Playing casino games online is a huge amount of fun, a great way to pass the time, and can even bag you the odd win too. However, when playing online casinos there are some safety considerations to take into account. This article will cover some of the most important safety aspects to consider when playing online.
Avoid Addiction
Addiction is something that can overtake any of us, and the best way to ensure this doesn’t happen to you is to remain mindful of your own emotions. Do you feel an unhealthy pull to the casino when you’re not online playing?
You can avoid addiction by ensuring you take regular breaks from gaming. Dopamine is a hormone that is released when we experience pleasure from an activity. This is often triggered when it comes to the rush of gambling or winning. Allow your dopamine to naturally settle for a few days before returning to the games, and this will help you avoid addiction.
In addition, if you do feel you are starting to develop a problem, you should seek advice from the appropriate resources such as GamCare and BeGambleAware.
Avoid Overspending
Playing casino games can lead to financial difficulty, so you should ensure you do not overspend on these platforms. To do this, you can usually set spending limits in your casino dashboard, which will not allow you to make further deposits once you have reached a pre-determined level. This is a very useful tool that you often can put in place easily, but you have to call the support team to have it removed, so it is a good deterrent from overspending.
In addition, you can make the most of the funds you do deposit by utilising things like bonuses. Sometimes you can even grab a casino bonus no deposit needed!
Avoid Eye Strain
Using a computer for long lengths of time can have a negative impact on your eyesight. If you are using a laptop or desktop, consider buying some anti-blue glasses to protect your eyes. If you are playing on an iPad or phone, you can get anti-blue light screen protectors which protect your screen from smashes too! Win-win!
Login Security
Make sure you use a secure password when setting up your online casino accounts. You are going to have a lot of personal information stored in there and the last thing you want is someone hacking into your account due to a weak password!
Payment Security
Having anti-virus and anti-spyware installed on your device is always a good idea but even more so when entering card details. Wherever possible, try to use sites like PayPal to make deposits where you are entering passwords or using touch ID as opposed to entering actual card information.
Site Reputation/Security
Most UK online casinos are regulated and genuine, but there are a handful out there who are not and therefore are not adhering to legal requirements of fair play, etc. With this in mind, you should do some due diligence before playing any casino site. This includes reading customer reviews and checking if the casino is licensed (licensing information will be listed at the bottom of their website).
In addition to this, you can check you are playing securely by looking for the little padlock symbol which will appear in the browser bar (to the left of the website address.) This means the site has an SSL certificate and any data you input will be encrypted for safety purposes.
You will also notice that casinos that are not reputable will also be missing some of the features such as deposit limits which are designed to stop people from spending more than they can afford to lose.
Reliable Networks
To ensure you are using a reputable site even further, you should check the gaming networks and creators. Some of the biggest ones in the United Kingdom are:
- Microgaming
- NetEnt
- Playtech
- Play’n Go
- Evolution Gaming
- Big Time Gaming
If you see these names attached to the site you are using, it is further confirmation it’s a reputable site.
The risks of playing online games and casinos are minimal, but it’s worth ensuring you have some basic safety aspects in place before playing to cover every eventuality and ensure your gaming experience is the best possible.