Whether it’s work or leisure, more financial transactions than ever before are transpiring over the internet. This is especially true when it comes to online casinos in Canada, which have been growing in popularity for years. Casino games are intriguing precisely because there’s a thrill of risk and the potential for both gain and loss, but the only chance taken at a betting site should be whether a bet wins or loses. Security is critical, and there are many measures that can be taken to help ensure betting is as safe as it can be.
Security and Encryption
One of the first and most obvious things to check ahead of signing up at an online casino is to ensure it has the most basic levels of security. All betting sites should operate using encryption technology to safeguard information of both a personal and financial nature. Thankfully, this is almost universally true, as the failure to provide this degree of protection means that information can be easily stolen and exposes players to potential breaches. This then leaves players at risk of an alarming variety of crimes, including the most obvious of just having money stolen by abuse of financial data. Personal data is also of great value, and may be used in identity theft, which can be a nightmare to deal with.
In addition to the vital presence of encryption, many Canadian online casinos offer their players the option to take up the voluntary security feature of 2FA (two factor authentication). Many choose to take advantage of this option to enhance security, and, separately, 2FA is often available from various banking methods.
Trusted Banking Methods
Casinos have a duty to provide a safe and secure gaming environment, and the vast majority take this seriously and duly operate under the protection of encryption technology. However, the online betting platform itself is not the only potential weakness in the armour of security. Even if a casino does everything right, a weak banking method can cause compromised security. The same can occur is a player is lax with security. This need not be a horrendous mistake, such as openly talking about one’s password, but can include more understandable errors such as using the same password for everything, from insecure websites to means of personal finance. The reason many players like 2FA is that the request for confirmation can help to prevent illegitimate transactions.
Various banking methods are popular in Canada due to their secure nature. Interac is a prime example, although as a Canadian-only option it is less widely available than certain other ways of sending money online. PayPal is one of the leading e-wallets, and a preferred choice for many players as there’s no need to enter credit card or bank details directly, as the e-wallet acts as an intermediate stage between casino and bank. Bitcoin is also rising in popularity and has a very high degree of security.
Licensing
Another crucial step to take, and one that takes only a moment to check, is to ensure a prospective online casino is trusted and reliable. The first and most important way to find out if this is the case is to see what a casino’s licensing situation is. Almost every casino presents this information clearly at the foot of every single page. The absence of any licensing information is an alarming state of affairs, and by itself justifies ignoring a casino and looking elsewhere. It is not unusual for a casino to have multiple licensing authorities if operating overseas (often, a local licence is required).
While not as obligatory as a good licensing setup, another very good sign is if a casino is affiliated with an independent third party auditing/testing firm (such as TST). The reason why this is a good thing is that casino games run on the basis of random number generation to ensure players have a chance of winning in line with a game’s officially stated RTP (return to player). Firms like TST check independently to ensure this is indeed the case, and that games are being run on a fair basis.
Check a Casino’s Reputation Before Signing Up
Even before a deposit is made, a player who signs up gives over some personal information to an online casino, even if that is just a contact e-mail address. A sensible precaution to take to avoid falling into a pit of despair that has claimed others is to check a betting site’s online reputation prior to signing up. It is wise to find out if a site under consideration has a bad reputation and should be avoided. Vicariously is the best way to experience a dubious site, as it enables a player to benefit from the lesson others have learned without paying the price of the tutelage. And this can throw light on other downsides (or benefits) of a casino, such as how strong or weak the customer service is.
Betting at online casinos in Canada is regulated on a provincial basis, which means that the provision of online casinos does vary depending upon where one plays. British Columbia is one of the more restrictive provinces. While it does have the PlayNow betting platform, this is the only approved and legal gambling site of its kind within the whole province. Alberta takes a similarly limited approach, having the PlayAlberta online betting site where casino games can be enjoyed. Quebec is a province which might either open up fully to online casino gaming, or even move the other way and block access to international betting sites. In the meantime, residents can access offshore casinos, or play at Espacejeux. By way of contrast to the previous three examples, Ontario has embraced the revenue generating potential of gaming and launched its own third party casino market, with over 75 online casinos for players to choose from, at the time of writing.
AV Software
A universally good idea for online safety, and one that certainly applies to online casinos, is for individuals to take advantage of anti-virus software to stay safe whether just browsing the internet or playing at betting platforms. Sites that have personal or financial information are obvious targets for hackers, and online casinos possess both, making it eminently prudent for players to use AV software to shield themselves. Technology moves incredibly swiftly and it’s also highly advisable to ensure such AV software is rigorously kept up to date. Threats are constantly evolving and a failure to do likewise means that outdated software can soon become obsolete. Naturally, this applies to software other than AV, and is vital to help keep devices and systems safe from nefarious intent.
Watch Out For Phishing
There are many threats players face, more of which are outlined below, but one that is indirect is phishing. Dubious e-mails are sadly commonplace, and while many are automatically diverted into spam or junk folders, some can, sooner or later, get through to an inbox. Banks remain a top choice for malicious criminals performing this deceptive activity, and online casinos are almost as frequent, particularly with offers that really are too good to be true. The use of AI has made some of these more convincing than would otherwise be the case but there are still ways to reduce the odds of falling prey to a scam.
Using a single e-mail for online casino activity means that phishing attempts made anywhere else can be automatically discarded as false, and if similar content then reaches the casino-specific e-mail address experience can tell one that a message is malicious. Misspellings and bad grammar are still common giveaways, but if a deal does look very good and does purport to be from a casino with which one has an account, it still should not be clicked. Instead, go to the casino and see if they have such an offer. If not, the e-mail is likely dubious.
Security Risks
There are certain obvious security risks that arise when data is compromised, whether that’s a breach at a site holding information that’s personal or financial. However, online crime can also include some less expected malign activities. Straightforward theft of money is no laughing matter, nor is identity theft and impersonation. One of the newer crimes that can be committed is the act of cryptojacking which involves a malicious individual hijacking an innocent party’s device for the purposes of mining cryptocurrency. For the innocent victim, this leads to a loss of performance from said device, which is always frustrating (especially so when the decline is caused by a criminal getting rich off of it). As with many other threats, the best way to avoid this is to keep AV software up to date.
Online criminals may also attack a betting website by using ransomware to encrypt critical information and demanding a ransom for its release. While this doesn’t attack players directly, it would be concerning to discover a preferred casino is inaccessible for this reason. Security is one of the biggest reason why some players always prefer physical casinos over virtual ones.
Cybersecurity should always be taken seriously, and this is certainly the case for sites that have both personal and financial information, such as online casinos. Luckily, players have plenty of ways to give themselves the best chance of staying safe, from checking a casino is well-run to ensuring AV software remains updated.
