Casino rigging is a system of strategy and skill used by gamblers to influence the outcome of casino table games to favour the individual.

Casino rigging is about cheating and has been something to plague casino strips across the world for decades, notoriously within the infamous Las Vegas strip.

It involves various techniques, such as card counting, which can be practiced before and between games, or “tailoring” the bet sizes, which can only be done during the game. These methods so far are focused on players trying to ‘rig’ their chances of beating the casino unfairly, but many of you will be asking whether online casinos could be rigged.

This would be considered to be an unscrupulous and also illegal tactic. Is there though any evidence of casino rigging?

Some people believe that casinos rig their games in order to cheat players out of their winnings, however, there is no concrete evidence to support this.

While it is possible that some casinos may engage in such practices, it is more likely that any rigging that occurs is done on an individual basis, rather than being systematic.

Online casinos are audited, and often. They undergo strict regulations, controls, and checks. An online casino can be shut down and fined heavily for illegal practices.

Casino odds are always weighted in favour of the casino. This has always been the case and how casinos operate and make money.

The fun is trying to beat the casino odds, have a great night and walk away with more money in the pocket than you started out with.

The real scams in the industry are the unregulated online casinos, those setup with a sole intention of taking your money and running.

If you are concerned the online casino you have signed up for isn’t legitimate, then withdraw all of your funds and close your account.

There are many reputable million and billion dollar online casinos where you can stake your money, safe in the knowledge your funds will be accessible the next time you log in.

Reality is though, casinos are not rigged. It isn’t worth their business or millions of dollars in fines to do so.

How are online casinos regulated?

It isn’t easy to set up an online casino. There are regulations to adhere to and licenses to be approved for before you can legitimately launch.

This is typical where money is gambled or invested to protect consumers.

To understand whether online casinos could be rigged it is worth understanding what a casino has to go through in order to launch their business, and also what ongoing controls and checks are in place.

This analysis and due diligence is also another way to check out any online casino site you are considering joining, to avoid being scammed or rigged through an unlicensed casino site.

Further on in this article we will look at some of the most reputable online casinos where brand is certainly more important than rigging or scamming.

Gambling has become a major industry in the United Kingdom. In 2017, around 350 million-pounds worth of bets were placed at the UK’s 750 casinos.

The most well-known of these casinos in the UK is Grosvenor Casinos which was established and launched as a business in 1996.

They needed to obtain a license to do so. In the UK, this must be provided by the UK Gambling Commission run by the UK Government – here is a link to their website

Any type of business who would like to set up any type of gambling, or gaming for cash business, must receive a full and approved license from the Gambling Commission, which includes Camelot who have ran the National Lottery from 1994 to the present day.

This is also a great resource to check out the legitimacy of an online casino, as you can search the license number shown on their website (another legal requirement) into the Gambling Commission website to see who the license is registered to, and whether it matches the details of the online casino.

Online casinos would come under the Remote Gambling and Software Technical Standards (RTS) within sections 89 and 97 of the Gambling Act of 2005.

This is an intensely night-time read but it explains the extremely controlled regulation every online casino would need to adhere to including how random numbers are generated, to display odds and chances of winning with clear transparency etc.

None of the legitimate big brand online casinos would risk a fine from the UK Gambling Commission (who regularly fine institutions for millions of pounds) by rigging their systems.

Penalties for casino rigging

The penalties for breaking the license agreement and not adhering to the Gambling Act of 2005 are swift and harsh.

Millions of pounds in fines, and possibility of business closure, are all risks associated with bad casino practises.

As mentioned earlier you are more likely to be scammed through an unregulated, unknown online casino promises huge no deposits and free plays, then a large known reputable casino business.

This is why it is always advised to keep playing with the known companies in the space, and not with social media viral posts of huge earnings, amazing pay-outs and promises that sound too good to be true!

How to find safe online casinos

Gambling online has become a popular pastime and gaming industry but finding a safe and reputable online casino can be a daunting task.

The United Kingdom’s governing body for the online gambling industry, the Gambling Commission, is responsible for regulating some 92% of gambling sites in the UK.

They do this by enforcing a strict code of conduct, as I mentioned earlier, which includes a strict 18 rating policy.

Age verification is harder online or course but can be done with the scanning of official documentation such as a passport and driving license, as well as a debit card or PayPal account.

This helps but of course isn’t conclusive.

To help, here is a selection of known brand online casino sites. These online casinos have been specifically picked due to their brand reputation, time in the casino industry and sizeable market capital which can help any casino weather harder times.

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