Gambling should be fun, whether online or at a land-based casino or bookies. Always remember that. You are playing games that have been designed to keep you entertained. If you ever lose sight of that, you may discover that you are not gambling safely at all.
Most gambling games are based on chance. It is only card games, and poker in particular, where real skill is involved. Poker can be played for pennies or at a World Championship Professional level. Make sure you find a suitable game for your level, or you could end up in all kinds of trouble!
Finding the right game
Ok, assuming that you have not accidentally found yourself in a high-stakes poker game facing the big rollers, there are other ways you can find yourself out of your depth when gambling online. However, following simple rules will mean you can play safely and have an enjoyable experience.
Look for licenes
Online gambling is legal in Michigan. The fact that there is a regulator and a legalized market immediately means that online gambling here can be carried out safely. The very existence of a regulator is to keep players safe. In the past, states tried to do this by outlawing gambling, but most have learned that banning something people enjoy is mostly counterintuitive. People like to gamble; they continue to gamble but just do so on underground networks.
So to gamble safely in Michigan, the first thing to do is to check that the online casino you are playing at has the correct permits in place. Online casino gambling in the state is covered by the Michigan Gambling Control Board or MGCB. Every online casino has to have a license to operate here. MGCB has established a strict legal framework with which operators must comply. They could lose their right to operate or receive a hefty fine if they do not.
Walk away if not sure
Having jumped through the hoops of obtaining a license, an online casino will proudly show off its credentials. Therefore, if you find yourself on a site where the license is not prominently displayed, walk away. No matter how tempting the bonuses and promotions look, if there is no license, you have no protection if things go wrong. It could even be a scam or clone site set up by cybercriminals to harvest your sensitive data.
Avoid clones and scams
So look out for the license and ensure you are on a genuine site, not a clone. Online casinos store such vast quantities of highly sensitive data, so their site security has to be second to none. However, they are not only protecting players from potential hacks but also need to stop fraudsters from attempting the equivalent of an Ocean’s Eleven heist on their online platform. One easy way to confirm a site is real is to check the web address. All secure sites will be HTTPS. The S stands for security. You are on a scam or clone site if it is just HTTP.
Ask an expert
So you need to look for licensing and hosting protocols. However, there is an easier way to check that a site is safe to play at. Time2Play is an independent igaming review site. They have a list of the best Michigan casinos online. Their experts review every aspect of all the online casinos and make recommendations based on their findings. Following their advice is probably the best way to keep yourself safe online.
Pay wisely
Another aspect of online safety is how you choose to make your casino deposits. Reputable casinos will only work with the very best payment platforms and vice-versa. Payment security has come a long way from the early days of internet transactions.
PayPal was one of the earliest pioneers of secure payments and is still one of the most secure platforms. The joy of using PayPal is that no financial information changes hands.
This is by no means the only secure payment method to choose from. For example, Michigan’s online casinos let you make deposits using Play+, Paysafe, and PayNearMe, as well as Apple Pay / Google Pay and standard payment cards.
Set your limits
It is essential to set yourself a budget if you want to play safely when you gamble online. The best online casinos have safe gambling tools to help ensure you have fun while you are playing. For example, you can set a limit on the total amount you can deposit on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
The advice is not to use your debit card when you play online but to set yourself up a separate limited pot to spend on an evening’s entertainment. This way, you can avoid spending more than you can afford.
Never borrow money to gamble – essentially, the house always wins, so the chances are that you will only end up in more debt.
Remember to take regular breaks and mix igaming with other forms of entertainment like watching a movie, meeting up with friends, doing sports, or any other hobby you fancy. If gambling is your only leisure activity, you are probably not a casual gambler, and you could expose yourself to potential harm.
Keep it light, keep it fun, and remember they are games.
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