There’s no doubt that the global iGaming market is continuing to grow at an exponential rate, with its current value of around $66.7 billion expected to increase to a whopping $92.9 billion by the end of 2023.
As this market has grown in size and become increasingly lucrative, however, it has also been targeted by rogue operators and scam sites whose sole purpose is to steal customer’s cash and their most sensitive data.
In this post, we’ll look at the steps you can take to avoid scam casino sites, potentially saving yourself money and ensuring that your most sensitive financial information isn’t compromised online.
#.1 Be Wary of Certain Payment Methods and Slow Processing Times
As the iGaming market has continued to evolve, customers have had access to a growing range of payment options.
From Visa debit cards to various e-wallet solutions and even cryptocurrency tokens, there are now various ways through which you can process instant deposits and most reputable casino operators offer a particularly broad range of options to their customers.
Conversely, scam casinos will offer a smaller, more selective range of payment options, with a focus on those that require you to share sensitive financial information and save this on the site (such as debit cards or bank transfer).
This is particularly true at Italian casinos, and while such payment methods are inherently safe by themselves, they also require the submission of details such as your bank account number and sort code and put these at the mercy of rogue operators.
Because of this, we’d recommend utilising convenient payment options such as PayPal, which negates the need to provide bank account or debit card numbers and introduces its own multi-factor authentication safeguards.
Virtual visa cards are also viable payment options, as they’re prepaid and expire after a finite amount of time. This also translates into responsible gambling, so it helps to protect players on a number of different levels.
#2. Be Wary of Crypto Casinos and Metaverse Gambling
Cryptocurrency casinos are becoming increasingly popular and commonplace in Italy and similarly mature markets, although such entities remain shrouded in uncertainty and misconceptions.
For example, Italy’s government has a relatively progressive outlook when it comes to crypto assets, making this type of gambling completely legal.
Similarly, crypto and Bitcoin (BTC) gambling is inherently secure, thanks to the decentralised nature of blockchain (which means that there’s no single point of control or failure) and the technology’s ability to use cryptographic principles to secure single transactions and data transfers.
However, the open and lucrative nature of the crypto world is also inviting for scam casino operators, who may use such vehicles to entice players and steal or compromise their identity.
Such operators can also collect significant deposit volumes from customers and withhold these over an extended period of time, before taking this capital and closing down the site.
One step to negate this risk is to ensure that your chosen crypto or BTC casino is fully licensed by the Agenzia Dogane e Monopoli di Stato (the Autonomous Administration of State Monopolies).
This organisation is responsible for regulating and licensing all casino verticals in Italy, while every accredited operator is required to display such credentials visibly on their site. You can also check online to ensure that the site in question is fully licensed and regulated, and you should do this before wagering a single penny of your hard-earned cash.
If a site has earned an AMMS licence, they’ll have paid €350,000 +20% VAT for the privilege, while meeting a host of stringent criteria and paying the minimum corporate tax amounts.
Of course, the notion of crypto gambling has been complicated further by the rise of the metaverse, with a number of blockchain technologies (such as Axie Infinity and Decentraland) now offering casino gameplay through virtual, three-dimensional realms.
For now, this remains a completely unregulated space, and it’s wide to avoid this type of wagering if you want to gamble responsibly.
#3. Look Out for Predatory Terms
There are numerous casinos in Italy, each of which has its own unique terms and conditions that are applied to players.
Many of these are relatively standard, with examples such as wagering requirements usually fixed within a narrow multiplier range and published clearly as part of specific bonus offers.
In the case of scam casinos, however, you’ll most likely be exposed to predatory terms and conditions, which will be forced on you from the moment that you open an account with the site.
You may find particularly high wagering requirements in excess of 100% of the total bonus value, for example, while also limiting the amount you can win through such promotions to create a completely unfair offer that ultimately costs you money.
A scam casino may even alter its T&Cs once you’ve credited your account or deposited funds, making it harder to withdraw winnings or applying a charge to your chosen payment method.
To negate or minimise this risk, we’d recommend checking a site’s wider T&Cs before registering for an account, reviewing both general terms and those associated with individual welcome offers.
Similarly, be sure to check out independent customer reviews for even the best online casinos in Italy, as this may help you to identify any recurring issues or red flags that outline some of the issues referenced above.
It may also be worth testing a site’s quality and accessibility of customer service before depositing your funds, as the best and most reputable sites make this a key priority and offer various channels through which customers can get in touch.
