Online gambling has become more popular than ever, but one concern most people have about the activity is its safety. However, all online casinos in the UK take several steps and precautions to ensure that you are kept safe and protected when playing. Starting with obeying countless rules and regulations to implementing new technologies such as two-factor authentication, the players’ safety is the gambling companies’ number one priority.
Licensing and Regulation
What many people new to gambling don’t know is that the gambling industry is heavily regulated. Depending on your location, there are dozens of licensing bodies and regulators, but the most famous is the UK Gambling Commission. The firm is responsible for regulating all things gambling within the United Kingdom, and it is responsible for giving operators licenses to offer their services to players based in the UK.
Operators that are credited with licenses from the Commission are required to follow the regulator’s rules and codes of practice. Most of these are imposed to keep you and your personal information protected and require operators to offer safe and fair games, clearly label all terms and conditions of a bonus and promotion, and more. Operators that fail to follow these rules will lose their license and cannot operate in the UK. This applies to their main brand as well as any potential sister sites that they operate under the same licensing umbrella.
Websites with valid licenses from the UK Gambling Commission will display the Gambling Commission logo in the footer of their website, which means it’s easy to find which sites are safe for you to play at.
Game Testing and Audits
In addition to licensing providers and regulators, there are independent auditing bodies that test and review some online casino games. Well known auditors in the UK include eCOGRA (e-Commerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance), iTech Labs, Gaming Laboratories International, and Expleo Technology UK Limited, all of which test games and casino services to ensure that they meet the Gambling Commission’s policies and rules.
Casinos that have had their games audited will display the auditor’s logo in the footer of their website, similarly to the way the Gambling Commission logo is displayed. What’s more, you can usually check the casino’s certification too.
Online Technology
In addition to all of the above, casinos employ the latest technology that is used by online retailers and even banks to keep your personal information safe. Some online casinos may even use two-factor authentication, a safer way of logging into your casino account, which requires your username and password as well as a one-time authorisation code that is set to you.
Safer Gambling
Online casinos are also required to provide you with various tools that allow you to limit your spending, time playing games, and losses when playing at an online casino. What’s more, all casinos are required to opt-in to GamSTOP’s self-exclusion service, allowing anyone who is suffering from gambling harm to block themselves from all casinos in the UK.
After reading through this page, you should have a better understanding of how online casinos keep you safe, particularly in the United Kingdom. So, if you’re thinking of registering with an online casino, there’s never been a better time to try!
