Safe Casinos
Every online casino player should be concerned about the safety of their personal information and their money.
You don’t have to search for long to find horror stories involving shady online casinos and players being taken advantage of and losing money. The Internet is full of stories and forums with people making all kinds of wild claims against the online casino industry.
Some of these claims must be true, but many of them are from players who didn’t do their homework or are trying to take advantage of the casinos. Of course some casinos have went out of business and players have lost money, but you’ll also find online casinos who have been in business over a decade with long track records of taking care of their players.
I’ve never understood why a casino owner would do anything to put the business in danger. If you own and operate an online casino and keep everything above board you don’t have to do anything but bring in new players to make money.
Online casino games have a long term edge in favor of the house. Players know this but play anyway. If you own a casino you don’t have to lie or cheat in order to win in the long run. Just offer a fair game and take care of your customers and collect the money.
The good news is if you follow the advice on this page you can enjoy the safest and most trusted online casinos and their games. The reviews on this web site list only the safest South African online casinos and when you combine what you learn reading the reviews with the safety tips below you’ll be able to play without worry.
Safest Online Casinos in 2015-2016
| Rank | Casino | New Player Bonus | Read Review | Visit Casino |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Fly Casino | 110% up to R1,500 | Read Review | Play Now! |
| 2 |  Omni Casino | 100% up to R1,400 | Read Review | Play Now! |
| 3 |  Springbok Casino | 100% up to R1,500 | Read Review | Play Now! |
| 4 |  Yebo Casino | Up to R12,000 | Read Review | Play Now! |
Age and Track Record
It’s not always easy to learn how long an online casino has been in business or see a detailed track record of how they treat customers, but the more you can learn the better.
It’s not a guarantee that older SA online casinos are safer, but in general the longer a company has been operating online the better your chance of dealing with a business that does what they say they will.
If an online business starts taking advantage of customers, word gets out and fewer and fewer people deal with them. The business in turn makes less money and eventually goes out of business.
When you start looking online for the track record of different businesses you’ll usually find at least a few people who think the casino has done something wrong. You can find complaints about even the most trusted online casinos.
Unless you find multiple different complaints by different players don’t rule out playing. A series of complaints will always cause me to look for additional information but one or two are just as likely to be sour grapes or outright fraud as real issues.
Ownership
Some online casinos are owned by large public companies that make it easy to see who owns them. Others are owned by individuals who shield their identity at all costs.
I never rule out an online casino if I can’t find out who owns it, but if a large trusted company owns one it does help me decide to give them a try.
Software Provider
I almost always restrict my play to online casinos that use a software platform provided by one of the large companies.
It’s not that a casino using the top software can’t go bad, but most scammers won’t pay the price and jump through the hoops required to get licensed by Real Time Gaming, Rival, Playtech, Microgaming, Net Entertainment, or other prominent providers.
Read the Terms and Conditions
One of the biggest problems I read about is when players feel they’ve been cheated by an online casino over a bonus.
Online casinos offer sign up and re-load bonuses to entice players to deposit money and start playing. But every bonus has specific terms and conditions that must be followed.
Players often neglect to read them and then get upset when they try to cash out and can’t.
While this can be quite frustrating as a player, it isn’t the casinos fault when a player doesn’t read and follow the rules.
Word of Mouth
One of the best ways to get an indication of how an online casino treats its players is by talking to other players.
Do you know any South African players who play online casino games? Ask around and I’ll bet you find a few people you know who already play.
Entertainment Money Only
If you only play with money you can afford to lose you’ll never lose more than you can afford.
It always sucks if you lose money to a business that shuts down or does something criminal, but as long as it doesn’t stop you from paying the electric bill or rent it won’t be as bad as it could be.
Deposit Method
Different deposit methods offer varying degrees of safety.
The ones that give the casino direct access to your bank account are safest from outside thieves like hackers because you send the money directly, but if a thief gets your account information later they can still steal from you.
Credit cards offer a level of protection but a thief can rack up a great deal of charges in a short time if they get your details.
The online e-wallet type accounts like Skrill and Neteller offer a layer of safety by creating a single account that insulates your personal bank account from anywhere you play online.
Any of these methods can work well, especially when you combine them with the suggestion in the next section.
Separate Bank Account
One of the best safety measurers South African online casino players can take is opening a bank account just for their online gambling. Only put your entertainment money into this account and then you don’t have to worry if an online casino gets hacked or otherwise loses your banking details.
This keeps your regular bank account safe because the online casino never has the details of it or access.
Conclusion
If you do your homework, read trusted reviews, and only play with money you have set aside for entertainment purposes you should be able to play safely online for years to come. Nothing in life is 100% guaranteed, but South Africa online casino players have plenty of safe and secure options and should have for long into the future.