How Safe are Online Casinos in 2018?

Evolution of online casinos that are safe to play for real money.

In today’s modern age of high-speed internet, algorithmic encryption and mobile technology, online casinos are a great deal safer than they once were. If you’re old enough to remember when the internet became a household utilization, you may have personally experienced this evolution.

Since the first online casino opened its virtual doors in the late 1990’s, safety has always been a major concern. In those days, there wasn’t much to back up an operator’s claims that they were ‘safe and secure‘. Low-grade encryption methodologies were hardly effective against anyone with moderate hacking intelligence.

The end result was a haphazard industry that relied on a lack of knowledge and false sense of security among players. The fact was, few people realized how easily systems could be compromised in those days. The people who did know simply avoided online casinos, or any other online activity that involved the divulging of sensitive personal and/or financial information.

Amelioration brings Online Casinos that are Safe to Play for Real Money

Through the modernization and amelioration of technology, internet gambling websites slowly became more and more secure. Minimal Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption gave way to 56-bit, and eventually 128-bit SSL algorithms that are so complex, it would take military-grade equipment a century or more to decrypt a password.

For this reason, and others, the answer to the now-decades-old question – How safe are online casinos? – is much different than it once was. Instead of crossing your fingers and hoping for the best, gambling websites are now just as safe as any government-run internet financing operation.

If you conduct online banking, bill payments, or purchase merchandise from major sellers like Amazon or eBay, you probably do so with full confidence that your information is being protected with the strongest, state-of-the-art security systems. All reputable online casinos use the exact same methods to protect your data.

In fact, today’s strictest gaming regulatory bodies, such as those in Canada, the UK, Isle of Man, Gibraltar and Malta, require their licencees to use these stringent player protection methods. Licenced payment systems that facilitate fund transfers (deposits and withdrawals) are equally required to enforce the highest security standards.

Now, It’s Up to You!

With all of these modern high-tech security features in place, it is still possible for a user’s account to be compromised. For the most part, however, the safety of an account depends on the intelligence of the account holder. It’s up to you – the player – to make smart choices.

Rule number one should go without saying. Never give your password to anyone, for any reason. Do not use the same password at multiple websites, either. Make sure your passwords are strong and undecipherable by hacking programs. Don’t use your name and date of birth, or those of your family. At least one capital letter, lowercase letter, number and character should be used.

That does not mean following those rules in simplistic fashion is a good idea. The password “P@ssw0rd” follows those rules, but is one of the easiest to crack. The National Institute of Standards and Technology provides a great tutorial on how to build a strong password.

Last but not least, always log out of your online casino account(s). Whether you use a desktop, smartphone or tablet, failing to log out is inviting anyone who accesses your device (with or without permission) to access your account. Be smart about it, choose reputable websites, and you’ll never have to worry about joining online casinos that are safe to play for real money.

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