But the rapid rate of development also brings inherent risks. Just how safe is it to deposit your money onto a website you’ve never visited, in an attempt to win some money?
The answer is: a lot safer than you think. The past decade has seen an explosion in the number of online casinos in operation, offering an abundant mix of games that cater to a broad spectrum of players.
To keep pace, the very best sites out there adhere to some of the strictest protocols and government legislation laid down in order to provide the fairest and safest possible playing environment.
Using the very latest TSL technology of the world’s top financial institutions, Maltese-based Wildz Casino takes the issue of player data incredibly seriously and has implemented measures to ensure the encryption of all communications from the instant a player lands upon the firm’s website. In the same vein, its parent company, Rootz LTD, guarantees that player data is never shared with third parties as part of its stringent data privacy controls.
The issue of data protection has grown in prominence in recent years and, as an industry that handles sensitive data, processing thousands of transactions every day, online gaming must remain at the forefront of this fast-evolving digital landscape.
Any online organization operating out of Malta is bound by the Maltese Data Protection Act (Chapter 440 of the Laws of Malta), as well as various subsidiary legislation, including the GDPR.
Implemented in March 2018, this wide-reaching legislation seeks to hand control to customers over their personal data, and mandates that data held by organizations follow these principles at all times: Lawfulness, fairness, and transparency; Purpose limitation; Data minimization; Accuracy; Storage limitation; Integrity and confidentiality and Accountability.
Once a player has successfully signed up with the casino and provided all the necessary documentation that validates their KYC status, their documents are then maintained in a secure environment to guarantee the utmost level of protection and security.
But what about those all-important player funds? Well, anyone depositing at Wildz Casino can do so in the knowledge that their money is safeguarded by the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) security protocols and kept in segregated bank accounts that are entirely separate to company funds – adding an additional layer of protection and providing players with total peace of mind while they gamble online.
Before parting with their hard-earned cash, though, customers should act with caution and only gamble at a site that has their own interests at heart; one with betting limits in place that help punters control their spending so they’re not tempted to gamble beyond their means.
Other controls common at most top online casinos include time limits, which automatically block players from any further gambling on the site once that limit has expired, along with deposit and wager limits. These two controls place ceilings on how much money a player can load onto their account and consequently use to gamble with the organization.
Self-exclusions enforced by the player themself also provide the opportunity to take a ‘time-out’ for whatever reason, which serve in preventing the player from engaging in any gambling activity on the site for a specified time period.
There are, of course, additional steps players themselves can take in order to mitigate any risks posed by online gaming.
Despite the extensive measures adopted by online casinos to safeguard player security, the threat of malicious software at an individual level remains. Players should be advised to install anti-virus software onto their machines and ensure this is kept up to date at all times. And, as with all online pursuits requiring a log-in process, strong passwords should only be used and never shared with anybody.
Online gambling is a safe pastime enjoyed by millions of people across the world. However, when not managed correctly, it can come at a very real financial cost to the individual.
‘Chasing losses’ is a trap some players, especially newcomers, fall into after they’ve gambled and lost a portion of their bankroll. This is never encouraged by gambling firms as a means to making up for losses and can result in even greater debts.
In addition, playing under the influence of alcohol or drugs can lead to far-reaching consequences and this too is strongly discouraged. Resources such as GamCare and Gamblers Anonymous exist to help anyone seeking professional help for personal problems associated with gambling.
If anyone is still unsure whether to take their first steps into online gaming, innumerate review sites compare the respective pros and cons and various casino sites and can act as a useful point of reference, especially when customers are just getting started. These are often produced by honest gamblers with vast experience of the industry and provide players with that final dose of confidence they may need before going on to make a deposit.
Everyone engaged in online casino space, including gambling operators, shares a collective responsibility to ensure players’ privacy, protection and safety in our increasingly digitised world.