The question “Are online casinos safe?” is a direct parallel to the larger question “Are any online transactions safe?”  If you are someone who has dealt with online transactions with minimal issues and knows what to look for in a safe, secure environment, then you should look for these same qualities in an online casino.  For those people who are either inexperienced with or distrustful of online transactions, here are some qualities that you should look for in an online gaming site:

• Check their secure certificate.  Like most sites that handle online transactions, online gaming sites will display a logo of a trusted secure certificate provider (such as Verisign) that lets you know that your personal information will be encoded during the transaction.  Such encoding makes your information less prone to hackers or unscrupulous parties that may try to intercept your message.  One way to know if the information form is secure is to find a picture of a padlock somewhere on the web browser (upper right in Internet Explorer, lower right in Firefox).  Another method is to make sure that the address for the form starts with https:// instead of http:// .  The additional “s” is for “secure”.  If the information form does not have either of these signs, skip it and move on!


• Check their reviews.  If anything has ever gone wrong with an online gaming site, you should know that some former customer has written about it in some message board or blog post to complain.  From poor customer service to rigged games to colluding players, you’re bound to find a dissatisfied customer if you look hard enough.  However, don’t let a handful of disgruntled individuals keep you away from playing.  If the site has an overwhelming number of customer complaints, keep looking for a better environment.  Also, many sites (including TiredCasino.com) have reviews of the major sites, including safety and customer service notes.  A little homework now can save you a lot of headaches later.


• Play for free first.  Most reputable sites want you to feel comfortable with their software, their user interface and their games so that you’ll keep playing and keep coming back.  Your comfort and safety are in their best interests, so get comfortable first by playing for free until you feel ready to step up to real-money play.


• Use a separate bank account or third-party e-wallet.  If you’re still concerned about the safety of your account information, use a different bank account from your main household account.  Also, many third-party e-wallets (such as NetTeller and Click2Pay) provide secure transaction management between your bank account and the online gaming site.

Please remember that online gaming is a form of entertainment, not an activity that should cost you your financial health.  You should always take the proper amount of care, time and thought into playing at an online gaming site.  As always, we at TiredCasino.com want you to play smart, play intelligently and play to win!