How to Best Protect Your Data while Playing Online Games
Are you doing everything to keep your data protected?
Online gambling is one of the fastest growing hobbies around: it’s a billion-dollar industry and only getting bigger. As more and more players come aboard, we have to ask: are they sure their data is protected?
It only takes one slip to land in a situation you’d rather avoid.
Luckily, there are plenty of ways that can help you protect yourself while playing. It’s pretty simple and once you’ve got the hang of it, there’s nothing to fear. Check out our most pertinent tips and find yourself playing with more confidence and ease than ever.
Always (and exclusively) use Registered, Legal Betting Platforms and Casinos
Now that online gambling is legalized all over the world, those countries in which it’s legal typically have a standard regulatory body. Any online casino, especially new casinos you’re using, should be registered to operate in the country from which you’re playing. They should have a license obviously displayed for their players’ reference.
It’s easy to find out if this is the case: the first place you should look is the “About Us” section of the casino website. Because casinos naturally want to set your mind at ease, they’ll typically be extremely open (to the point of boasting) about having a license and being legal.
As well they should! Legal gameplay is safe gameplay, for your data and your lifestyle.
An extra step you can always take is to see if you can verify the license independently, online. This is typically possible through the regulatory body, often a government website. This step offers the ultimate peace of mind: you’ll know for sure that the site isn’t lying about their license or registration.
Use E-Wallets/Cryptocurrency Instead of Bank Deposits and Credit Cards
We’ve touched pretty extensively on the benefits of using Bitcoin while you play, in terms of both ease of use and data protection. From testing bitcoin-friendly online casinos to tracking the rises and falls of bitcoin itself, it’s practically impossible to avoid.
We all know that online hacking and credit card fraud are serious issues for everyone: not just gamers. It’s common knowledge that it’s way better to not have your credit card details stored on a variety of websites.
If (and when) these websites are hacked, you risk losing your money and even your identity.
Using an e-Wallet is a great way to get around this problem. With an e-Wallet, you can directly transfer sums to online casinos without actually sharing your details. The blockchain makes it literally impossible to hack your data and take your money, while the transparency of the system makes it easy to track your finances.
Another advantage to using an e-Wallet is the easy cashing-out process. As more casinos embrace cryptocurrency as the wave of the future (and even, like Betsoft, boasting their multi-currency capabilities), you’ll find that it’s easier and quicker to cash out with crypto than with any other currency method. How’s that for a bonus!
Have you Already Read the Terms and Conditions?
It seems like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised at how many people just aren’t aware that it’s possible to read a casino’s terms and conditions. We think it’s a vital part of data protection – and of gameplay in general.
If you don’t read the terms and conditions before starting to play, it’s much easier for a casino to treat you unfairly and leave you with no recourse – after all, it was in the terms and conditions!
A great example of this (outside the realm of data protection) is withdrawal limits. It’s one of our most frequent complaints: there are so many players out there who get caught in this trap. They win and win and then discover that they can’t withdraw or that they’ve already met the limit.
This is frustrating and could even lead to a loss – it’s common for players to have accounts on a variety of sites and lose track of the funds on each.
As far as data protection goes, Terms and Conditions list information such as webtracking, ad revenue, and whether they’re selling your data. This is pretty important information to have!
Take a Look at the Casino Reviews: Before You Play
The best resource on your side, fighting the good fight for your data protection, are casino reviews. Always use at least one third-party site to verify a new online casino.
There are so many ways a casino can fail probation and stay in the slums and arming yourself with knowledge helps you to stay safe while you play online.
If there’s a problem with data protection, your fellow players will be the first to bring that up! Checking out reviews also includes player forums: places where players get together to chat about the latest and greatest in casino news.
There’s also another advantage to this: joining online casino forums connects you to a community of like-minded individuals. You’ll be able to compare casinos, discuss games, read reviews and ask questions in real-time, and maybe even make some new friends. There’s truly no downside to reading casino reviews and joining forums and it can absolutely help keep your data safe.
So What Do I Need To Do Now?
Let’s say that you’ve already been playing a bunch of online games and you don’t know if you’ve accidentally compromised your data in the past. It’s not too late!
We suggest that you sit down and make a list of the sites you’ve been using. Then, go through the sites one by one and decide if you’re comfortable with the level of data security they present. If you’re not comfortable, withdraw your existing funds immediately and don’t play there again. It’s as simple as that!