Betting online is a great way to engage with your favorite sports and teams. It’s exciting. It keeps you focused on a game and gives you a chance to win some pocket change in your free time.
But is it safe? Can you bet on football or play slot machines online safely? The short answer is yes. The long answer is that to gamble online safely, you need to follow these actionable tips:
#1: Practice Standard Online Safety Tips
Standard online safety tips are the basic measures everyone needs to take when using the Internet. Let’s start with creating unique passwords for all accounts. Set a strong password for your email, laptop, banking and casino accounts.
Next, install the latest updates for your computer operating software, browsers and mobile apps. Another standard practice is to keep your account logins a secret. No one needs to know your password to your Gmail or PayPal accounts.
Practicing standard safety tips also makes you less of a target by hackers and online scammers. You see, many cyber attackers target people with weak safety measures. If you have strong passwords and up to date software programs, hackers will tend to avoid you.
#2: Install an Antivirus and a VPN
Updating your PC’s Operating System is great. But it’s not enough to keep you safe while betting online. Cyber attackers can still target you with malware, viruses and ransomware. Or they could track and steal your personal information.
A good antivirus program can protect you from real-time threats. And in doing so, you don’t need to worry about losing your personal and financial information to hackers.
For additional security, install a Virtual Private Network (VPN). This security tool encrypts your data and hides your computer’s IP address to keep you safe from online fraudsters.
By encrypting your data, hackers can’t steal it. On the other end, hiding your IP address protects you from targeted ads, spies, phishing scams and hackers. They can’t get to you because they’ll have no way of identifying your IP address.
#3: Choose a Safe Gambling Site
Although many online casinos in 2022 have advanced security measures, not every gambling site is safe and trustworthy. Some sites have no licenses, do not encrypt your data or have poor managements.
Owing to that backdrop, invest time in finding a safe casino. You can save time by finding casino recommendations on review sites. Or you can take a couple of hours comparing betting sites based on important features.
Basically, you want a licensed casino. This shows the site is legit and not a scam. Secondly, look at safety measures like data encryption, password protection and data protection compliance.
In addition to safety measures, choose a reputable operator. You don’t want to bet at a site with poor odds, slow payouts or terrible bonuses.
#4: Pick a Safe Payment Method
What’s your favorite online payment method? If it’s genuine, safe, fast and charges low fees, then it’s a good casino deposit method. All you need is to find a gambling site that accepts the payment company.
There’s a casino for every payment option. However, always feel free to be flexible with payments. If you love credit cards but a casino charges less money for e-wallet payments or crypto; consider joining PayPal or using Bitcoin.
Most gambling sites offer a wide range of payment options. Your ideal deposit method should depend on the fees, limits, speed, security and add-on features like mobile support and chargebacks.
In all fairness, your chosen payment method also depends on where you live. A case in point: Netbanking as a casino payment method is pretty popular in India. By comparison, Trustly is the e-wallet of choice in Sweden.
#5: Create a Gambling Budget
It’s true—you can lose money by betting online. However, you can control the amount of money you lose daily, weekly and monthly by creating a budget. Of course, you want to minimize your losses to an amount that doesn’t impact your financial well-being.
According to experts, your gambling budget needs to come last. So, pay taxes and bills. Set aside money for savings and investments. Budget for vacations and charities. And if you have money left, put aside some of it for gambling.
Budgeting helps you keep emotions out of gambling. You don’t have to worry about losing too much money. You don’t need to rely on slots for your house rent. More importantly, you can avoid turning betting into an addiction.
That being said, work to make more money than you lose. That way, betting online won’t just be fun. It will also pay for itself, even if it’s not every month.
#6: Learn to Identify Betting Scams
Like many online industries, the betting sector isn’t safe from betting scams. Someone is always trying to scam gamblers. Luckily, you can protect yourself by identifying potential scams.
Let’s start with bonus scams. Some fraudsters will email you with enticing welcome bonuses. But their goal is to steal from you when you make a deposit. You can spot these fakes through their unsecure websites, poor grammar and unlicensed websites.
Another betting scam promises free money. They claim you’ve won thousands of dollars through a casino game you’ve never played. If you click on these links, they install malware on your device.
#7: Create a Time Limit
This might sound obvious, but you shouldn’t treat betting as a legit source of money. Sure, some people become billionaires through gambling. But they represent less than 1% of all gamblers.
In other words, don’t stress yourself trying to win money at casino sites. Create a schedule to play poker or roulette for fun. After that, log out of your account and do something else.
Creating a schedule helps you have a healthy balance between your gambling life, your work-life and family time. It also helps you avoid getting addicted to the hobby. What’s more, a schedule helps you minimize your gambling money—you have little time to bet, so less money to spend.