Online gambling. 2 little words that conjure up a wide range of responses. For some, online gambling provides fun, entertainment and excitement in the most convenient ways. To others, it evokes feelings of danger, worry and bad experiences. I’m Suki, and I have experienced both of those responses. When I first decided to try out a bit of online gambling, I opted for an online casino. I thought it looked like an enjoyable way to pass a few hours of my free time, with the possibility of winning some dosh adding to the appeal.

I took what I saw at face value and signed up without much thought involved. I soon came to realise that the casino I had chosen was a rogue one. Long story short, the operator was unreliable, they refused to pay my winnings and they made what should have been a fun experience an absolute nightmare. To add insult to injury, my credit card was hacked, due to the poor security and lack of player protection on the casino website. Needless to say, this left me jaded and I steered well clear of online gambling for many years.

Yet, as time moved on, I realised that I was not blame free. I had put little thought into handing over my sensitive data. With hindsight, I knew that I must have had an unlucky experience, and that it was not typical of what you should expect from gambling online. So, I set about doing my research to find out how I could find a safe and reliable operator. And you know what? With very little effort, I soon discovered that there are plenty of trustworthy online gambling operators out there. You just need to know what to look for.

That is why I decided to create this blog. Rather than remain resentful of a bad past experience, I now enjoy gambling online and want to share hints, tips and advice with other people. I’ll report on how to spot the good operators from the bad, and how to get the most out of gambling online.

If you read my first post, then you’ll know that I am an advocate for choosing safe and reliable online casinos to play at. There are so many secure, fair and trustworthy operators that there really is no excuse for jeopardising your safety in the name of fun. The same goes for any kind of online gambling, whether you like sports betting, poker or bingo, the same principle applies across the board. If you are wondering how you can be certain that your site of choice can be trusted, there are a few simple checks you can carry out to be certain.

Check for a UK Gambling Licence

Luckily for us Brits, the government have put strict standards in place for any company that wishes to provide online gambling services to players in the UK. In order to legally operate in Britain, the company must possess a remote gambling licence, issued by the UK Gambling Commission. It is really simple to check if a site holds such a licence. Simply look for the UKCG logo in the footer of the casino website. This will usually contain a link to the official Gambling Commission website, where you can double check that the licence is valid. In short, if there is no evidence of a UK gambling licence on a gambling website, it is not legally authorised to operate in the UK, and you should avoid it and find another site to play at.

How Does an Online Operator Get a UK Gambling Licence?

In order to be awarded a remote gambling licence, the operator must prove that they adhere to the strict standards demanded by the commission. Once the commission has awarded a licence, the operator continues to be regulated by the government body. If at any time they fall short of the standards of the licencing requirements, their licence can be revoked. Yet what are the standards that the operator must meet to get and secure their licence?

Fair Games – An operator must prove that their games are fair. To do this, they enlist the services of independent, commission approved authorities to test their Random Number Generator (RNG) and payout rates. Some such reputable testing agencies include eCOGRA, GLI, TST and iTech Labs. They rigorously test the RNG over thousands of rounds of games to verify that the results are truly random. Furthermore, they collate the actual data across all games and produce reports detailing the amount of all money bet on a site that has been returned as winnings.

Technical Security – When you gamble online, you must divulge sensitive personal and financial information. For this reason, operators must use cutting edge technical security to ensure that this information cannot be intercepted by third parties. All financial transactions must be encrypted using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), which provides a secure and private link between a player’s PC and the operator’s website. Furthermore, reliable computer security software must be used to ensure that the site is thoroughly tested regularly to identify and eradicate any vulnerabilities, viruses and malware.

Responsible Gambling – Player protection is at the heart of the UKGC’s role. This includes a commitment to promoting responsible gambling and helping to avoid problem gambling. For starters, the operator must ensure that children are protected. This is done by performing ID checks to verify that no one under the age of 18 can gamble on the website. It also involves educating and supporting players regarding the dangers of gambling, including offering tools such as self-exclusion. Reputable operators work in conjunction with charities and organisations such as GamCare and GambleAware to provide support and guidance for anyone who may be affected by problem gambling, and will often provide direct links to such services on their website.

Choose Licenced Operators for a Safe Online Gambling Experience

In summary, it is incredibly simple to ensure that you only gamble at safe and secure sites on the net. A UKGC licence is the only evidence required to verify that the operator treats player protection as a priority. So, to save yourself a lot of aggro down the line, make sure this is the first thing you check before you sign up at an online gambling website.