Online casino players often fall for the trap of fake casino platforms. While these games are fun and rewarding, some operators can often show the dark side of online casino gaming, making players suffer.
Players often lose their money after signing into fraudulent platforms for online casino games. It’s important to be vigilant about the platforms before putting your first deposit. It’s wise to check a platform’s certification, reviews, and available payment options to be sure about their legitimacy.
However, mistakes can happen to the most alert individuals. That’s why this article is for.
7 Signs of a Fake Online Casino
Here are seven common signs you must look out for before signing into any casino platform. Following are seven warning signs of a fake online casino.
1. Lack of Licensing and Regulation
The biggest red flag for online casino players to spot is a lack of regulatory body backing platform. Illegal or fake casino operators don’t abide by any local or national regulatory norms. You’ll find the most legitimate casino platforms, including their certification and their affiliation with specific regulatory norms.
The platforms must include specific casino licenses from reputable regulatory bodies. When spotting the right online casino, the following are the licensing requirements you can check:
- Gambling Commission
- Malta Gaming Authority
- Gibraltar Regulatory Authority
- Alderney Gambling Control Commission
These are some common authorities providing certificates of legitimacy to casino platforms. You can check if a casino platform has these certifications or something similar to them. For a legitimate casino, you can Play Alberta, the only regulated casino platform in Alberta.
2. Overly Aggressive or Unrealistic Bonuses
Do the welcome bonus and reward points sound too good to be true in a casino? If yes, then you’re catching the right feeling. It’s a fake casino and is potentially run by fraudulent operators.
Casino platforms are colorful and always attract an audience with a wide range of benefits, bonuses, and fun activities. Reward bonuses and welcome bonuses are common tools for them to attract and retain players.
If you find the casino bonuses on a platform too good to be true, then you are right to be suspicious. Offers like unlimited bonuses or unrealistic prizes are signs of a fake casino platform.
These platforms place such baits to lure players in. Once the player deposits and starts to play, they make it difficult for them to withdraw their wins and bonuses.
3. Lack of Customer Support
Any entertainment or service platform must include a customer support portal to help its customers and audiences in need. Legitimate online casino platforms always have a good customer support portal where they manage the grievances and queries of their customers.
On the other hand, if you’re dealing with a fake online casino, you’ll have to struggle to get a hold of their customer service representative. You’ll either find the contact numbers not working or the live chat is malfunctioning. In fact, it’s a warning sign for players to stay away from such casino platforms.
4. Vague Terms and Conditions
The terms and conditions of an illegitimate casino platform often sound vague and unclear. They aren’t certain and clear across their web pages. In addition, their processes and terms and conditions are difficult to follow on the platform.
Fake casino platforms don’t focus too much on the details on their web pages and fail to show clarity about their terms and conditions. For example, a legitimate casino would outline the age requirement for playing on the platform.
In Arizona, you’ll have to be aged between 18 to 21 to play on the platform. If your casino is missing these details, there’s a reason to stay away. Such behaviors are only to trick players into losing their money.
It’s essential that you thoroughly check out the pages on the casino platform to ensure that it’s legitimate or fake.
5. Unreliable Payment Options
Fraudulent casino platforms are typically very specific about their payment methods. They aren’t here to make their clients’ lives easy.
Legitimate online casino platforms provide multiple payment options to their players. On most casino platforms, players will notice a list of different online payment options. These include:
- e-wallets
- bank transfers
- credit cards
- Debit cards
- Crypto payment
- Net banking
These payment options apply to both placing deposits into the game platform and withdrawing money from the platform after a series of jackpots.
If you see that the operators are insisting on only one specific payment method, then it’s a red flag to be concerned about. In addition, fake casino platforms also have very minimum payment methods.
6. Negative Player Reviews
It’s essential to check the player reviews about any online casino before you deposit your money for real money games. Even if the free games feel ok and satisfying, build a habit of first researching a casino before placing your money into a bet.
You can visit different forums and social media channels to learn about a platform. If you find any negative reviews from any player, it’s best to contact and discuss the platform. Clear communication with someone who has already used the platform can help clear the confusion.
Negative reviews raise strong red flags against online casino platforms.
7. Poor Site Design and User Experience
In addition to all the different negative reasons for avoiding an online casino platform, it’s also essential to take a good look at the platform’s design and user experience.
Legitimate online casino platforms always have a well-designed website. Fake casino platforms typically have outdated designs. The user experience feels very poor. What’s more, you’ll find some sections missing on those platforms.
Tips to Spot Fake Casinos & Stay Away
Once you know the warning signs of fake casinos, you can report them and stay away. However, here are some tips to help:
- Verify which regulatory body the casino maintains compliance with.
- Read if their terms and conditions seem clear and transparent.
- Check reviews and testimonials about them online.
- Unrealistic bonuses and hidden terms are a trap.
- Be vigilant about their payment methods. A lack of alternatives means you must stay away.
Legitimate Casinos Follow Regulatory Compliance
It’s important to note that all legitimate casino platforms follow some regulatory norms. They have certifications and licenses to protect the platform and set it up as legitimate. If you see any platform without any license or specific terms and conditions about its operations, it’s best to report it to the regulatory bodies.
However, before you try playing at any casino, you can check out the seven aspects we’ve discussed and finally start placing your bet.
