Ultimate Guide to Choosing Reliable Betting Sites

There is a popular adage which reads, “If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is”. What this means is that more often than not, something that is overly impressive and seemingly good may just be that in theory/words only and not in reality/practice. This adage rings true when it comes to the online gambling industry.

Performing a Google search looking for reliable betting sites will churn out hundreds of results. Unfortunately, it’s not all of these betting sites that are authentic, safe and secure. Some just have enticing meta titles and meta descriptions which make them appealing on the surface. However, when one digs a little deeper, it becomes evident that they are not what they seem. They don’t offer those enticing perks which they allege that they offer.

As such, when it comes to choosing reliable betting sites, players must do more than just a Google search and settle for the first result that’s churned out. Due diligence is needed in researching top and trustworthy betting sites. The factors, considerations and parameters to look for which determine the authenticity, trustworthiness and safety of reliable betting sites are exposed and explored below.

Indicators of Reliable Betting Sites

Valid Operating License from Reputable Regulators

There are just so many regulations that a reputable betting site should abide by. While some of these may be easy to spot, some are much more complex and cannot be spotted by any regular player. The best way to tell if a betting site abides by all regulations is if it holds a valid operating license. Gambling regulators ensure that a site complies with all necessary regulations including player safety requirements before dishing out licenses.

As such, when a casino or sportsbook receives a license, it means it’s doing its stuff the right way hence it’s safe to settle at that platform. For most sites, the licensing details are displayed in the footer tab. In addition to having a license, players should also check to see if the license was issued by a reputable gambling regulator. Some top regulators include the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC), Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association (GBGA), Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), Malta Gambling Authority (MGA), and eCuracao Gaming. 

Online Safety and Security Protocols

Betting sites do require players to share some of their data online. Included in this data are sensitive financial details requested during deposits and withdrawals. As this data is shared online, there is a need for strong safety and security protocols to be in place as cybercriminals and online snoopers may intercept the data and use it for their benefit.

To ensure this does not happen and the player’s data is protected at all times, reliable betting sites do use industry-standard SSL bit encryption technology. This technology protects all data in transit. Once the data reaches the online casino/sportsbook, it’s then stored in secure servers. Players who want to know if the betting site they are playing at is safe and secure, they should check if the site’s URL starts with ‘https’. The ‘S’ in https stands for ‘Secure’ thus it means the site is using the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).

One thing that all fraudsters hate is accountability. As such, they take steps to ensure that they aren’t held responsible. To do this, they don’t show up to answer questions for the unscrupulous activity they would have done. Likewise, fake betting sites also hide from all questions. Players looking for authentic betting sites should therefore check if there are any support platforms offered.

On this, there should be several in place so that players can have choices to pick from. Not only this, but they should also check how responsive the platforms are. Owing to this, simply get in touch with the support agents and ask for anything to see how quickly the response will come. On the customer support platforms front, the most trusted betting sites do put in place various platforms such as Live Chat, Telephone (including toll-free), and Email. If the site has several social media handles, then that will be a bonus.

Type and Nature of the Supported Payment Methods

As betting sites do offer real money gambling services, they are bound to integrate payment methods. These payment methods help players complete their transactions online be it deposits or withdrawals. A characteristic of top betting sites is that they work with many payment providers of different types of nature. These range from eWallets, debit/credit cards, pay-by-phone methods, vouchers and bank transfers. This therefore gives players a wide array of choices to pick from but more importantly, they certify that a betting site is safe and to be trusted. This is necessitated by the fact that some top payment providers such as PayPal only work with reputable merchants who would have passed rigorous testing.

What Other Customers Say About the Betting Site

While it’s good and highly recommended to check the authenticity of a site by yourself, you should also make it a habit of reviewing the experiences of other players. sometimes, you may learn a thing or two about the friendliness and competence of a betting site when you hear what others have to say. When you go through the customer reviews, you learn how the casino/sportsbook pays out, the average withdrawal processing time frame, how responsive the customer support platforms are, and how easy it is to claim the offered bonuses and promotions among others. There are many trusted online casino customer review sites such as AskGamblers, Casino.Guru and Trust Pilot. It’s important however to always discern genuine reviews from those posted by aggrieved players (who may have been suspended/banned for actually violating a site’s terms and conditions).

Round Up

In rounding up, we urge all players to have an observant eye when choosing reliable betting sites to play at. This is necessitated by the fact that from the hundreds of online casinos and sportsbooks to choose from, it’s not all that are genuine, trustworthy and safe. Due diligence is therefore needed in picking the best out of the rest.