There are many casino scams online, making it difficult for gamblers to find safe online casinos where they can enjoy the best online slots in the UK. Thankfully, there are ways you can identify illegal casinos so that your money and personal data are protected. 

Here are the seven signs of a fake or illegal casino that you should look out for so that you can find the best online casino to play at.

1. Not licensed to operate in your country

Many countries have special government bodies and organisations whose main purpose is to ensure that online gambling companies operate legally. In the UK, the organisation that has been responsible for regulating gambling since 2005 is the Gambling Commission. 

If an online casino does not have a Gambling Commission logo and information about its licence in the UK (any information about its licence can be confirmed by visiting the Gambling Commission website), you should assume that it is operating illegally in the UK. This means that if anything goes wrong while using this website, you won’t have any protection against the operators of the site.

2. It doesn’t support mainstream payment methods

One of the easiest ways to spot a website that is likely running illegally is by seeing if they only accept cryptocurrency payments. Due to the anonymity offered by crypto, those who are running an online casino scam will often only accept this payment method, as it makes it easier to disappear with any of the payments users have made into the online casino platform. 

There’s another reason why these virtual casino scams rely on crypto. It’s because other more mainstream payment methods like credit card companies and digital wallet services are built upon brand reputation and trust,. They’re known to cut services off immediately to any company that could threaten their reputation, such as illegal online casino operations.

3. There are no reviews, they seem suspicious, or they’re mostly negative

A dead giveaway that an online casino is a scam is that no one is talking about it. At a glance this may mean the site is new, but do you really want to be the first one to hand over your money to find out if they are actually offering a legitimate service or not? 

Another sign that an online casino is a scam is if the reviews seem suspicious. For example, if they are written in poor-quality English, or they only appear on sites that have questionable content, it is possible that the scammers have produced their own reviews, or even paid for them, to help give their scam site an additional layer of credibility.

Finally, if the reviews are almost entirely negative, this is a clear sign to stay away. Even if the site is legal, why would you want to make a deposit into an online casino with terrible service?

4. Withdrawing your winnings is difficult

You’ve found a website online that looks great, registered and made your first deposit. You had a few spins on your favourite online casino games and much to your surprise, you won off the first spin. You made another deposit and enjoyed some more games, and even walked away with a tidy profit! Or at least you thought you did.

Any attempt to withdraw your winnings is met with errors on the website. And the emails you are receiving from the support team promise the money will be out in two days. Except they’ve been telling you this same story for a week.

If this sounds familiar to you, you’ve probably been scammed. 

5. Insecure or unsecured online connections

If the internet connection between you and an online casino isn’t properly secured, or it isn’t secured at all, you are putting yourself at incredibly high risk if you continue to play there. Websites that offer poor online security are putting your information, whether it’s your financial or personal information, at risk, as third parties may be able to intercept and steal your data.

6. Unbelievable online bonuses

Whether it’s an incredible online casino welcome bonus that agrees to match your first deposit, pound for pound, or an online casino offering free games with the chance to win real cash with absolutely no terms and conditions, there’s only one thought that comes to mind: It sounds too good to be true. And if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

7. Put their customer service to the test

If you’re still asking, “Are online casinos scams?” then there’s one last way to check if an online casino is legitimate or not: Get in touch with their customer service. Most scam sites won’t have anyone responding to email or online chat queries, so if you send them a message you won’t get any response. Scam sites that are trying to create the illusion of authenticity will be very slow to respond and will likely have poor replies that don’t address your issues. If somehow they manage to make it over these two hurdles, ask them for their licensing information so that you can follow up with the relevant organisations to make sure they are offering a legal service.

The only way to gamble safely online

If you come across an online casino that offers a deal that seems too good to be true, it probably is. The only way to protect your money and personal information when playing online slots and other online casino games is by choosing legal online casinos that are licensed to operate in your country. 

Play safely at The Phone Casino

If you’re looking for a safe virtual space to enjoy online slots in the UK, be sure to check out The Phone Casino. 

The Phone Casino is registered with the UK Gambling Commission as well as the Alderney Gambling Control Commission, ensuring that our online casino is legally allowed to operate in the UK. We also offer a variety of payment methods with reliable consumer protection, including VISA and Mastercard, PayPal, Skrill, Apple Pay and many other services. You can also find trustworthy reviews of our service on sites like Trustpilot, Reviews.IO, and more.

Register at The Phone Casino to enjoy one of the best legit online casinos with an excellent library of virtual slots, table games, and more.