Whether through online casinos or sports betting sites, online betting can be a tricky thing, especially to newbies. There are numerous things that you ought to know. Consequently, there are also many things that you have to avoid before you indulge yourself in this trade or hobby of sports betting. This is because one wrong move could break your days and experience as a punter.
It is not difficult to fall prey to fraudulent websites pretending to be legitimate betting platforms. Some may come to you looking all flashy, with finger-licking deals and offers, but in the real sense, they are scams.
Fortunately, you can easily avoid being a critic by looking for certain indicators before getting duped by online criminals. Here are some red flags to watch out for before becoming scammed through illegitimate betting sites:
• Little, No, or Negative Reviews
Before indulging yourself with any betting platform, ensure to go through their reviews online. Too many negative reviews are an automatic red flag. You have to be astute regarding cynical, negative reviews though.
On the other hand, if there are few or no online reviews regarding the said website that indicates another red flag. If the website wasn’t launched very recently (about a week or less), there should be a few reviews online about them. If there are none, then probably it might not be worth your time.
Be careful of the positive reviews too. This is because some of them may be generic and not real. Ensure that the said company does not directly control the reviews you see (preferably on a third-party platform).
• Unlicensed and unregulated sites
Regardless of their location, betting companies must be regulated and licensed by the authorities. Most of these companies display their licenses or registration status on their websites. If not displayed, you can easily search them up on the regulating authority’s platform, and should you not see their names pop up; it is a red sign.
• Absence of contact information
Should you encounter an error or need some help trying to maneuver the website, the first thing you’d do is to look for the bookmaker’s contact information. If it is missing, that’s a clear red flag. Bookmakers must display their contacts on their websites and have an active social media presence.
• A poorly formatted website
You need to be very careful when dealing around betting websites with generic-looking themes and full of grammatical errors. As online betting becomes more popular these days, it is simply unreasonable for a legitimate company not to invest in its website.
Moreover, a good website, like the one on w88, should display all the relevant information; have a welcoming interface, be mobile-friendly, and above all, are not too aggressive in their marketing (on their website).
• The website is not secure
Betting sites store a lot of customer information, including but not limited to their identification details, contacts, and even banking details. If such information gets to the wrong hands, you may become a victim of cybercrime.
To avoid all that hassle, ensure that the website is secure. You can confirm this by checking the security of the domain. In all cases, the website address must have the prefix HTTPS and not HTTP. This means that your information is securely encrypted, and no third party or even the website owners have access to your details.
Finding a legitimate betting website can be a daunting task, but with reliable platforms like w88, you don’t have to scout elsewhere. Here, you get to bet on your favorite sports with the best odds in the market, various payment options, a friendly website, and above all, it is licensed and regulated. What more could you be looking for? Happy betting!
