While the internet is no longer the Wild West that it once was, you still need to be aware whenever you go online. Simple digital safety methods can keep your personal information safe, stop yourself from being scammed, and promote overall positive online behaviour.
It’s most important to stay safe when you’re spending money, such as at e-commerce sites, or, as in the case of this article, at online casinos. In today’s article, we’re going to explore some simple tips and tricks that you can use to stay safe when gambling online in Ontario both from the scams and misdeeds of others and from a personal responsible gambling standpoint too.
Choose Licensed and Regulated Online Casinos
A casino without licenses gives no guarantee of fair games, user safety, or scam-free gameplay. Playing at a licensed Ontario online casino ensures that the site is fully regulated, is in line with Ontario laws, and adheres to high standards such as security and player safety.
In Ontario, you want to look for a casino that is regulated by iGaming Ontario. This will ensure that the casino you play with is in line with Ontario regulations and that the casino promotes responsible gambling practices, helping you to stay safe as you play.
Utilise Responsible Gambling Tools
As we mentioned, it’s not just the scammers legitimate casinos protect you from, through advocating and providing responsible gambling tools they help empower you with the ability to make smart gameplay decisions. There are a variety of tools that a responsible casino will provide, such as deposit limits, session reminders, and self-exclusion options. These will allow you to monitor your gaming habits and not only spot but be able to challenge any problem habits you may be developing before they get out of control.
Spin Genie offers a selection of easy-to-access responsible gambling tools and further resources to promote a healthy and balanced gaming experience for all our players.
Recognize Signs of Problem Gambling
Before playing at any online casino you should be aware of the signs of problem gambling so you can consciously act to avoid them or seek help when you notice them. Gambling Aware, a UK brand outlines the overall experience of problem gambling in their slogan; ‘When the fun stops; stop’. This simple statement can serve as a reality check for players and encompasses the majority of negative gambling behaviours which include; difficulty stopping, chasing losses, and playing in anger.
This can stop players from developing more serious signs of addiction such as neglecting personal responsibilities, playing casino games for hours on end, or at odd hours to hide their behaviour from friends/family, and becoming agitated if they cannot play. As we all know in life it is easier to stop and change something at the start; say deciding not to paint your living room red after a wall swatch, than it is when you’re three walls deep!
By empowering players with easy-to-access resources and tools legitimate sites make keeping safe and recognising signs of problem gambling much easier for players, leading to early recognition of issues and, hopefully, more straightforward resolutions.
Access Support Resources
Identifying you have a problem is a big and brave step, but it is far harder to do anything about it. This is why legitimate online casinos make it as easy as possible for players to access the help and support tools they need. Most commonly you can find reputable responsible gambling resources at the bottom of the sites’ page.
Ontario-based support resources include the Responsible Gambling Council and ConnexOntario. Just remember, falling into bad habits doesn’t make you a bad person, it can happen to anyone, and you deserve to get the help you need judgment-free.
Practice Safe Online Behaviours
Let’s move on to some more practical factors you can have in place to stay safe when gambling online in Ontario; a lot of these elements are part of staying safe online in general, but as with anything that involves your banking information; it is way more vital.
Basic security measures such as using strong passwords; including lower case and upper case letters, signs, and symbols, and using different passwords for different sites is a great place to start. Next, avoid using public Wi-Fi, public WiFi is less secure than personal WiFi, and hackers and scammers are more likely to start their search for their next victim on a public WiFi network than they are on a private password-protected one. Similarly, make sure the device you’re playing on is password protected; preferably using a two-factor system such as fingerprint or face recognition.
Another easy way to give your gameplay an extra layer of security is to consider the banking method you use. Using a pre-paid card or e-wallet service not only helps you stay on budget but also keeps your funds separate from those in your bank account. Alongside this, many of these options include their own fraud detection and scam protection measures.
You don’t need to be a PC expert to stay safe online, just making a few simple changes such as updating your password, and good habits such as not using public WiFi are all you need. Outside of this, legitimate online casinos like here at Spin Genie use advanced encryption and firewalls to keep your information safe.
Conclusion
While it is the online casinos' duty to ensure their players are safe when using their site, as a player you also need to be internet savvy to ensure you stay as safe as possible. Look for legit online casinos in Ontario, keep the passwords secure, and be mindful of your casino gameplay. Discover what the online casino world has for you; sign up and play today at Spin Genie.
