Whenever you’re making an online transaction, it’s important to be cautious about who you are giving your personal details and funds to. Loading an account to play online pokies with real money is no different. Not all Web casinos are safe – in fact there are several we advise steering clear of. Read on to discover how to identify an unsafe online casino and find out which ones to avoid and which ones you can trust.
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Tips to avoid dodgy casinos
When playing at an online casino, there are numerous steps you can take to safeguard yourself from being scammed. Keep these points in mind before you share your personal details or make any financial transactions with a pokies provider to avoid being out of pocket or left on the lurch when trying to withdraw your winnings:
- Play with reputable virtual casinos – It’s imperative that you know who is hosting the pokies games you wish to play, and that the casino is offering games from reputable software providers that use genuine, certified RNG software. While you can trust any of the Web casinos recommended on our site, you should always steer clear of smaller, unknown sites, especially if they haven’t been recommended by a trustworthy source who has used all services. At OnlinePokieGame.com, we don’t only test games and software before we recommend a casino, we also deposit money with the site, play pokies and verify that players can successfully withdraw funds from their playing account before the casino gets our seal of approval.
- Verify that a Web casino will do what it says it will do – All online casinos offer enticing bonuses and promotions, but not all stick to such promises. Check with other sources to ensure that Internet casinos keep up their end of the bargain – a quick Google search, or relevant articles on our site, should be able to help you out.
- Read up on the security measures implemented to protect you – Any quality gaming provider will have secure digital encryption technology put in place to protect your details and money and should provide information about how such security protects you. Our recommended casinos all offer a minimum of 128 Bit Digital SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption security to ensure player protection at all times.
- If a casino looks dodgy, play pokies elsewhere – If something on a site feels wrong, don’t hesitate in taking your gameplay elsewhere. There’s plenty of choices out there and you’re under no pressure to play at any one particular site, so feel free to shop around and do your research until you find a casino you’re comfortable with.
- Remember the golden rule of online gambling – If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. For example, a casino offering a gigantic welcome bonus with no wagering requirements is likely to be a rogue operator and should be avoided. Generally, if a pokies site offers something for nothing, be wary.
Still not sure if a site you’re thinking of playing at is legit? Stick with the online casinos recommended across our site – each of these venues is 100% licensed, safe and certified.
Where not to play Internet slot games
Here is a list of confirmed blacklisted sites you should avoid. Playing pokies on and depositing money with the following sites is dangerous, and we have found numerous complaints from players who have had their money taken or been otherwise involved in untrustworthy behaviour on the casino’s behalf. Avoid the following casinos at all costs.
Ace Live Casino
Don’t be fooled by the overly generous welcome bonuses and deposit bonuses on offer. Ace Live Casino is under fire for ‘bonus baiting’. This is where a company offers alluring incentives to encourage players to make a deposit, but then make it difficult for players to withdraw their winnings.
Many players have had trouble withdrawing funds from their casino accounts. Users have reported when they go to collect their payout after a win, the casino refuses, claiming the player has abused the bonus system.
In addition to complaints about refusals to payout promised bonuses and winnings, it’s very hard to get a hold of someone to express your concerns within the casino.
BetMotion
It has been reported BetMotion has serious customer service issues, which in the past has resulted in customers being unable to withdraw money. As with other blacklisted online casinos, players have complained the site makes it unreasonably difficult to collect cash punters have rightfully won. BetMotion also refuses to acknowledge customer complaints and has few revenues for customers to voice their concerns. Don’t botherlly playing pokies on BetMotion, they cannot be trusted with your funds.
E-Casino365
We’ve heard some not so nice things about E-Casino365. It too makes things difficult for player when it comes to withdrawals. E-Casino365 has a habit of blaming server malfunctions, claiming software is at fault for pokies players not being able to access funds. Whether this is true or not is irrelevant – protecting players should be an online casino’s first priority. It has also been reported that players’ funds have been moved in and out of accounts by the casino without consent from the individual. We advise taking your business elsewhere.
Online casinos you can trust
Now that you know which online casinos to avoid, we’ve compiled a list of the trustworthy ones you can feel safe to play at. Along with great game variety from leading software developers, our recommended online casinos also tick the following boxes:
- All are monitored by independent third-party testing agencies who assess for fairness and security. Certificates like the eCOGRA Seal of Approval is a meaningful documentation that assures the quality of a casino’s safety.
- All are secured with Secure Socket Layer (SSL) digital encryption technology which protects the details of your transactions over the Internet.
- All only allow you to deposit and withdraw with safe and approved payment methods – and initial withdrawals will usually only be processed after documentation has been provided by the player wishing to take out money.
- All have a strong reputation for keeping promises. If a site below offers a bonus, it will deliver (of course, you should always be aware of the wagering requirements associated with any bonus). Each has good customer service systems and will let you withdraw your funds fairly.
Royal Vegas Casino
Royal Vegas is powered exclusively by the industry-leading technology from Microgaming. For new members, it has a $1200 welcome bonus and a rewarding loyalty program once you’re a regular player. Pokies are Royal Vegas’ speciality, so you have a rich selection to choose from, including fruit slots, MegaSpin slots, 3-reel pokies, 5-reel pokies, progressives and video pokies (and titles such as Jurassic Park, Avalon II, Game of Thrones, Mega Moolah and Playboy). Royal Vegas games can be played instantly via your browser (Flash) or you can download the higher quality software for a more luxurious playing experience.
Sign up at Royal Vegas for free here.
G’day Casino
G’day sources its games from a number of innovative gaming software developers including Microgaming, NetEnt, Quickspin, Leander Games, BetSoft, Ezugi and more. This means it holds exclusive pokies games that can’t be found elsewhere. G’day Casino also offers 50 free no-deposit spins, an unlimited matched deposit bonus on your first real money transfer, and additional weekly promotions to constantly give your account a boost. No software downloads are required at G’day Casino, with hundreds of pokies available for instant-play.
Sign up with G’day Casino for free here.
Slots Million is one of the only online casinos that’s dedicated 100% purely to the pokies, with over 1,300 real money pokies available for instant-play directly over your Web browser. Games are available from all the leading software developers in the online gambling industry, from the big names like Microgaming, NetEnt and BetSoft, to smaller boutique studios like Thunderkick, Elk Studios and Genesis. Slots Million is also home to the very first and only virtual reality online pokies lounge.
Sign up to play at Slots Million here.
Like Royal Vegas, All Slots Casino is powered exclusively by Microgaming casino software, with games available via instant-play or by downloading the unique casino client. Here you’ll find all the most popular Microgaming pokies, from older titles like Mega Moolah, Thunderkick and Avalon II, to brand new releases like Karaoke Party, Win Sum Dim Sum, Pretty Kitty and Bikini Party. New players can claim a massive $1600 in matched deposit bonuses spread out over your first four real money deposits.
Sign up for free at All Slots here.
House of Jack Casino
House of Jack has multiple software developers providing games to their site including Microgaming, BetSoft, Play ‘N Go, Quickspin, and more. The diversity in software brands means House of Jack has a huge range of entertaining pokies games offering many different themes and special features. There’s also a $450 welcome bonus and 100 free spins to use on popular pokies games by Play’n Go. House of Jack has hundreds of real money slot games including video slots, classic slots, 3D pokies and progressive jackpot pokies, which are completely download-free with play via your Web browser.
Sign up for free at House of Jack here.
Casino Mate
This is an Australian-themed online casino, and it has hundreds of pokies games. The slots on offer include; 3-reel pokies, 5-reel pokies, traditional pub slots (e.g. the old-school “fruit machine” pokies), progressive jackpot pokies and pokies tournaments where you play against other live players. Casino-Mate has a $1400 welcome bonus which you can claim over your first three deposits. Enjoy the full casino suite or play via the Web.
Sign up for free at Casino-Mate here.
We recommend Bitstarz Casino as the leading casino site for players from United States, which has some excellent welcome bonuses available for new players along with hundreds of real money casino games to choose from, with no downloads required.
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