How do you know if you can trust an online casino?

Last Updated on 1 July 2025

How do you know which casino you can trust with your hard-earned money? With the online gambling industry projected to reach approximately $450bn in 2025, the stakes are high, but unreliable platforms still lurk among the legitimate ones, causing harm to both players and legitimate businesses looking to provide a great player experience.

Players often share several common fears, including losing winnings, having personal data stolen and playing unfair games. However, players aren’t alone and don’t need to rely on just their intuition. By checking key factors such as licensing, security, game fairness, withdrawals and reputation, you can confidently pick a trustworthy online casino.

In this article, we’ll guide you through clear, actionable steps to ensure your online gaming experience is safe, fair and fun.

Check for licensing and regulation

The first step to trusting an online casino is verifying its license. Reputable licensing bodies, such as the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) and the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), enforce strict rules regarding fairness, payouts and player protection. A 2024 study found that of those who played online within the previous 12 months just 2.1% said they had knowingly played on unlicensed platforms, showing that unlicensed casino sites are incredibly unpopular.

To verify a license, check the casino’s website footer for a licensing logo or number, then cross-reference it with the regulator’s official database. However, players should be wary of vague claims or offshore licenses from places like Curacao, which often have weaker oversight. If the licensing information is missing, unclear or seemingly illegitimate, we’d recommend walking away and taking your money elsewhere.

Evaluate security measures

Once you’ve confirmed that your preferred casino holds a valid license, our next step would be digging into its security features. Your personal and financial data is incredibly valuable to hackers, so trusted casinos use several key measures to keep you and your sensitive information safe. Look for SSL/TLS encryption, as indicated by a padlock icon in the browser. This encryption scrambles your data and ensures that it’ll be unreadable if a hacker somehow manages to intercept it.

Similarly, casinos should also comply with PCI DSS standards when securely processing payments. These standards are backed by major card brands such as Visa and Mastercard, making them a useful tool when attempting to reassure users that the platform is secure and that their payment information is safely stored.

Also, players should check for account security features such as two-factor authentication, which adds a second step to logins, or biometric options like fingerprint or face scans. This innovative technology gives players more control and peace of mind that only they will be able to access their account and manage any funds that may be available for withdrawal.

Assess game fairness and software quality

There are online gambling myths which state that since online casinos have no real dealers, there’s a higher chance of players being scammed, but this isn’t the case. In reality, they are much more random than physical casinos because they use random number generators to ensure fairness. These are tools that guarantee unbiased outcomes in slots, poker and roulette, and are regularly audited by third parties such as eCOGRA as part of their licensing requirements.

The software behind the games is just as important. We’d recommend sticking to casinos powered by industry leaders like NetEnt, Microgaming and Evolution Gaming, as these companies are known for conducting rigorous testing and including high-quality graphics. In contrast, some less-than-reputable platforms might use unknown developers who don’t thoroughly test their games to identify glitchy mechanics or poor visuals.

Investigate withdrawal and payout reliability

We’re sure you’d agree that few things detract from your enjoyment like struggling to cash out. A reliable casino can be identified due to its ease of withdrawal and simple processes when players want to either add or remove funds from their accounts.

Hitting a jackpot and then having to wait weeks to access your money would surely be very frustrating and would likely result in players looking to take their time and money to another online casino. An online casino’s withdrawal policy should be clearly outlined online but knowing where to find it can be just as challenging.

We’d recommend that players carefully check the terms and conditions before creating an account, paying close attention to any mention of hidden fees, minimum withdrawal amounts and any restrictions placed on funds associated with bonuses. We’d also recommend checking your payment option’s average wait time as this can be a useful figure to have in mind while waiting for your withdrawn casino funds to arrive in your account.

Tips for choosing a trustworthy casino

Ready to pick a casino? Here’s a checklist to guide you:

1. Check the casino’s website for an MGA, UKGC or similar license and then confirm its validity by heading to the regulator’s database and searching for the name of your chosen online casino.
2. Confirm that the website has robust security by looking for the padlock symbol in your web browser and checking to see if the platform offers enhanced login options, such as two-factor authentication and biometric security measures.
3. Before you create an account, we’d recommend sending a message to the live chat to gauge responsiveness as this can give you an idea of how useful they may be if you really need their assistance or support.
4. Check for reviews online posted on trustworthy websites such as Trustpilot and Google. However, players should be wary of paid-for reviews on websites that feature a lot of sponsored content as they will likely be biased.

Final thoughts

Choosing a trustworthy online casino shouldn’t feel like you’re having to gamble before the action has even started. By focusing on licensing, security, game fairness, withdrawals and reputation, you can spot platforms that prioritize your safety and satisfaction. With these checks, you’ll find a casino that delivers great entertainment without compromising your personal and financial safety.