Safe Online Casinos In The UK 2024
You should only join safe online casinos in the UK. There’s no ifs or buts. You are already taking a risk with your money every time you place bets. Playing in an unsecured online casino will increase the risk exponentially. Instead of having a great time, you might end up compromising your personal data and finances.
Admittedly, it can be overwhelming to look for safe online casinos in the UK. With the hundreds of online gambling sites that you can access, not all of these are safe and reliable. How will you know which ones can be trusted or not?
In this article, we will be discussing the different qualities that online casinos should have for it to be considered safe and secure. But before we go into that, let’s go into the different reasons why you need to choose only safe online casinos.
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Why you need to choose safe online casinos
Scrutinizing an online casino is not that tedious. As long as you know what signs to look for, you will recognize if a site is safe or not.
There are several reasons why it’s important for you to choose safe online casinos.
You have to give personal information
First of all, most online casinos will require you to provide personal information. They will ask you name, birthdate, email address, physical address, and other private information. The information they will ask from you will be those that you don’t want to fall into the wrong hands. Because if it does, they can use this information to do damage.
Most of the time, the damage can affect your finances. They can use your identity to open accounts under your name. If not discovered, this can put you in trouble. So make sure that if you have to give your information, it will be given to an online casino you can trust.
You need to deposit actual money to play and win real money
Another reason why you need to make sure that the online casino is safe is that you have to deposit money into it. At least, if you want to win real money, you have to make a deposit. While most online casinos will allow you to play for free, this will not give you the same thrill that comes with playing for real money.
Naturally, if you have to transfer your money into an online account, you want to make sure that it’s a secure website. Otherwise, you might end up losing that money even before you had a chance to play the casino games.
You should also consider the fact that to make that deposit possible, you have to provide your financial account details. If the online casino is not safe, these details may be compromised.
There are online casinos that cannot be trusted
The last reason why you need to conduct your due diligence is simply that there are online casinos that exist to scam you. In fact, in every industry, there is always the possibility that people will scam you. So this is one of the main reasons why you need to be careful.
They are out there and it’s hard to determine what they will do next. This is why you need to be proactive in protecting yourself.
It’s very easy for some people to create a website. And it’s not that complicated to create an online casino too. Imagine if you provided all your information to that illegitimate online casino. They can use it or sell your information somewhere. So you need to be cautious of where you will put your trust in.
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4 qualities of safe online casinos in the UK
The question is, how can you find safe online casinos in the UK?
It helps to start your search in authority websites that provide online casino reviews like Free-spins.org. We always come up with different lists of the best and new online casinos that you can check out. You will be provided with important information that will help you decide if you want to try them out or not.
But other than that, you also need to know the qualities that will make online casinos safe and secure.
When browsing for safe online casinos in the UK, make sure they have these 4 qualities.
Shows transparency
Transparency is a must when it comes to safety and security measures. The online casino players don’t have to click through a lot of pages to find the security protocols. The information should be visible in every page.
There are 4 things that the online casino must be transparent with.
- Gambling licence. If the online casino does not have a gambling licence, that is never a good sign. Online casinos in the UK should have a valid licence from the UK Gambling Commission. The UKGC will not just give a licence to anyone. Applicants go through tests to prove that they are legitimate sites. They also have to stick to these policies if they want to keep the licence.
- Fair games policy. You need to confirm the integrity of the games in the casino my looking at their fair games policy. Is the Random Number Generator of the casino audited regularly? What testing agencies do they use to ensure that their game results are fair? The online casino should display the seal or certificate from independent testing agencies like eCOGRA, Gaming Laboratories International (GLI), and Technical Systems Testing (TST).
- Payout percentage. This is one of the things that the testing agencies look at. It has to match the theoretical RTP (return to player percentage) of the games. Slot games usually have a 94% to 97% RTP. For card and table games, it is usually lower than 99% and the house edge is lower than the RTP.
- Software provider. Safe online casinos will only choose to work with reputable software providers who can adhere to their strict procedures and requirements. This ensures that the gaming experience will not have technical glitches or lags. There is usually a list of the gaming providers in the home page of the online casino.
Protects your transactions
You should also consider how the online casino will protect your transactions. After all, you need to provide your personal information and card details to the online casino. And they will save this information and keep it on their website or server. You have to make sure that they can protect this data. Because if not, it can easily be hacked and used by cybercriminals.
And since you gave your credit card details, it’s also expected that you will make banking transactions. You always want to secure any transaction involving money.
But how is this done? The online casino uses state-of-the-art encryption technology. There are many ways to check the security of an online casino.
- Check the URL in the address bar of the online casino. Does it show a lock icon? If you click on this link, it will show information about the encryption used to protect the website and your connection. And does it start with an ‘https’? If the answer is yes, then the website is one-step ahead in terms of being secure.
- Look for company logos of computer security software providers. These should be displayed on pages of the online casino. Among the popular ones include Rapid SSL, TRUSTe, Norton Secured, McAfee, etc. These companies do not just imply that the website is secure. Their presence also means malware checks are constantly being performed.
- Identify the payment processors offered. Online casinos should offer a lot of options when it comes to payment methods. The options should income debit/credit cards, e-wallets, prepaid cards, mobile payments, etc. And there should be a clear definition of the process and transparency in fees, charges, and penalties.
Has fair bonus offers
Bonus offers make an online casino very attractive. But players should be aware that online casinos do not give anything away for free. When they offer bonuses and free spins, they also expect something from you.
Requirements to qualify for bonus offers
Here are usually two things that they will require from you.
- Complete the registration process. In most cases, online casinos offer welcome bonus offers but you have to create an account with them first.
- Make a deposit. Depositing real money with the casino is another way to trigger the bonus. And this is not just for the first deposit. It is also for the reload deposits that you will make as you continue to play in the online casino.
The truth is, there are online casinos that have bonus offers even if you don’t do these things. But the offers are usually not as significant as the alternatives. So if you want to get the impressive bonus offers, then you need to give the online casino these two.
Are these bonus offers fair?
The main thing to look for is if their terms and conditions are transparent and achievable. You should be able to see and read it easily. Usually, the terms and conditions give the rules surrounding the bonus and any information that might make your winnings invalid (e.g. how to use it, validity period, etc).
It should also provide the wagering requirements that you have to meet if you want to cash out your winnings. Every time you get a bonus, you need to wager this a couple of times. It usually ranges from 20x to 45x. But there are some online casinos that will require you to wager more than 100x.
How do you calculate the wagering requirement? If the wagering requirement is 20x, you need to wager the bonus 20x. Sometimes you have to combine it with the deposit. So if you deposited £100 and the match bonus is 100%, you need to wager £200 20x before you can cash out your winnings.
You should also check the validity period if any. If you are required to meet the wagering requirement of 45x by 10 days, that is too hard to do. Make sure these are all realistic – otherwise, you might end up failing to cash out your winnings.
Another thing you should look into is game contributions. Some bonus offers are only applicable to slot games. Others will only contribute a certain percentage to the wagering requirement. The lower the percentage, the higher the actual amount that you have to wager to meet the requirement.
Make sure that the bonus offers of the online casino put the needs of the players first. If not, then dig further and see if the site is really safe for you to play in.
Helps avoid gambling addiction
Finally, you’ll know if the online casino is safe if it helps you avoid gambling addiction. The operator of the online casino should put measures in place that will help the online player be more responsible. This is how trustworthy online casinos will show that they are serious with their social responsibilities – especially when it comes to their online players.
For instance, they should have enough information that will connect players to non-profit organisations that can help with gambling problems. These organisations provide support to those struggling with gambling addiction. This is what honest and safe online casinos should do.
The online casino should also set up measures that will allow players to set limits on their own gaming preferences. Like setting a limit on the amount they can spend or wager. They should also be allowed to self-exclude themselves for a specified period.
Look at the policies that the online casino has about responsible gaming. You’ll find out more about how they promote it and make sure their online player’s welfare is protected.
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1 safe online casino in the UK
Now that you know how to identify safe online casinos, we have 1 casino here that have the qualities that prove they are safe and secure.
Unibet Casino
Unibet Casino is also a secure online casino because they value security and responsible gaming. They make sure that their online players have everything they need to control their gambling activities through self-exclusion and self-restriction. They have features like the Reality Check and Take a Break.
If you start to have problems, you have the resources that you need to get help. The associated organisations the online casino works with includes GambleAware, Gambler Anonymous, and GamCare.
The online casino also uses the latest technology that allows them to use 128-bit SSL encryption programs. Their IT Security is run by Comodo. This keeps financial transactions and all confidential personal information safe. They also partner only with reputable payment methods and gaming providers. That means you can be assured that everything you use on the site is secure.
And when it comes to fairness of games, the RTP analysis is done regularly by GLI, GA, and iTeach Labs. That means your gaming experience will always be fair and the RNG audited constantly
Emily Thornton boasts a degree in Digital Media from the University of Bristol, accompanied by an obsession for the online casino world. Over the past six years, she's combined her tech-savvy skills with a flair for writing, producing in-depth reviews and slots analyses for various casino platforms. A frequent contributor to free-spins.org, Emily's articles are grounded in research, ensuring readers gain trusted insights into the dynamic world of online gaming.