If you are playing casino games online, trust must be one of the foremost considerations when choosing where to play. Not only are you parting with money in exchange for a service provided by an online entity who you’ll never meet face-to-face, but you have to believe that the service is fair and legitimate. And gambling, being a ‘vice’ industry, doesn’t always come with a reputation for honest and integrity. Unfortunately, it’s not just players who perform tricks to manipulate the odds (read about card-counting here). There are a few stories out there about rigged software or casino operators who go bust owing their customer base $100,000s in unpaid winnings or unsettled account balances.
The good news is that the vast majority of online casinos behave honourably. And to help you find those and be sure that you are getting value for money in your wagering, here are a few hints and tips on what to look out for when cruising for a legit gambling site.
Licensing
The number one consideration here is licensing.
Whether it is the UK Gambling Commission, the Malta Gaming Authority, any of the US’ new online regulators, or the recently-formed Ontario iGaming, wherever you are you must only play at casinos that have a license from the appropriate jurisdictions. Strict regulators set the rules on how an online casino must operate and their remit covers all these areas:
- Games must be properly audited by a 3rd party like eCorga to ensure they are fair and all outcomes of ‘events’ like spins and card turns are completely random.
- Players must be protected– they must be given the appropriate tools to set limits on their spend and given advice on how to deal with problem gambling.
- The business must be well run – player balances should be ring-fenced to ensure the are protected in the event that the business goes bust
- Advertising Standards – offers for new and existing customers must be fair and transparent with terms and conditions easily accessible
- Action must be taken to prevent fraud – online casinos are used by criminals to launder cash and regulators enforce Anti Money Laundering strategies through their licensing conditions.
Over the last decade or more online gambling regulation has become stricter to protect consumers and you can see how with all these important issues kept in check by regulators it’s critical that you make sure that licensor information clearly displayed before signing up and spending your money.
Published Payout Rates
Another indication of legitimacy is published payout rates on a site. These show the percentage of money paid out in prizes as a percentage of all the money wagered through games provided by a casino. Typically, the figure is around 95% and good casinos will publish the figure somewhere on there home page. The important element here is that it must be verified by a 3rd party software testing house or accountancy firm. You can also visit pages like this one where you can compare online casino payout rates to find one with the highest return to player.
Random Number Generators
Now, a word on RNG or Random Number Generators.
If you read up on how online casinos work then you may well find this phrase used quite a bit. It refers to the mechanism used to generate the result of a card hand, roulette spin or slot spin. Complex computer algorithms are behind the action and at licensed casinos they will have been verified by 3rd parties once again to ensure they work properly. Essentially a computer is simulating what happens on a live casino floor – that is how these games work and it should put your mind at rest that the action is fair and above board.
Live Dealer Games
If you still don’t trust the algorithms behind RNG casino games then the good news is that you can still play online, but this time interacting via live video stream with a real-life croupier dealing real cards or spinning a real roulette wheel. Just like in real life, the croupier will shuffle cards between hands and bring out new decks on a regular basis. And you can watch as this happens, thereby removing any uncertainty you may have over the honest and integrity of events. Live dealer tables are now found at every online casino offering Blackjack, Roulette, Craps, Baccarat and many other format and if you have a hard time trusting an online casino they are a good way to go.
The Importance of Reputation
Finally, let’s look at the importance of reputation. Betting with a well-known brand with a global reputation is a good way to feel like we can trust the house. Big names like Bet365, 888 and MGM don’t want scandals on their hands and they have built their reputation up over many years. Some are even listed on the world’s big stock exchanges where they have a duty to their shareholders and rules on business management and practices are very strict. Breaking these rules would have serious consequences for the management teams of these firms and the future of their businesses.
So, if you are worried about legitimacy you may wish to consider restricting yourself only to those big-name operators with that kind of experience and a reputation to uphold.
We hope this short guide will help you to feel at ease placing your bets and give you a good background knowledge to take with you next time you step onto the virtual casino floor.
Have fun!
Red Tiger Gaming launched a psychedelic 5×4 slot with 30 paylines inspired and based on the iconic Mad Hatter Tea Party. Not only will you find all the characters from the famous story on the reels in the higher and lower-paying symbols, but it also comes with a superb maximum win potential of 3333x the stake but also a couple of Progressive Jackpots to keep you at the tea party.
The Wild Hatter is a high volatility slot and is probably more suitable for high rollers rather than beginners. It’s a vibrant title with magnificent designs and graphics, immersive gameplay and brilliant winning options and exciting features, which include spins galore, Multipliers and a Jackpot Scatter
Wild Hatter Symbols
The Mad Hatter is the games Wild symbol, and look out for the Cheshire Cat. He is also an essential character since he forms the highest paying combinations. Other symbols on the reels include a pocket watch, a chess piece, a teapot, and five Royals. The Mad Hatter is the games Wild, and the Jackpot Scatter is the symbol with gold writing and psychedelic background.
The Wild Hatter Bonus Feature
Getting Curiouser and Curiouser then land a Wild to get the Re-spins started, and before your last re-spin, the game selects a symbol randomly, which becomes the winning symbol. After the Re-Spins, players may land some more endearing characters. When they do, you receive another re-spin and the winning Multiplier, which increases by one if you land another Wild during the re-spins, the winning symbol upgrades to one of a higher value.
Wild Progressive Jackpots
The Wild Hatter slot is part of the Red Tigers Progressive Jackpot network. Land three Jackpot Scatters, and you stand a chance of claiming one of the Jackpots. The hourly and Daily Jackpots are time-sensitive and will only be won by one lucky player at their allotted times, whereas the Mega Jackpot keeps increasing in value until it gets won.
Accept the invitation and let Red Tiger Gaming take you down the rabbit hole to the wildest tea party ever!
“We have now finished the authentication process, photos of every chip, video of the counting ( 2,222 ).
The chips are on display at Spinettis, will be Monday-Wednesday the 27-29th.
I will remove the chips and tokens on Thursday, and, start my Guinness display with the MoGH.
My goal is to finish all the paperwork by the end of the week.
After submission, I wait 12 weeks for my approval ( hopefully ).
Should be a formality, we did everything exactly like last year.
Thanks again for your continued support, I can’t thank you enough.
Stay safe and healthy
Gregg”
1st October Update:
The Guinness world records project is finished, I broke the record.
This morning I took all 2,222 chips and tokens out of the display and into the MoGH display.
We will start the paperwork tomorrow and hopefully finish early next week.
Once the paperwork is sent, I wait 12 weeks for Guinness to certify the record (as it’s currently pending).
Fingers crossed.
For those unable to make it (not uncommon in the current climate!) check out this video tour of the Museum of Gaming History’s Exhibitions at Spinettis:
LAS VEGAS (September 23, 2021) — For Las Vegan Gregg Fisher, double-deuces are wild. If his current collection of 2,222 casino chips and tokens are approved, he will almost triple the current Guinness World’s Record. As part of the record attempt, all 2,222 items will be publicly displayed next week.
Fisher, a member of the Casino Collectibles Association, holds the current Guinness World Record for the world’s largest collection of casino chips and tokens – 818, each from different casinos. The process of authenticating, counting, and photographing each piece of his entire expanded collection of 2,222 pieces takes place over a four-day span at Spinettis Gaming Supplies, 810 S. Commerce Street in Las Vegas. The entire new potential record-setting collection can be viewed by the public there from 9:30 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. this Monday through Wednesday, September 27th through 29th.
“The record is based on the largest number of items over a single subject in a private personal collection,” says Fisher. “In this case, only one chip or token from a specific casino is counted. So, in my case, the number of items in this Guinness World Record represents the same number of different casinos. I cannot thank Spinettis enough for all of the assistance provided on my record quest.”
Two qualified independent witnesses from Spinettis, as confirmed by Guinness, must document the collection, and submit a statement of their daily activities involved in the process. As part of the process, the collection must be put on public display for three days for review and challenge.
After everything is submitted to Guinness World Records, the twelve-week review process starts, and the wait for acceptance begins. It should be noted that about 40% of all Guinness World Record attempts fail because of the lack of perfect paperwork.
If approved, the new world’s largest casino chip and token collection, as recognized by Guinness World Records, will also be on display at the Casino Collectibles Association’s (CCA) 29th annual show, June 16-18, 2022, at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The show is open to the public and offers the unique opportunity to examine, buy, sell, trade or evaluate casino collectibles and memorabilia. It features museum-like exhibits and dealers of casino memorabilia from all over the world.