Most seasoned casino players know all too well that it’s imperative to research a casino site fully before joining and depositing any money. They also know all too well about the plethora of less-than-amazing online casinos out there. However, if you’re newer to playing casino games and slots online, it can be trickier to know which casinos are safe to join and which should be avoided. Here, we want to talk to you about why it is so crucial that you gamble at quality casino sites.
There always comes a time when new fancy new online casino sites launch (in fact, new casino sites are somewhat of a regular occurrence these days) – and naturally, you want to try them out. But first, you must always make sure that they are legit. The reasons why are very simple:
Fair Online Slot Machines
There are some online casinos, and thankfully they seem to be in the minority now, that ‘pirate’ their online casino games. We shan’t get too much into how the online casino industry works and how games are audited and checked (they are), but generally, unless you develop your own games, you will licence games from an online casino game vendor. So, another company makes the games/slots, and the casino/gambling site pays them a fee to use their games.
Often, the backbone of that game remains hosted by the online casino games company. You don’t get to touch it. Some online casinos, i.e., the non-legit ones, have illegally ‘downloaded’ some of these games and duplicated them with unique technology, which enables them to change how the slot game works. This means that they are not paying the licence fee to the game vendor, nor are they being checked by 3rd party companies as per UKGC licensing obligations.
This is not the worst part, though. The worst part is the fact that these companies are tinkering with the code of the game. This means that the odds may swing in their direction, which could cost you money. So, for example, if the house edge usually is 4%, they may swing it to maybe 20%. You would barely know that they have done it; other than it becomes a lot tougher to manage your bankroll and win anything.
Difficult To Get Hands-On Your Money
Aside from that, some casino sites that are not legit (i.e., not licensed by any approved regulator like the UK Gambling Commission, the Malta Gaming Authority, or the Gibraltar Gambling Commission) make it challenging to get your hands on the money that you have won.
In fact, they may not even send it out at all. These online casinos are unlikely to be around that much as they tend to get shut down very quickly as the payment systems they use, learn about how they are manipulating their players. It is unlikely that you will ever run into an online casino like this, especially if you opt for top UK casinos.
No Customer Support & Help
Poor-quality websites have no customer support. They are not willing to invest in it. Sooner or later, you will run into a problem at the online casino, be it a small or large issue and you will need somebody to help you. No help? Your problem is never going to get solved. Here in the United Kingdom, it is a legal requirement to have some process in place to deal with issues that arise. This is one of the terms and conditions of having a licensed casino. You will love that if you run into a problem at a licensed casino, somebody can help you by email or the most common method – the trusty live chat.
Who Keeps An Eye Out For The Customers?
If you are looking for legit casino sites, the best way to find them is by looking at long-established gambling site review guides such as Top Slot Sites or checking in popular gambling forums and review sites like Trustpilot. This way, you can easily see what others are saying.
There is one other party on the lookout for you, though. In the United Kingdom, the UK Gambling Commission is there to help protect customers from rogue casinos and unfair business practices. The UKGC’s job is to licence all online gambling sites – which covers online casinos, bingo sites, poker sites, UK betting sites – basically, any site that’s open and taking wagers/bets. They also cover offline gambling companies such as your high street bookie or land-based casino.
UK Gambling Commission Approved Sites
We hope we’ve highlighted the perils of playing at unlicensed sites and why it’s wise to only gamble at UKGC-approved websites. The bottom line is if you are looking for an excellent place to play, then always opt for a licensed website. You can check a gambling site’s license by looking up the sites name on the UK Gambling Commission website, or by looking at the casino’s homepage footer – all details will be displayed there.
If there is no licence, then the place is not suitable for gambling. Sure, you might be ok, but there is nothing worse than winning a decent amount of money and not being able to get paid or playing games that you’ll never win on.
