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Online gambling has grown to be a multi-billion dollar industry over the past decade, as players flock to their desktops and mobile devices to spin the reels, place a bet on the match, or play a hand of poker. As the industry grows, so do concerns that the underworld of the internet will get their claws into casinos, victimizing both operators and the players who visit these sites.
In the last two years there has already been numerous stories this year of hackers stealing information from land and online casinos, and cyber criminals extorting online casino sites, threatening them with large Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks if they don’t pay up. In fact, internet information site Daze Info has posted story revealing that 9 out of 20 online casinos have been victimized by DDoS attacks in the past, with 3 in 4 being attacked more than once, 9 in 10 being attacked in the last year, and 1 in 10 being attacked within the past week. These types of events are growing in number, and owners of betting sites and players need to be very concerned and take important steps to protect themselves.
Unfortunately, this is not necessarily what is happening, as there are multiple casinos that are in operation that are putting your personal information at risk by failing to take simple steps to protect themselves, be it by purchasing protection services from DDoS attacks or by securing the information passed through their casino by utilizing encryption technology.
Taking these steps isn’t necessarily difficult as internet betting site Casino Listings points out that obtaining a certificate and enabling Secured Sockets Layer technology is relatively cheap and painless in its implementation. SSL is the preferred mode of most websites for protecting information, as it encrypts your username, password, personal details, and payment information. This is very important because information you send from your computer passes through various servers in locations throughout the world before it ultimately hits the casino, and unprotected data could be hijacked at any point in the process or recorded onto a log, which can then be stolen later.
What we are beginning to see more and more of in the online betting industry are casino operators who are not protecting themselves (or you) at all. Casino Listings has published a list of the different casinos it has found to be unsecure in one way or another with the hope of players avoiding these sites and selecting a spot that is more secure.
So what can players do to protect themselves from hackers and casinos that are acting in a negligent manner? We feel the solution is a rather simple one: Avoid playing at casinos that don’t encrypt their systems. Identifying safe casinos to play at is a relatively simple process for players, who need only look to their internet browser’s address bar to see if the site is secure. If the login and banking screens show a lock, then the site is protected and you are safe to send information. If the site does not show a lock, your best bet is to stay away.
Players who find a casino that they believe is unsafe should find a website that can assist them in verifying that claim and finding a safe spot to play. There are countless resources on the internet that can assist players in this regard, including Wizard of Odd and Latest Casino Bonuses. These sites can also help put the word out to other players, protecting them in advance and urging unsafe casinos to take the time to protect themselves and players.
