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Betting sites and online gambling – what to look out for

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​Online betting is becoming more and more popular every year. The opportunity for an individual to earn money, from predicting sporting events, or playing in the virtual casino, is becoming appealing to the masses, and online betting is now the most popular way to place bets. With this, there are certain things that you need to be aware of when parting with your money amongst these online gambling websites.

Before choosing the correct website there are several things that the customer needs to be aware of.

Licensing

The first thing to be aware of is whether or not the website you have identified is licensed by the Gambling Commission. This is one of the most important things to check, as without this, you run the risk of having a negative experience with online gambling, and potentially losing money unfairly. In order to check whether or not an organisation is licensed, you can visit https://secure.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/PublicRegister for more information. This will also tell you if the organisation has ever had any regulatory action taken, which can be useful when deciding which site to gamble with. They should also be displaying a British Gambling Commission license somewhere on their website.

Reviews

Checking reviews of the gambling website can also be an extremely useful tool for the consumer. If there are lots of positive reviews surrounding the website you have chosen, then it is likely that you will be safe depositing money onto the site. However, if there are multiple reviews suggesting that the website didn't pay out when an individual had won, or that the customer had a negative experience betting with that site, then it may be best to look elsewhere. As mentioned earlier, with online betting rapidly over taking physical betting in terms of popularity, there is not a shortage of websites to choose from, and sites like new betting sites allow you to easily check for newcomers.

Checking the social media presence of the betting sites can also be very useful. If they have a lot of followers, multiple posts and users engaging with said posts, then the chances are they are a recognised betting company, with a lot of happy users. However, if they don't have many followers on Facebook, post rarely, and have users commenting on any posts with negativity, then you may want to take your custom elsewhere. Social media is a powerful tool, and word can spread quickly; make sure you take advantage of this.

Another thing to look out for is simply whether or not the site looks legitimate. You can tell a lot simply from the design of the website, whether or not all of the hyperlinks are working correctly, if all of the font is consistent. These are a few simple things to look out for when first visiting a betting website, as professional betting companies will ensure that they have a professional looking website.

Scams

Scam betting websites often have unrealistic sign up offers. Whilst it is important for the consumer to try to get the most for their money, it is also important to be a bit savvy about it, and if an offer sounds far too good to be true, then the chances are, it probably is. Being able to distinguish from cash back as a bonus offer, or cash back as a free bet from a bonus offer is important, and could negatively impact your online betting experience.

If you initially signed up to a betting website, and then had second thoughts about depositing money into the account, then the chances are you will get a follow up e-mail, possibly offering you some kind of a deposit bonus in order to try and gain your custom. This is perfectly normal. However, if the e-mails continue, with multiple e-mails per day, then this could be a massive red flag. Spam e-mails suggesting multiple deposit offers should probably be ignored, as mentioned earlier, the chances are these deals may be too good to be true.

During the bigger horse racing competitions, such as the Gold Cup, many fake bookmakers will pop up, in order to capitalise on the increased popularity within this specific betting market. If you follow the steps outlined throughout this guide, then you will quickly be able to spot one of these fake websites, and avoid it at all costs. The chances are, it will be poorly designed, and have little to no reviews.

At the end of the day, it comes down to doing your research. There is an abundance of high quality bookmakers out there, it's just about finding the right one for you. The key things to look out for are ensuring that the website has a license from the Gambling Commission, checking the reviews before parting with any of your money, and checking what the sign up or deposit offers fully involve. If you follow these simples steps, then you should have no problem finding a legitimate, safe way to gamble online.

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