Data privacy and security is an increasingly bigger issue. Today, almost everyone is signed up on at least several different websites. Regular internet users and gamers may be signed up on hundreds of sites, including various casinos online.
Each website keeps some data about you. Fraudsters, cybercriminals, and shady government agencies can all find out huge amounts of information about you, where you live, what you like, etc. To many people, the idea that complete strangers can know so much about you is a terrifying one.
What Kind of Personal Data is at Risk?
Data security is particularly important in online casinos. Just think for a moment about exactly what is at risk.
If a user has signed up for the casino using their credit card or bank account number, then all that info could be at risk. A malicious person could gain access to credit card information and use it for their own purposes.
They could take the money right out of the bank account. The owner might not even notice until they try to use it and find that the account is frozen.
Other personal data, such as full name, email, phone number, gender and date of birth, and even home address is stored at a casino. All of these data could get exposed. This would lead to incidents of identity theft.
In Identity theft, a criminal pretends to be another person using this information and commits a crime under the assumed identity. The actual person may get blamed and be forced to go through legal trouble.
Protecting Your Data – Choose a Secure Casino
The simplest way to make sure that personal data is protected is to leave it up to the casino. All legitimate online betting sites have a few indicators that denote that these sites are secure.
Firstly, the address of the site will begin with ‘https’. The ‘s’ at the end is particularly important, as it indicates that the traffic from the site is secure.
Therefore, even if a hacker managed to force entry into the connection, they would not be able to make heads or tails of the encrypted traffic. 128-Bit or 256-Bit AES encryption are practically unbreakable, so they are used here.
Another component of security is the SSL Certificate. This confirms that the website is the correct and verified one. A fake website is often set up by a scammer to lure gullible users into entering personal details, so it’s crucial to be aware of this and ensure there is an SSL.
Finally, the licensing and regulation is the factor that ties these together. All legitimate online casinos are licensed by a body such as the Malta Gaming Authority, UK Gambling Commission, Gibraltar Regulatory Authority, and others. These licensors test if the casino has proper security, encryption, and certification before they approve it.
What this means is that as long as you choose an officially licensed casino, the information should be secure. However, Data Breaches happen all the time. So, there are additional steps one can take.
Minimize the amount of Personal Data the Casino Has
This approach is much harder than it sounds. For starters, it is impossible to sign up at a casino without giving them a few crucial pieces of information.
Online casinos have to get certain pieces of information in order to identify the customer as a real human being. Otherwise, people could create bots to trick the casino into giving away money. Or they could fake information to hide crimes like money laundering.
When signing up for a casino, entering information such as full name, phone, date of both and address is unavoidable. Before a user can make a withdrawal, the Casino will reach out to the address to confirm that it is correct.
One part of personal data that could be hidden from the casino is banking information. Credit Cards and direct Bank Transfers are two methods of making deposits and withdrawals.
However, there are additional methods: E-Wallets like Neteller and Skrill; E-Payment Portals like PayPal, Apple Pay or GPay; Prepaid Cards like PaySafeCard, and finally Cryptocurrencies.
When using any of them, only the credentials of that payment method will be recorded. Details of the credit cards or bank accounts will be protected. The payment methods basically add a buffer between the casino and the player’s personal information.
A Note on Cryptocurrencies
When it comes to privacy and protecting personal info, Cryptocurrencies are the best payment method. Online Casinos accept Bitcoin, Dogecoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and a few others.
A Crypto account can be completely independent and unrelated to any other accounts on the internet. When a transaction is made using Crypto, the only thing that is recorded are the user IDs and amount of funds exchanged.
So, even if the payment info is leaked or exposed, the only thing that would be visible is an anonymous user ID.
Cryptocurrencies are also decentralized with no central bank supporting them. So, no one can forcibly trace the transaction like they could with other payment methods.
Just keep in mind that due to the security and privacy of Cryptos, it is often used for illegal activities as well as private ones. So, many casinos do not accept it. Only Curacao-licensed casinos that support Crypto Payments.
Conclusion
Preserving the security and sanctity of persona data is very important nowadays. There are still several ways to ensure it is as safe as possible when playing at a Casino.
These methods include sticking to only secure, licensed and well-reviewed casinos, and using alternative payment methods to avoid placing credit card or bank details directly on the casino’s website. These two methods will ensure that the personal data is as safe as feasible.
About the Author:
Khrystyna Przybylo is an analyst with several years of experience in the online gambling industry and a knack for putting the right numbers alongside the right words.