What is the most important issue punters should address choosing an online bookmaker? Most people would mention high odds, hefty bonuses, fast deposits and withdrawals, and being listed among the 100 top bookmakers or similar. However, in the 21st century security and protecting your personal and financial information come to the forefront. Read below to find out how to pick a really safe betting haven!
Reputation and user reviews
The first step is the easiest one: learn what other people say about a sportsbook you consider registering at. Users love to share their experience on social media, app stores and on websites dedicated to gambling and betting.
Besides, there are lots of professional reviews written by independent experts who know the betting industry back to front. Those writers pay attention to all aspects of online betting and will never miss even the smallest details when in comes to customer safety.
While studying reviews, it’s crucial to pay attention to the following points:
- Use multiple sources: Never settle for just one website or one selection of users’ feedback.
- Look into details: It’s not just about a review or feedback being positive or negative. It’s vital what exactly reviewers and customers find outstanding or disappointing about a bookmaker. Pay attention to details that are important to you, such as security measures and protocols.
- Be sceptical: Sometimes overly positive or overly negative feedback is made up. If there are too many reviews praising or slamming the same feature, that’s a big red flag.
- Study rankings and ratings: Many websites dedicated to betting, as well as football news media, create and regularly update their sportsbook and casino charts. Check them out to see who is best in business right now!
Licensing and regulation
There is nothing unimportant when it comes to licensing. Picking an unlicensed bookmaker means risking not only your money but also your personal information and customer rights, whereas registering at a licensed operator signifies that your platform of choice adheres to strict standards for fairness, security, and ethical practices.
Many bookmakers operate in a legal gray area, especially in countries with gambling restrictions. Licenses issued in Malta or Curacao do provide a certain level of security but it still can’t be compared with robust safety of betting with bookmakers licensed in your country of residence.
Here are some other factors you should consider and pay attention to while choosing a bookmaker to bet with:
| Factor | Explanation |
| License | Make sure your bookmaker has a license from a renowned gambling authority. A license allowing to operate in your country is the best case scenario. |
| Trust and credibility | While a licence is a seal of governmental trust, user feedback and independent reviews do the same but from a different angle. |
| Fair play | All bookmaker’s policies should be transparent, rules and regulations should be easy to find for every customer before making their first bet. |
| Safe payment transactions | Pay attention to depositing and withdrawal methods. Besides offering lots of options, a safe bookmaker should stick to KYC standards to prevent problem gaming. |
Data protection and encryption
Bookmakers that care about their reputation and customer safety use only up-to-date technologies to provide security and avoid data leakage. Let’s have a look at two of them.
Secure Socket Layer (SSL) is a standard technology which secures an internet connection by encrypting data exchange between a website and a browser or between servers.
Transport Layer Security (TLS) is another popular security protocol which also encrypts the communication between websites or mobile applications and servers.
Both protocols prevent hackers from seeing or stealing users personal or financial data including addresses, bank card or account numbers and phone numbers.
Countries that allow betting and gambling insist on bookmakers using these or similar protocols. For instance, in 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came in force in the UK and EU. It demands more in terms of personal data use from bookmakers and obliges them to understand the risks customers face during betting.
2024 1win data leak
Unfortunately, even when bookmakers take all the necessary precautions, they can’t always avoid breaching and stealing customer data. One of the latest examples is a massive personal data leak from the 1win bookmaker, that happened on November 7, 2024, as per multiple reports. Over 450 million rows of data were exposed by hackers:
- customers’ names and last names;
- phone numbers;
- email addresses.
Moreover, hackers attempted to blackmail 1win having demanded $1 million initially but when the company refused to pay, the asking price reached $15 million. Aiming to pile pressure on the 1win brass, the blackmailers published a part of the stolen data which naturally raised security concerns among the 1win customers.
In general, data security and gambling safety remain pressing issues for the betting industry. Good news is that renowned sportsbooks try their best to keep their clients’ personal and financial information protected. Meanwhile, punters need to realise that responsible gaming implies not only limiting their betting budget but also prioritising security over bonuses and freebets.
