Online casinos have brought entertainment and excitement of winning big prizes to our various homes. There are a lot of choices for players regardless of their gaming preferences. The avalanche of options necessitates the need for due diligence when picking a casino site to transact on.
Two of the overlooked yet highly essential characteristics of any betting platform is the website’s security and the fairness of its game outcomes. The protection of data and money is paramount in any online transaction. So also is the guarantee that games are not rigged to take your hard-earned money unfairly.
Here are some of the standard measures an online casino should provide to earn the patronage and trust of online casino players.
Random Number Generator (RNG)
RNG is the industry standard algorithm for maintaining the randomness of the outcomes of online casino games such as slots, blackjack, roulette, blackjack, and so on. The quite elaborate MD5 algorithm produces a sequence of numbers with no logical patterns that are extremely difficult to mimic.
An initial seed with a highly complex mathematical algorithm is all it takes to kickstart an endless generation of new seed or random numbers. For anyone to game the system, they have to correctly guess the random initial number and the elaborate mathematical algorithm used in the Random Number Generator.
Is it 100% hack-proof? In the tech world, it is not wise to say never. In theory, it is not totally impossible to crack the RNG system, but it will require the hacker to break into the strong crypto-mechanism, which would take a lot of effort and time. Also, online casinos have security measures that raise the alarm once an intrusion into the system is sensed.
Secure Socket Layer Data Encryption
We are always cautious of prying eyes when using our credit cards because we know the sensitivity of our banking and personal data. Concealing our data is the barest minimum for online safety.
SSL is the standard technology used by many websites to protect their visitors’ data. It prevents them from being intercepted as the connection passes from one web server or network to another on the way to its destination.
Online casino is one of the industries where secure data encryption is one of the barest minimum safety measures required. The sign to look out for in a protected website is the padlock sign next to your browser’s address bar.
With the technology, the web browser communicates and authenticates the connection from the host server. Once it receives a secure SSL certificate, an encrypted session is established.
Another security layer used by reputable online casinos is the 2 Factor Authentication. It requires proof of ownership of the account with a code sent to the player’s mobile number or email before being granted access.
Firewalls
A firewall is another aspect of online casino security that is worth mentioning. The proactive way to protect customers is to filter and block untrusted networks from gaining access to the servers. The internet is an almost endless open network. Naturally, there will be worms, hackers and viruses trying to gain access to the casino server, the best bet is to deny them access right away.
Installing a firewall is one of the first layers of security an online casino needs to put in place. For a maximum result, it is best to use it with other security measures as it is not very hard to find a way around the security wall.
An excellent and significant scale example of a firewall at work is China’s great firewall that prevents the residents of the country from accessing certain services, including online gambling.
Gaming License and third-party Auditing
The online casino industry has had its share of bad reputations just like any other industry on the internet where the cash transactions are involved. That makes it more essential to have watchdogs to look over the actions of online casinos and ensure they adhere strictly to the industry guidelines.
These watchdogs put the casino website through rigorous testing that ensures the customers are protected from scams, identity theft, rigged games, and other fraudulent activities associated with rogue casinos.
Some of the authorized and reputable third-party organizations or jurisdictions that maintain sanity in the iGaming industry are eCOGRA, UK Gambling Commission, and Malta Gaming Authority.
Every player should do a simple Google search to confirm if their preferred online casino is certified and licensed by a reputable jurisdiction and regularly reviewed by a top auditing company.
Provably fair technology
The blockchain technology ushered in several mechanisms that improve the efficiency and convenience as well as fairness of several traditional setups. Provably fair technology is a feature that is associated with crypto-based casinos, commonly referred to as bitcoin casinos.
The technology uses cryptographic algorithms with unique hash functions that are almost impossible to break or traced. It is proven to be an improvement to the commonly used technology in the online casino industry, such as Random Number Generators.
One key element of provably fair technology that is driving its acceptance in the online casino sphere is not just a claimed randomness, but also the ability of casino players to check the fairness of the game in real-time. Though bitcoin casinos commonly use the technology, it is hoped that it will become widely adopted by the online casinos.
Final Thought
The internet is not the place to take the security or the fairness of any transaction for granted. It would be best if you played casino games with peace of mind.
For the protection of your bankroll and personal data, stay safe right from your first visit to an online casino. Look out for these security measures and do a credibility check.
