The Worst Casino Sites Online: Your Guide To Staying Safe Online

The gambling commission (UKGC) is the regulatory body that oversees gambling in Great Britain. There are guidelines for online gambling sites, and rogue casinos can be shut down if they do not follow these guidelines.

In this blog post, we will discuss what to avoid when choosing which online casino website to join and play at, the characteristics of risky online casino sites and tips about how not to get scammed.

What are the worst gambling sites online?

There are many gambling sites that you can play at, which is why it can be hard to decide which one is best for you. Of course, there’s a huge difference between gambling in a casino and gambling online.

If you’re looking into playing at an online casino site, we will show you how to check that they have all of the right licenses and certifications before joining them.

The Casino Sites Online team will also show you some red flags to look out for when choosing gambling websites as well as characteristics of rogue casinos, including:

Casinos with poor security measures
Poor customer service
Questionable payment methods

Who are the UKGC and why are they important?

The UKGC is the regulatory body that oversees gambling in Great Britain. There are guidelines for gambling sites and rogue casinos can be shut down if they do not follow these guidelines.

The goal of the UKGC is to keep crime out of gambling and to protect players that are vulnerable. It issues licences to operators and works with the police when there is suspected illegal gambling.

It is against the law for casinos to offer real money gambling to people in the UK without holding a valid licence.

How to check if an online casino site has a UKGC licence

Every casino licensed by the UKGC must display its licence number in the footer (at the bottom) of every page of the website.

They must also provide it as a clickable link and it must take you through directly to the public register on the UKGC website, where the licence is displayed.

Check by clicking the link and making sure that it takes you to: https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/public-register/.

If there is no link to the UKGC website, or it doesn’t take you through to the website named as a licensed entity, this is a huge red flag and the casino should be avoided.

Risks of playing at unlicensed casinos

Playing at unlicensed casinos comes with many risks.

The first risk is that you won’t get paid your winnings. For whatever reason, if the unlicensed casino decides not to pay out the money due to players, there are no protections in place for this kind of situation.

At a licensed casino, it is a requirement that the gambling offered is fair and transparent.

You also don’t know what games will be on offer and how fair these games perform.

Unlicensed internet casinos also often don’t have the same level of customer service as licensed ones, so you’re not guaranteed to get help when you need it.

Finally, there are no regulations for this kind of gambling and games vary wildly in terms of how they work and what information is given about them. This means that rogue casinos can also be unfair.

The worst casino sites online:

Can not be trusted with paying out winnings, or slow to payout
Have unfair terms and conditions
Can behave as “rogue casinos” because there is no one to enforce them to pay players
Games may be unfair or unreliable
None, or unresponsive customer support

This is why you should avoid playing at unlicensed sites that are not on GAMSTOP.

Hidden Risks of Playing at an Online Casino

Playing at an online casino may seem like a simple thing, but risks can be hidden in many places.

First of all, there is the risk hidden in the customer service you get from an online casino.

Some casinos offer 24/hour support, but others only provide contact options for specific hours of the day and night (such as chat or email).

The risk of playing at the wrong online casino is that there is a very real chance that you will not be able to contact customer service when you need it.

If the bonuses on offer have terms and conditions, then these must also be read with care.

Some casinos may require players to agree to wagering requirements before they can access the bonus.

This means that when you win, it may not actually be possible to cash out and withdraw the win without making more bets.

For example, if the wagering limit is 10x and you claim a £100 bonus, then you will need to make £1000 of bets to complete the bonus because of this rule.

Another risk when playing at casino websites on the internet is overspending.

If you are not careful, it is easy to make mistakes with your money and go over the limits that you set for yourself.

For example, if you redeposit a few times you may lose track of exactly how much you have spent in total.

The way to avoid this is by setting limits using the responsible gambling tools in your account.

It is also a good idea to keep your casino spending separate from the money you have for other things in life, such as food or bills.

This way there will never be any confusion about how much money you can spend on gambling.

What to do if you have a problem with online casino gambling

Some problems that you may encounter at the worst online casino websites include; not being paid your winnings, overspending and needing support but the casino is not able to help you.

Not being paid your winnings

A casino may decline to process your payment request.

The most commonly provided reason for this is that the terms and conditions of a bonus offer have not been met.

If the casino is refusing to pay out your winnings, then you can follow a complaints escalation procedure.

This is internally at the casino first, from customer support to their complaints team. If they still refuse to pay you then you can take your complaint to an independent, Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) service.

IBAS and eCOGRA are both ADR organisations that can assist you with your complaint, for free.

Help for problem gambling

A problem gambler is someone that plays compulsively, doesn’t know when to stop and will continue betting even if it means that they lose more money than they can afford.

This has the potential to lead them into debt or bankruptcy, as well as other problems like alcohol addiction and relationship breakdowns.

The worst online casinos are less likely to effectively monitor your play and interact with you when there are signs of problem gambling.

If you think that you have a problem gambling then support is available:

Avoiding the Worst Casinos Online

You now know what to look for when trying to find a safe and reputable online casino.

There are many risks of playing at an unlicensed, low-quality establishment that doesn’t pay out its players or provide reliable customer service.

We recommend checking out one of the five best casinos below. These establishments have been vetted by our team as legitimate places where players can play with peace of mind knowing their funds are secure and they will be treated fairly regardless of how much money is in their account balance.

So go ahead and sign up today!