Are Online Casinos Legit
If you want to gamble safely and not worry about your money and data security, you need to choose licensed sites that operate legally. It is very important to find a reliable online casino that protects your personal and payment information, pays winnings promptly, and does not delay withdrawals. In this guide, we answer the essential questions: are online casinos legit in the USA, and how to distinguish a reputable brand from an illegitimate one?
Are Online Slot Casinos Legit: Their Basic Features
Many legitimate sites operate under licenses and adhere to regulators’ requirements; you can find a lot of them on the Internet. There are several things online casinos have to provide to be considered reputable.
| Criterion | Description |
|---|---|
| License | Every fair gambling venue has a license obtained by an authorized gambling commission; in this case, you can be sure that regulators control the casino and monitor its activity regularly. |
| SSL encryption | This means that a gambling website protects confidential information, and special encrypted channels protect financial transactions. |
| Two-step authentication | This is an additional protection for your account that provides easy access even if you lose or forget your password. |
| Certification | To prove legitimacy and fairness, many online casinos request additional checks from independent and reputable auditors, such as iTechLabs, eCOGRA, TST, etc. The availability of these certificates confirms that the casino works fairly, slots have correctly working RNG, and the venue guarantees prompt payouts. |
| Authentic software | Reputable casinos cooperate only with legitimate gambling providers that produce licensed software. Such slots and games work on RNG and have relatively good RTP that pays winnings. |
| Information about owners is public | Reliable gambling sites do not hide the information about owners. There are also many reputable companies that own big casino groups and are big players in the gambling market. |
| Responsible gambling | Reliable casinos should encourage customers to bet wisely and provide contacts of organizations that help addicted players. Moreover, they often produce various options for fighting addiction: setting deposit and loss limits, self-exclusion, and so on. |
To answer the question “Are online casino slot games legit?” you can use ratings compiled by editors of reputable resources devoted to gambling. Their basis is several expert reviews, which evaluate dozens of essential criteria.
How to Check Online Casinos Legitimacy
The main problem is that ratings can quickly become irrelevant; even trustworthy and legitimate brands can become fraudulent over time, as well as many new reliable sites appear. That’s why it is important to be able to identify legitimate gambling websites manually; there are several crucial criteria.
Gaming License
The license availability indicates that the casino is subject to particular control by the gambling commission. If the gambling venue violates the rules, it will be fined; in some cases, regulators even revoke licenses. If you gamble on a legitimate website, you can be sure of the safety and fair playing conditions. If some disputes or problems arise, you can file a complaint; in this case, the regulator will take an independent decision.
The site footer should contain a validator confirming the license validity; when you press it, you will see a regulator’s official webpage with a gambling document.
However, the lack of a license does not mean the casino cheats on its visitors but remember that playing on such sites entails certain risks.
Customers’ Reviews
If a particular casino is good or not, word of mouth starts working immediately. Reviews and feedback from real customers are among the most reliable sources, allowing you to learn reliable information on how a gambling venue works. Ordinary gamblers have no reason to lie, so they write only sincere reviews and share their experience.
Keep in mind that some people can leave negative comments, suffering after losing and blaming the casino for their failure, so sort the information and consider only valid reviews.
Reliable Software Developers
Legitimate casinos collaborate with reputable providers that provide gambling venues with authentic slot machines and other casino games. Independent laboratories test their RNG and RTP and obtain special certificates if they meet the requirements. If you are still a newbie and know nothing about famous providers, we recommend starting with games of the most popular brands listed below.
| Provider | Foundation Year | Games in the Portfolio |
|---|---|---|
| IGT | 1975 | Over 1,000 |
| Microgaming | 1994 | Over 800 |
| NetEnt | 1996 | Over 200 |
| Evolution Gaming | 2006 | Over 200 |
| Endorphina | 2012 | Over 95 |
Online casinos place logos of leading providers in the footer; also, you can use filters to sort games by developers in the lobby. However, some gambling venues do not specify their partners; in this case, it is better to clarify the information by contacting support agents. You can also use demo mode to test online slots at legitimate casinos and find out which provider’s games you like the most.
Mobile Versions & Apps
Thanks to fast technological development in the 21st century, smartphones have become an inseparable part of our daily lives. Nowadays, people use their handheld devices in all spheres, and gambling is not an exception. The share of mobile customers continues to grow, so casino providers and owners adapt their products for Android and iOS devices and make downloadable mobile apps. Modern slot machines use HTML5, so they easily adapt to any desktop or mobile device, are not resource-hungry, and do not take up much storage space.
As for mobile versions, their interface also automatically adjusts to screen size after you open a casino site through your mobile browser. The design usually does not differ from the desktop version, but casinos can change button size and location to improve usability for mobile customers.
Secure Payment Methods
You can see a list of available payment methods and limits for each of them even before registration: use a section with financial transactions. US gamblers’ most popular payment tools are Visa, Mastercard, American Express, paysafecard, Skrill, NETELLER, and Discover. Also, cryptocurrency has been gaining popularity in recent years due to its anonymity and fast payout speed without commissions and fees.
The only cryptocurrency disadvantage is that if you transfer money using the wrong credentials, it will be almost impossible to get it back.
The above services use modern encryption methods, so money theft and payment details leakage cannot occur.
Regular Audits
There are several authorized organizations that are engaged in checking online casinos operation; you can usually find this information in the About Us section. Information about owners, regulators, licenses, and certificates is available in this tab.
The most popular organizations that control casinos and their game operations are iTech Labs and eCOGRA; their certificates confirm the casino meets high standards and hosts only authentic games.
Basic Signs of Rigged Casinos
There are many gambling websites with much information about gambling venues, and you can really find there legit online gambling casinos striving to work fairly. However, there are also many fraudsters who create scam gaming sites, luring inexperienced and naive customers with lucrative bonus offers and then deceiving them. Let’s look at the main signs to distinguish a fraudulent website from a legitimate one.
Fraud With RTP & RNG
Licensed games use a random number generator that determines results in slots, card games, table games, and so on. To make it work, the SHA-3 hash algorithm is used, and thanks to it, you cannot affect the random number generator work. Independent auditors, such as eCOGRA, monitor its operation.
Rigged online casinos often offer hacked slot machines that only look like authentic software but have nothing in common with it.
Their basis is special scripts that allow casinos to change the program code and RTP, depriving you of a chance to win.
However, it is possible to distinguish rigged slot machines from authentic ones, as there are several visual differences on the load screen and game panel. Moreover, the most reliable option is to check the server that hosts a slot machine. To do this, open the casino lobby, run a specific slot machine and open the page’s source code while loading. In the Network tab, you will see the URL where the game is hosted.
There are lists of official servers of different providers freely available on the Internet; use them to check the links if you have doubts that it is a legit online casino.
Safety at the Best Online Gambling Casinos
Gambling sites care about their reputation and strive to create the safest possible conditions to maintain the confidentiality of customers’ personal data and prevent their leakage.
SSL & Hybrid RSA Encryption
All gambling sites have to be SSL-certified because customers provide personal information and make payments through them. Therefore, modern encryption technology preserves information confidentiality and prevents leakage. Another task is to ensure the financial transactions’ security, and for this purpose, RSA technology is used that encrypts the data, so third parties cannot access it.
KYC Verification
As part of the Know Your Customer rule, casino customers have to provide documents confirming their identity and current residential address; they also need to take photos with bank cards they use to make financial transactions. This is necessary to make sure customers provide valid data and do not have more than one account.
Verification is also important for your safety; the casino can make sure that no third parties have created an account under your name and are not trying to use your payment details.
The verification procedure is not mandatory at all gambling sites, but most reliable gambling venues require it before requesting the first withdrawal.
Even if you have already been verified or it is not mandatory, a casino has the right to request additional identification at any time. This can happen if you are suspected of violating the rules or your betting turnover has reached a specific threshold.
Multi-Factor Authentication
This procedure provides additional protection for your account. Its essence is simple: besides login and password, you need to specify a unique code received via your mobile phone to log in.
Legit Online Casino Games to Play for Real Money
If you play at a gambling venue with a license, you can be sure the website hosts authentic software. In the best legit online casinos in the USA, you can play various popular games legally; do not forget to consider the casino house edge.
| Game Type | House Edge |
|---|---|
| Slot machines | 2-15% |
| Blackjack | 0.5% |
| Roulette | 2.7-5.26% |
| Video poker | 0.46% and more |
| Craps | 1.41% and more |
| Baccarat | 1.06% and more |
Most websites also offer game shows, lotteries, and live dealer games. As you can see, each game has a specific house edge, so the casino always wins in the long run. However, you can profit from gambling with competent bankroll management and effective strategies.
Top Regulators That Check Casinos Work
After making sure that a particular site has a valid license, we recommend learning more about the gambling commission that controls this venue. All regulators set different requirements; some are stricter, while others are pretty loyal.
| Regulator | Foundation Year | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Malta Gaming Authority | 2001 | A well-known licensee who pays great attention to monitoring compliance with the principles of responsible gaming. Only high-quality casinos have licenses from this regulator. |
| Curacao E-gaming Licensing Authority | 1996 | The commission does not impose a large number of requirements for casinos, and its license is cheaper than many other regulators. It is also universal, and with it, casinos have the right to offer almost all possible games. |
| UK Gambling Commission | 2007 | The most stringent commission, carefully tracking all necessary factors and criteria. It also requires financial reporting. |
In addition to these international regulators, Kahnawake Gaming Commission and Gibraltar Gaming Commission are also popular. Remember to check the license’s information and its expiration date beforehand.
