How does an online casino work? Are there any ways to check the institution for honesty? These questions were of interest to anyone who had at least once tested their luck in gambling. When playing poker, blackjack, roulette and other entertainment, players are often visited with suspicious thoughts about fraud by the online casino. This especially happens in the moments when the game does not stick at all and money is lost.
Unfortunately, on the Internet, there are a lot of different casinos that deceive players. Signs of openness and security of the site – this is the first thing you should pay attention to, especially if you seek for US online casino to play for real money. Experienced players can already determine on an intuitive level whether an online institution is honest, but if you are a beginner, you need to be extremely attentive and vigilant, spend at least a bit of your time studying the basic characteristics of reliability of the website on which you want to play.
In this article we will consider 5 main criteria of honesty for online casinos that operate in US, which in the future will help you choose the best gambling establishment to play for real money:
1. Availability of a license to conduct gambling activities in US
First of all, a casino must have an official license for legal work in an online environment. If establishments own such a license, it allows them to conduct a gambling business on the Internet and confirms that this virtual casino does not deceive its customers.
The license also guarantees that the casino will use only official software without third-party interference. The generally recognized licensors in the world are Malta, Gibraltar and Curacao.
Malta became the first European state to regulate gambling at the legislative level. The Gambling and Lotto Commission has been licensing since 2000, and currently more than five hundred casino sites are registered in Malta. The regulation in the gambling industry is governed by the Public Lotto Ordinance (L.N. 34 of 2000).
Gibraltar is one of the leading and most recognized jurisdictions for obtaining a gambling license. To date, the license of Gibraltar has the 30 largest providers of gambling establishments which operate online casinos in USA. Certification is governed by the law of The Gibraltar Gambling Act of 2005. The licensing authority sets strict requirements for gambling establishments and, as a rule, considers applications from first-class international gambling clubs with an excellent reputation.
2. Audits
Many users of online casinos are often worried about the safety of their funds, which were not received on time to the gaming account. Or they doubt the return % of online slot machine games. For such situations, there are companies that conduct audits and monitor the activities of online institutions.
PWC Auditor
These organizations work to ensure that the casino has a fair, honest approach to its customers. And, first of all, they check currency transactions. At the moment, the leading auditors are PWC and Deloitte.
Deloitte Auditor
They conduct verification and evaluate the level of security and reliability of the site. If approved, the casino receives a special certificate.
ECOGRA Auditor
It is worth mentioning the eCOGRA auditor, who is also involved in monitoring the integrity of US online casinos, supporting and protecting players, and monitors compliance with the rules and procedures of all organizations working in the field of gambling for real money.
The main profile of eCOGRA – the rights of players and the standardization of casino operations. The organization provides an international code of practice called eGAP. On the official website, you can get all the necessary information regarding the rights of players.
eCOGRA has set a common standard for all US online casinos in order to settle legal relations for both parties, that is, for casino owners and their visitors, and to make the gambling industry more honest and open.
3. Software Providers
For the normal functioning of any US online casino, good software is a must (games, site protection, etc.). If “unknown” game manufacturers are represented on the site of a gambling establishment, it is better not to play in such casinos and avoid them in every way. The trusted casino software providers are Microgaming, NetEnt, Play N Go, IGT, Playtech and Novomatic.
4. Technical Support
The support service in an online casino plays an important role in choosing a place to play. This is important, because at some point you will have a question / problem, and if technical support is not professional, they will not be able to solve your problem. The problems can be both minor and large, for example, an error when withdrawing funds from a casino account to a bank account.
Before registering in the US online casino to play for real money, always “check” the technical support, ask any questions you are interested in, and if they communicate with you politely and answer all your questions, you can safely register and play.
5. Player reviews
In conclusion, it is worth noting the fifth criteria – when choosing a casino, you should pay attention to the reviews of real users. Be sure to look for answers on the forums, read the comments of real users of online casinos, and especially pay attention to the problems that they had when playing in a particular gambling establishment. It is better to learn from someone else’s experience than to feel the problems in your own skin.