Staying Safe When You Gamble Online

Taking the plunge and signing-up with your first online casino is an exciting feeling, although choosing which online casino to sign-up with can be tough. In order to help you decide on the best online casino for you, we've created a comprehensive guide to online casinos for beginners – a guide that will give you the best possible start to gambling online, and that should help you to hit the water running by covering everything from understanding casino bonuses, through to the different games you'll find at the best casinos all the way down to managing your gambling to avoid developing a gambling problem.

This is a really important section, as australiatogether.org want everybody to stay safe when they gamble online. Key things to remember when looking at online casinos include:

•  Is it reputable and licensed - it is a legal requirement that any gambling site offering services to UK players is registered with this organization so when choosing your next online casinos make sure it is regulated by the Gambling Commission
•  Avoid casinos that have been blacklisted - for slow payments, unsafe payments or those which have bad customer reviews
•  Choose casinos that are independently audited - companies such as eCOGRA help ensure that casino practices are completely fair and odds haven’t been manipulated to give the casino an unfair advantage
•  Online security is in place - secure SSL encryption is key in safe transactions so ensure your details are kept safe and only choose sites that guarantee safe transactions
•  If you are gambling using a mobile device, ensure your connection is secure - inputting details when connected to a public connection can lead to your details being stolen. So, by all means, play at an online casino using any connection, but only enter personal and banking details when connected to a connection that you can trust, such as your own Wi-Fi connection.

Keeping in Control of Your Gambling

Gambling online is loads of fun, however it can get out of control for some people. This is why we want you to be aware of the signs of gambling addiction, and urge you to stop playing if you feel that you're becoming addicted. Some of the signs that you could be developing a gambling addiction include:

•  Gambling with money you need
•  Becoming easily annoyed or irritable
•  Not spending time with friends and family
•  Stealing money to fund gambling
•  Being tired through gambling too much
•  Thinking about gambling all the time

If you want to find out more about the symptoms of gambling addiction – or if you want to find out how to get help – please take a look through our dedicated page on responsible gambling.

Above All Else - Have Fun!

The main reason to gamble online isn't to win money – it's to have as much fun as possible! So, try out all the different casino games, see which ones you like the most, and then try to become as good as possible at playing them! We'll help you to have as much fun as possible, by posting loads of useful information on an almost constant basis, ranging from strategy guides through to reviews of new and exciting online casinos.