Fairness in Online Gambling: Finding the Safest Casino to Play In

Safety is essential when choosing an online casino to play in or even when considering to start gambling online. But how can someone find the right casino without trying out potential scams and fake websites? With this Guide, we at MERN.CA will show you some tips and tricks you can make use of in order to find a safe online casino to play in. 

If you are interested to find out more about regulations, terms and conditions, and other interesting aspects of what makes online gambling trusted and safe, keep reading! 
 

How to Identify a Trusted Online Casino 

In order to stay safe, you need to know a few things about what makes an online casino unfair. Maybe you have heard of rogue casinos, as they are the blacklisted casinos you surely need to avoid. For more information, you can check our Guide on rogue online casinos, where more information on this topic can be found. 

Right now, we will show you the main traits of a trusted online casino  With this being said, let’s start with our MERN.CA top 5 for identifying a fair online casino:
 

1. Certified for gambling - finding licensed and regulated online casinos

You may have heard of eCOGRA, The Malta Gaming Authority, The Alderney Gambling Control Commission or The Romanian ONJN, among others. Well, all of these names are actually online casino jurisdictions that license certain casinos, software providers, and so on. 

More gambling regulators you may come across go as following:|
 

• Michigan Gaming Control Board;
• West Virginia Racing Commission;
• Washington State Gambling Commission;
• UK Gambling Commission;
• New Zealand Gambling Commission;
• Gaming Regulators European Forum;
• Northern Territory Government;
• and others.

Receiving these licenses requires, however, following some strict rules. When you see that an online casino is licensed, your experience should be great. Why? Licensed online casinos are always regulated and tested through various audits and authorities in order to certify that they provide adequate security, proper quality, and safe payment methods. 

Here are some examples of security features trusted operators employ:
 

• Know-your-customer is a security practice many online gambling operators enforce. It entails you sending a photo of your ID in order to verify your identity and be able to manage your finances. The data you provide is encrypted, so no third party can get to your personal details, which is definitely a huge plus.
   
• Transparent ownership is another important aspect of safety in online gambling. This consists of the websites’ dedicated sections showing you who owns the online casino, when it was founded, along with regulations and the license’s registration number. 
   
• The SHA-3 Algorithm is also known as Keccak, and is a security algorithm used as a tool for generating digital prints from input data. In other words, each data that is uploaded into a system will get its own crypted identity.

2. Terms and conditions - how come online casinos become legit

Terms and conditions are like a contract you sign with the online casino. They usually contain the rules, the statistics of paying you back, how it’s done, and under what circumstances. Usually, these terms and conditions change when regulations update or when the law requires it. 

However, when an online casino is changing its terms and conditions too often, you can’t trust it. Why would a gambling website change its rules so often if it would have nothing to cover? Keep an eye out for this kind of online casinos and always keep a record of when the terms change, why they change, and, most importantly, what condition is added or removed. 

3. Cashouts & payment - online casinos that actually pay out

What payment methods does an online casino offer? Have you heard of them? Does it support prepaid cards? This may be a tell-tale sign in terms of the players’ safety, so be careful!

Look for a variety of payment options so that you find what’s most convenient for you. Not all payment methods are safe, and if you never heard of one it is better to do your research. Also, if an online casino doesn’t support any type of prepaid banking method, this may be a red flag. Usually, prepaid cards or vouchers don’t require personal information and additional tax, and that’s why scams casino won’t feature them.

Pay attention to withdrawal time and conditions, and note that withdrawals may take longer by nature due to the fact that casino employers manually check every transaction. This happens in order to make sure that everything is fair and legal.

4. Blacklisted online casinos - what problems can come with gambling?

Take a look at MERN.CA’s blacklisted casinos list in order to find more about some names you won’t want to deal with. Blacklisted casinos are the ones that cause notable problems for their players in terms of delayed or unreceived payouts, self proclaimed clickbait bonuses, and other scams.

Blacklisted casinos are also known as rogue casinos due to the fact that players recognize them as problematic. The tricky part is that many blacklisted casinos may still have a good rating, despite the fact that they are known as scams. This is why research should always come first when it comes to online gambling.

5. Software providers - look for reliable industry names

Finally, in order to verify that the casino you chose is legit, you can search for some well-known names in an online casino’s software providers directory. Many leading iGaming operators won’t give their products to problematic or unknown casinos. Some of the most trusted popular brands include:
 

• NetEnt;
• BetSoft;
• Playtech;
• MicroGaming;
• Quickspin;
• RealTime Gaming;
• Rival;
• and other famous names.

But be careful! In some rare cases, some blacklisted casinos that still operate will offer products from famous brands in the industry. In this case, you will have to read the player reviews carefully. What is more, a casino might still be reliable even if it doesn’t run on any of these big names and chooses product smaller providers instead. Always employ your critical thinking and look at reviews to make sure.

Staying Safe in Online Gambling - Tips and Tricks

There are a few tips and tricks you can make use of when it comes to online casinos’ fairness. Take a look below!
 

• Cash Out Right Away

Whether it is just a feeling or a fact, if you think that an online casino is playing games with you or providing suspicious information, cash out immediately! It is the only way to avoid third parties getting to your funds.
 

• Use Prepaid Payment Methods

Prepaid cards such as Paysafecard don’t require the casino to get any personal data from you, as all you have to do is enter a code you already paid for at a land-based terminal. These banking alternatives are great for trying a casino for the first time.
 

• Read the Customer Reviews

Testimonials from other gamblers may come to your assistance when you are not sure about a certain online casino’s authenticity and safety. For example, blacklisted casinos have a ton of reviews where you can see the problems the players have encountered and how they solved them.
 

• Read the Terms and Conditions

Terms and conditions may come in handy, provided that you read through them carefully. Google every term you don’t understand, and don’t agree in creating an account until you’ve clarified every part. 
 

• Mind the RNG

Random number generators are the base of casino fairness. The software’s principle is to get random numbers for you, so that the gameplay is legit and based on luck, not scams. Check that the online casino offers games from RNG-friendly operators.
 

Final Thoughts

Fairness is a hot topic when it comes to online gambling, as some people may think that most casinos are not safe or reliable. However, the gambling world has evolved and the safety of players has become a primary objective. Authentic online casinos function under licenses and are held to very high standards by authorities. Thus, all you need to do in order to enjoy a secure gambling experience is find the right operator.

Best of luck to you, player, and we hope our Guide on MERN.CA helped you find the fairest online casino of them all!