Is it safe to give your personal info to an online casino?
We’re told nonstop how important it is to never share our personal information with 3rd parties. Our bank tells us this. The media tells us this. If you run antivirus software on your PC, the security company behind this tells us this.
Yet, at the same time, people are constantly asking for your personal info. They want to know it when you sign up for a social media account. They want to know it when you apply for a credit card. And, yes, they want to know it when you sign up to play at an online casino site.
So, it’s perfectly natural for you to wonder if it’s safe to hand over your personal details to an online casino.
The answer? Yes and no. Yes, if the online casino is safe, secure, and reputable like Palace of Chance. No, if you’ve never heard of them and their reputation seems a bit sketchy.
Now that we have that out of the way, it’s important to note that not all personal information is the same. Even at the most trustworthy online casino, there’s still some personal information you should never give out. Here’s a list of good information you should feel comfortable handing out along with other information that you should keep to yourself.
Your name—OK to provide
Casinos need to know who you are. Sure, some casinos let you play anonymously, but when it comes to making a deposit or cashing out, they need to know your legal name so they can get you paid and make sure that no laws are being broken when making a deposit.
Your home address.—OK to provide
Online casinos need to know where you live in order to process deposits and cashouts. Many new casino players make the mistake of providing a fake address. That’s fine if you never intend to win. But when you try to get your hands on your money, you’ll be out of luck trying to withdraw. And the same goes when trying to make a deposit.
A copy of your driver’s license or passport—OK to provide
Some Internet casinos need a copy of your government-issued photo ID on file for legal reasons and anti-fraud measures. A site that asks for this type of information is usually trying to protect themselves and other players from fraudulent deposits and cashouts. And any online casino that asks for this information usually has strict anti-fraud measures in place so you can take comfort that your information won’t fall into the wrong hands.
Your email address—OK to provide
Most sites need your email address not only to create your casino account, but also to communicate with you in the even that something goes wrong or if you need help. Make sure you provide the casino with an email address that you actually use so that you can receive important communications
Your password—NOT OK to provide
When you create an online casino account, you’ll get to create a password that lets you access the slots and tables whenever you like. While the password is technically registered with the online casino, high-end encryption technology means that no one at the site can actually see what your address is. Even if you forgot your password, there’s no way of knowing what your password is. If an online casino ever asks you to verbally hand over your password in order to help you get back into your account, something is fishy. It either means that the online casino doesn’t take the necessary security precautions to keep your personal information safe. Or the person asking you for your password doesn’t actually work for the casino in question.
Remember, if you’re ever in doubt, err on the side of caution. It’s better to assume an honest online casino employee is lying and not hand over your personal info than it is to assume that a criminal is honest and hand over everything.
