Across the globe, online casinos keep gaining traction as more people realise just how convenient these platforms are. But it’s not just players who are tapping into their benefits. Governments, especially in the US, are also realising that these sites offer a host of economic and social benefits. For example, the increase in the number of Delaware online casinos has benefited both the state and the residents. But for these mutual benefits to remain sustainable, casino operators have had to employ various strategies to ensure that their sites are safe. We look at the most effective measures to date.
How Are Players Staying Safe?
The online casino industry hinges on trust. Consumers must trust that the sites are legitimate, and governments must trust that the casino operators are engaging in lawful and ethical practices. To kill two birds with one stone, casino operators have used the following strategies:
Fraud Detection with AI Features
While most players sign up for online casinos with the intention of playing games and perhaps making some money, others do not have such genuine intentions. As such, in the past, casinos have been riddled with problems such as:
- Using multiple accounts to exploit bonuses.
- Cheating in games, e.g., playing against themselves.
- Using the sites as platforms for money laundering.
Before machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) were available, casinos had to do a lot of groundwork to determine which activities were legal and which ones were suspicious. But now, they can use algorithms that continuously vet players’ activities and flag anything that seems to be an anomaly. This way, the casino staff can review the said activities and take measures as guided by the licensing requirements.
Blockchain-Facilitated Games and Transactions
With so much data flowing between players and casinos, it’s unsurprising that many cybercriminals try to intercept transactions as they occur. Casino sites have been able to thwart this by incorporating blockchain in their payments. This technology allows players to make and receive payments through cryptocurrencies – these transactions are fast, affordable, convenient, and secure. As a result, players do not have to share their personal information, nor do they have to worry about their financial details getting into the wrong hands.
But casino sites do not just use this technology to facilitate financial transactions. They also use it to reinforce the security of their games. Thanks to the immutable ledger, nobody can change the game’s payouts or other features after a player has placed a wager. As such, even if another player wanted to change the outcome by intercepting the game, this would not be possible.
Thanks to this multi-pronged approach, players can trust that the game’s results are fair. Moreover, they can enjoy speedy payments.
Multi-Factor Authentication
In the past, strong passwords were enough to secure an online casino account. But now, cybercriminals have software that can crack such passwords fast. As such, casinos have now integrated multi-factor authentication processes to ensure that players identify themselves through secondary means if they sign in from unknown devices or locations. For example, if a player often logs in through their desktop but someone tries to access their account through a smartphone, the site would ask the player to verify that they were behind the new login. Such verification often takes place by entering a code sent to the player’s primary phone number or email address. In some cases, the site may require the player to register their fingerprint or face for biometrics. Thanks to these additional measures, a cybercriminal cannot access a player’s account with just their password, and this makes it much harder to gain unauthorised access to accounts.
Behavior Analytics
Machine learning has the ability to understand a player’s key patterns when it comes to things such as:
- The size of their wagers.
- The size of their withdrawals.
- The frequency of their gaming.
These and other factors enable the algorithm to determine when a player’s behaviour deviates from the norm. If the change is extensive enough to raise an alarm, the machine learning algorithm flags the account, which prompts the casino staff to investigate the changes, ensuring that accounts remain safe from unauthorised users.
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