Are Online Casinos Safe And Secure?

No online casino wants to leave itself susceptible to anything that could unnecessarily damage the player experience, and so all top internet casino sites utilise the best in encryption technology. This ensures a significant layer of security across all elements, in order to protect anyone using the site.

In terms of the games themselves, there are of course some online casinos with live dealer games, ensuring a real-life dealer deals the cards in blackjack or spins the wheel in roulette. However in those circumstances where you are playing on a standard online casino without the live dealer element, random number generators (also known as RNGs) are employed to ensure a fair deal.

A random number generator uses mathematical algorithms to oversee elements such as the deal of the cards in blackjack, the spin of the wheel in roulette or the spin of the reels in online pokies. It is programmed to stay within the rules of the game (for example, you cannot have the same card and suit come out twice in one deal) and it is entirely random so cannot be predicted or exploited.

Every online casino must have its RNG independently tested in order to secure an operating licence from a reputable online gaming regulatory authority, and this involves extensive testing in a controlled environment. Australian online casinos will provide details of their security certificate on their websites.

There are a number of measures passed by regulatory authorities to ensure their sites are up to standard when it comes to financial security for its members, while many continue to go above and beyond the required standard.

• Online casinos taking Australian players will use 128-bit SSL digital encryption to protect players' financial details, such as credit or debit card numbers.
• Financial details of players are not shared with any other body. They are kept by the online casino and the online casino only
• The measures employed by online casinos to guarantee financial security are often no different than in many other forms of e-commerce, such as online banking and internet shopping

Many online casinos only ask for extensive personal information when the time comes for you to make your first real-money withdrawal, and the reason for this is simple. When you make a deposit you will generally want to start playing real money online casino games right away, rather than jumping through more hoops which might prove time-consuming and spoil your enjoyment of the games.

However in order to protect against fraud, an online casino needs to make sure you are who you say you are when the time comes for you to withdraw your winnings. With this in mind, they will generally ask for what might seem like a substantial amount of personal information to be on the safe side. Among the things you may be required to provide are:

• Photographic I.D., usually a copy of your passport or equivalent government-issued identification. You should only have to provide this once, for your first real money withdrawal
• Proof of address. Generally speaking a utility bill or a bank statement will suffice, and in many cases it will need to be dated less than three months before the date you withdraw your winnings.
• Copy of card used to deposit. In order to ensure you are the holder of the card in question, online casinos will require you to provide pictures of the front and back of said card. This is another useful anti-fraud measure which is beneficial in the long run, and tends to be a requirement for each new card you use to deposit and withdraw from a site.

Now you know what to expect in terms of site security, it should be easier for you to identify an online casino site which takes all these player protection measures. If you are after peace of mind when playing online casino games for real money, you know exactly what to look out for.

With this in mind, you can now start playing at our recommended casinos without having to worry about any nasty surprises when the time comes to withdraw your hard-earned winnings.