Dodgy Online Casinos: How to Spot Them

The popularity of online casinos is at an all-time high and shows no signs of slowing down. Everyday new gaming sites appear on the internet, each competing for a piece of the proverbial poker or gambling pie. Many sites offer attractive sign-up bonuses and great pay-out rates. The relatively low overhead costs of operating an online gambling site (compared to those of running a brick-and-mortar one) are well-known, and the savings can be passed down to the customer. But how do you know which sites are credible and safe? Before you open an account at any particular site, you should consider the following points to ensure that you are protecting your own gambling interests.

1. Steer clear of sites which resort to spam. Often it's the affiliates who are guilty of spam-proliferation, but a respectable gaming site has clear rules about the use of spam in attracting customers. It is cheap and unprofessional and should be taken as a warning regarding the integrity of the company.

2. Anytime you see poor spelling or grammar on a site you should immediately view this as an indication of its overall quality. For us, the words lazy and incompetent immediately spring to mind. Of course not everyone is blessed with requisite writing skills, but if a website operator can't afford the time and money to hire a proofreader, what can you expect from their customer service? There are also a number of rogue sites operated by shady characters out of some pretty random places. Poor English is a sign that whoever owns the site is playing by a different set of rules and is merely trying to cash in on the online gambling boom.

3. Look out for phony seals of approval and gaming accreditation logos. These are merely attempts to persuade would-be customers that the site is official and respectable. Follow the links and see what these so-called "authorities" are all about. Run a Google search on a specific name and see what you can find. Also, have a look at some of the bigger and long-established online casinos (888.com, intercasino.com, bodog.com) and see which firms they use to support their credibility. Look for approval by eCOGRA (eCommerce and Online Gambling Regulation and Assurance) as a sign of a confirmed integrity. They are a non-profit organization which awards a Player's Seal of Approval to online casinos which have demonstrated that their games are fair, the casino operates honestly and behaves responsibly, and monetary deposits are safe and winnings are deposited in a timely manner.

4. One of the great things about the internet is the access to information, often shared by others. Join an online forum, and if you can't find a thread pertaining to your concern, post a question and you are sure to get some responses within a day or two. You should also be weary of any online casino operators who don't respond to your direct enquiries. This again falls under the customer service category, and if any site fails to impress here then you should probably move on to another. The industry is far too cut-throat nowadays for businesses to ignore the concerns of the customer.

5. It's a good idea to consult some of the sites dedicated to the blacklisting of certain dodgy casinos. If you enter the name of the casino in question, followed by "blacklist", you will get a good idea of any previous complaints about the site. There are currently several aggressive watchdog organizations which oversee the industry. Try consulting them when you are not sure about the probity of any specific site. Keep in mind, you should also consult more than one source complaints are often posted by embittered amateurs who have merely had bad luck and wish to vent their rage by soiling reputations, etc.

We hope you find this article useful in choosing an online casino. As the industry evolves and regulations imposed, hopefully soon there will come a time when these warnings are no longer necessary.