site is legit is if their content is in poor English. If they are a scammer from another country, English may not be their first language, meaning they’re more prone to making mistakes.
Social Media
All reliable online gaming websites should have a social media presence in some form or another. This means if you go on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, you should be able to find their business page. There, you will find out more about the provider, what they offer to players, and whether they’re trustworthy or not. Also, players may interact with the page and leave ratings and reviews. This can either build your confidence to sign up or carry on searching for a gaming page to play on.
Of course, social media can be deceiving too. Some online gaming platform scammers can create fake accounts and leave fake reviews, so bear this in mind when checking out their page. You should be able to differentiate between a fake review and a trustworthy one, so don’t skip this process if you’re unsure of whether to sign up or not.
Scandals
If an online gaming website has been involved in a scandal in the past, it’s likely there will be some news about it online. Therefore, before you become a player, it’s wise to search for the provider on Google and hit the news tab. This will bring up any articles in the past of any suspicious behavior of the gaming website.
If the gaming website has been running for many years and you cannot find any scandals they’ve been involved in, this is a green light that they’re trustworthy and reliable. You’ll find rogue gaming sites are flagged down immediately, which can help you on your journey to finding a platform right for your needs.
Whatever online games you like, you’ll want to play without the prospect of your money and personal information being passed into the wrong hands. Unfortunately, cyberattacks can and do occur, so to avoid falling victim to one, you need to take your time checking out the gaming website first.
Doing all the above will keep your account and money safe and protected. This will enable you to enjoy your hobby and play on your favorite online games all night long.