Online gaming is generally safe, but you must still be careful when using them. Since most online platforms require that you volunteer very sensitive information, it’s pretty easy for any hacker to set up a fake site and start collecting that information for their own purposes. They could use this information to attack you directly or sell it to a third party. This is why you need to be extremely vigilant whenever you play at one of these sites as you may be a potential target. Let’s take a look at how you can protect your money when gaming online.
Don’t Use Your Main Credit Card
One of the things you must do is separate your main finances from your online gaming as much as possible. This way, hackers will have limited resources to get in case of a breach.
The smartest thing you can do is to never use your main credit card. If you can, try to use a prepaid credit card or a reloadable debit card. Only fill it with enough money to make deposits too. This will make sure that you never leave exposed. We would also suggest that you get a separate account just for gaming if you intend to make deposits or withdrawals using your bank account.
Use a Separate Email Account
You should create an email account specifically for online gaming as well. Using the same email you’re using for online banking or your PayPal account is one of the worst mistakes that you could ever make. If a hacker gets personal information like login credentials and they match your email’s, then they could cause a lot of damage. So, be careful and take that extra step before signing up.
Choose a Secure Site
Some people will advise that you start playing with play money to test an online gaming site before you spend more. But there are sites where you can play with real money right away if you know what to look for.
First of all, you have to check if the site and the platform’s payment page are properly encrypted. This is something you can see by looking at the suffix right before the site’s address. If there’s an HTTP instead of HTTPS before the name, then it means that the site is unencrypted and that you shouldn’t play there. Some browsers will also have a padlock right before the site’s address to let you know that your information is encrypted.
Second, you have to pick a site that is regulated by a respectable governing body. Licenses are given out to gaming sites that have proven they are safe and operating lawfully. If the gaming site you pick is licensed by a body that is recognized by the community, the chances of you getting your information stolen are slim to none.
If you’re playing at a casino that was licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, Curacao, the UKGC, or the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority, then you should feel generally safe. The Alderney Gambling Control Commission is another respected body that regulates online gaming.
If the site is not licensed by one of these bodies, you can check with people in the community to see if they know the body in question and if you can trust it. But, in most cases, this is a sign of a fraudulent site, so be careful.
Never Play Over a Public Connection
Some people have a false sense of security when they’re using a public connection in places they know. But your information is never safe when you’re using these connections, no matter how reputable the establishment is.
It’s very easy for hackers to intercept connections over public networks. As a matter of fact, hackers love to go in areas with public networks so they can go fishing for information. There are also cases where the administrator of the network steals login credentials and other sensitive information from people on the network.
So, if we were to give you one piece of advice, it would be to avoid public networks whenever you’re gaming online or sharing sensitive information. Never use your online banking portal over a public network either.
If you want to be able to play when you’re out and about, then you should either use your mobile data, a mobile hotspot or only connect to public networks over a VPN. A VPN will put a barrier between your computer and the connection and will allow all information that is shared to be encrypted, which will reduce the risk you’re exposing yourself to.
Protecting your money when playing online is important, but it’s not that complicated. Just remember to separate your online gaming from your main finances as much as possible and learn how to tell good sites from the bad ones.