11 Useful Tips on Cybersecurity for Online Gambling from the Veterans

Just take a look at these data:

• Online gambling industry is slated to be worth $75 B by 2024
• According to a report by the UK Gambling Commission, online gambling accounts have a gross gaming yield of £4.7 billion
• UK saw online fraud totaling £1 B in 2017

These news pieces point to two complementary situations. The online gambling industry is growing but the cybersecurity measures are not. Where there is regular and huge money involvement, crimes are sure to follow. 

How does it affect you as a gamer? You must have pondered this a million times. When you play an online casino game or card game, you need to enter your credit card or bank details. Because there are several big players involved in online gambling, it has attracted several criminals as well. 

This makes you highly susceptible to fraudulent transactions. There have been multiple cases where a player was duped from a cloned gaming website, blackmailed, or their bank details were misused.

This throws the obvious question. Are online gambling platforms secure enough?

While each gaming platform is doing its best, we cannot deny that dark web players are very active on these sites. Technology is easily available. All they need is a computer with high computational power and skills. 

Despite gambling stakeholders investing heavily in cybersecurity, there are still cases of hacking or data theft or DDoS. Cybercriminals could be alluring you to install malware on your system by using botnets. You may get a pop-up message about claiming a huge amount of money and when you click on that, all your credit card credentials are stolen. 

There are multiple cases like that. With the advent of cryptocurrencies, such cases have shot up. These criminals use your credit card details to buy cryptocurrencies through gambling. Once they withdraw it from the casino account, it becomes untraceable.

While online gaming platforms like Kerching.co.uk  are already investing heavily in cybersecurity and creating awareness among users through their website, there are few steps that you should take as a gamer.

We have compiled a list of 11 most-effective cybersecurity steps that you should take as a user. This will ensure your security and privacy on the gambling platform. 

1. Stay away from shady websites: Users are easily enticed by bonus offers or instant money transfer on gambling sites. They easily click on their links and provide details. So, the first step to ensuring your online privacy and security is strictly staying away from shady websites. 

How do you determine that? One simple step is ensuring that the URL to the website begins with https://. This ensures that the website is SSL secured and end to end encrypted. 

2. Use an updated anti-malware, firewall, and anti-virus software: In many cases, cybercriminals place their links hidden in the original website. If the user clicks there, the malware gets installed. It then mines your bank details and abuses it. 

You can prevent this malware attack by installing powerful anti-malware software on your system. Keep it updated and scan it regularly. Also, keep firewall protection and anti-virus installed. It will keep you safe from fake websites, viruses, Trojans, and infected programs.

3.  Stay away from phishing links: You must have heard how people are cheated through fraudulent calls and emails. Someone informs them that their credit card will be blocked if they do not update their information. 

And in the pretext of a bank officer, they gather their confidential information and take over the control of the credit card. The same tactics are applied in online gambling scams too. You will receive a mail or pop-up message that your casino account will freeze if you do not update the information. It will seem very legitimate. But never fall in the trap. 

Always perform every transaction by logging into the official gaming website and not through any links in your mail or message. Also, you can double-check by contacting their official customer care. You should also install anti-phishing software on your system.

4. Do not use multiple computer systems to play games: Online gambling ventures are investing heavily in making games easily accessible. However, when you access your gaming account and bank details from multiple systems, it becomes more susceptible to cyber-attacks. Limit your gambling time on your device. Avoid using it on public systems like cyber café or institute computers.
5. Stay away from suspicious offers: Most online gambling platforms offer a chat window where you can talk with your fellow gamers. Many scamsters lure their fellow gamers to share their bank details. They offer a secret code to win games or something like that. Never fall for these. Online gambling platforms do not have any such offers. You will only get cheated. It will be better if you report such users to the website.
6. Use two or three-step authentication for your gaming account: When you begin to spend more time and money on online gaming, it attracts cybercriminals to you. They know that you will be investing a particular amount every day or every weekend. The risk increases manifold if you are a pro-player. 

Cybercriminals usually target your gaming account and cash out your winning amount. You can prevent this by opting for a 2 or 3 step authentication process. Provide your secondary email id and phone number along with the usual password. Always keep changing your password and make it strong. Avoid using the same password on different platforms.

7. Do not install from torrent or any other unauthorized source: Most people who love playing games try to save by installing it from torrent or other such sites. While it may save you a few bucks, it will cost you your privacy. 

Criminals place their virus-infected software or phishing software to enter your system. After that, every detail is available to them. So, no matter how alluring it may seem, always buy from an authorized gaming website. Use Google play store or Apple play store or the trusted sites like Steam or GreenmanGaming.

8. Never use public Wi-Fi: Do not play games on a public wifi network. These wifi hotspots are very susceptible to hackers. You never know who would be accessing them and phishing out your details. Also, they are pretty unsafe. 

Several times hackers make them appear like a government wifi hotspot. It is easy to fall prey to such networks. So better stay away from public wifi systems.

9. Beware of web jacking: Just like hijacking, web jacking is taking unauthorized control on a website. Hackers opt for several hard to notice tricks. They may replace a single letter with a similar number. Like the letter “o” will be replaced with the number “0”. Users fail to notice such a minute difference and select the wrong website. 

Once you enter their website, you fall prey to their dirty tactics. Your username, password, bank credentials will be harvested. One way to avoid this is to bookmark the authorized website and use it rather than doing web searches every time.

10. Report online bullying or blackmailing: Several gamers have reported that they were blackmailed or bullied over the chat in online gambling. The hacker usually asks for a ransom. 

In several cases, they posted obscene photos and videos to put further pressure. Many gamers also report bullying over the chat window. If any of such misfortune happens with you, report it immediately to the gaming platform and to your local cyber police too. 

11. Look out for the game: Recently many dangerous games have come to notice that entice the users to commit crimes. The deadly “blue whale” game forced teenagers to harm themselves. Such games are always in the dark web. 

So, pay attention to what game you are signing up for. Just because it says that it is gambling may not mean so. Beware if they ask for too much of your personal information or you start winning unexpectedly. 

Also, look out for winning a bonus or how they reward the winners. Terrorists are using these platforms very commonly. They may steal your identity and land you in deep trouble. Even if you get a little suspicious, it will be best to report it to the cyber police.

Online gambling is catching up with time. With better connectivity and affordable phones, more people are opting for it. However, as this platform involves money transactions, it is also a hotbed for criminal activities. 

You must ensure your cybersecurity. Just relying on the gaming platform is not enough. You need to take precautions. Look out for suspicious activities and signs. Report and keep others safe too. After all, you play games for refreshment and not for getting embroiled in fraud charges or becoming a victim of one. 

Also, you should ensure that you do not get addicted to online gambling. Just because it is played online does not mean that you are online 24x7. Take it enjoyment and not as a job. Click here to learn more about safe gaming practices, authorized games, and fair gaming policies. A game safe played is a game well played!