✅ Safe Casinos Are Always Licensed

Let us begin by looking for the most fundamental aspect of safety and security at online casinos – the license.

A certified authority will license all top online casinos.

These are many types of licenses – some more ideal than others.

Any license is, in effect, better than no license, but with thousands of casinos to choose from, you can certainly afford to be picky about where your casino is licensed out of.

We’ll look more at the individual licensing authorities in a few moments.

✅ Tested and Verified by Third Parties

Safe casinos will always be tested and verified by third parties.

This may involve companies such as TST (Technical Systems Testing) or iTech Labs running the rule over a casino.

Alternatively, several other third parties may test and validate a site.

As long as a casino is tested by established third party regulators and independent auditors, it is likely to be safer than most.

✅ Seals of Approval and Certifications

There is another type of certification you can look for, too.

Third-party affiliate websites such as Casino Meister (and many others) regularly give their seal of approvals to casinos they have examined.

They may provide unbiased and fair reviews and certifications.

These groups may also bestow fair play and security awards upon the most trusted casinos.

✅ RNG-Certified and Independently Verified Games

The safest online casinos will also carry the fairest games. They will have their RTP (return to player) rates, and payout percentages checked and verified.

Never play a game which has an RTP of lower than 90%; in fact, most should be above 94%.

Each game will have been tested to ensure that it is fair.

Moreover, safe casinos will likely offer games from a variety of providers, with slots of all sorts of volatility levels found across the board to ensure that there is something for everyone.

Independent auditors and regulars will also verify these games.

If you are playing at a cryptocurrency casino, the Provably Fair hallmark is something to keep an eye out for.

✅ Fast (but Safe) Account Verification and KYC Process

The KYC (know your customer) process is a standard procedure at the safest casinos.

You can quickly clear this hurdle by submitting documents which prove your identity and address, as well as providing a proof of payment.

The basic purpose of the KYC system is to protect against money laundering, underage gambling and identity fraud.

Any safe casino will make this process fast and as non-invasive as possible. In casinos which are licensed by the most reputable authorities, the KYC process is mandatory.

✅ Responsible Gaming Is Taken Seriously

Casinos licensed by the leading gambling authorities will also ensure that responsible gambling policies are in place.

Amongst the things that you are going to want to keep an eye out for are fair terms and conditions on promotions, as well as the right to opt-out of promos.

Casinos will also have reasonable withdrawal limits.

Speaking of limits; it is the responsibility of any safe casino to provide responsible gaming tools such as deposit, wager and loss limits.

You can also expect to be able to set limits on the amount of time you play, and trigger cool-down or self-exclusion periods if gambling becomes too much of a burden.

Finally, the most reputable and safe online casinos will also be affiliated with problem gambling platforms such as GamCare, Gamblers Anonymous and others.

Again, this is mandatory for casinos licensed out by the best and most reputable gambling authorities.