Gambling online is hugely popular in India. But with so many online gambling sites available to customers in India, it’s not always easy to know which sites are legitimate and safe. There is also the fact that online gambling is barely regulated in India, so staying safe when enjoying this fun hobby is mandatory.
Why gambling online poses risks
Let’s briefly look at why it is even necessary to employ tools to remain safe when gambling online. The main risk players in India face is that of playing at unlicensed betting sites. Whilst there is no proper online gambling regulation in India, many betting sites are still very well regulated through various international gambling jurisdictions. They oversee gambling providers to ensure that games are not rigged, that anti-money laundering regulations are adhered to and that players can enable self-check measures to counteract problematic gambling behaviour.
But in unregulated regions, rogue betting sites may be active, which are not licensed by anyone and will simply take your money and disappear.
Before you sign up and bet at any online betting site, you must therefore review it thoroughly.
Review online betting sites
Whilst you can review each online betting site yourself, there are many review sites out there that have done this for you already. In time, you may have one or two trusted resources, which provide unbiased and thorough reviews of online betting sites. And ideally, they will also provide additional information about gambling safely, various deposit methods, what the status of online betting in Sri Lanka or in Bangladesh is, or provide regular tips on IPL betting.
Initially, however, you are best served by sampling as many of such review sites as possible to get a better feeling of which sites are truly honest with their reviews and which sites may simply want you to subscribe through their affiliate links.
Opt for encrypted services only
When reviewing a betting site, checking their site encryption is important. Does the URL contain the tell-tale ‘https://’ protocol, indicating that secure communication is provided? Can you find information on the SSL encryption used on the site?
And, of course, is your data truly safe? When signing up at an online betting site you do have to provide personal information to verify your identity. This is for your safety and a requirement for online betting sites to know their customers.
The site encryption used by the betting site must ensure that stealing your data is difficult, if not impossible. Betting sites are targets of hackers, mind you, so there is always some risk involved.
Choose the right deposit methods
You can mitigate that risk somewhat by also choosing the right deposit methods. Hackers are almost always after your personal data, including your credit card or bank information. Whilst credit card transactions can be considered in and of themselves, there is no guarantee that your bank information or credit card information cannot be stolen by hackers.
Safer options when depositing funds at an online betting site include prepaid cards, e-Wallets and cryptocurrencies. The latter are completely anonymous and therefore safer than any other method. More and more online casinos accept cryptocurrency deposits, which make them a viable alternative these days.
Enable self-check tools
Aside from protecting your identity and bank details, gambling safely online also includes the use of tools that will help you control your gambling activities. One of the main reasons lawmakers want to ban gambling in all its forms is gambling addiction, which has many negative consequences.
Good online betting sites that are safe to use, will have various tools to allow you to gamble safely. You will be able to limit your time spent gambling or betting, you can limit how much you can deposit each day, week or month, and you can set loss limits as well. You will also have the option to self-exclude if you find that you have difficulties controlling your gambling.
Keep in mind that rogue betting sites will not have such tools. They will take your money and make a run for it.
Gambling can be a fun hobby that you can engage in safely. You simply need to use the tools we have outlined here, and have the ability to enjoy small wins here or there and not chase your losses.
