Thursday, January 3, 2008

Lower Your Online Gambling Risks

Online gambling has many risks.

Aside from the risks of the game is the possibility of scams and frauds. The internet reaches far and wide and it is no wonder that some have found ways to cheat us out of the money that we’ve worked hard for.

Therefore, you should know if the online casino you’re entering is legitimate. Modern technology can make this a difficult task. Scammers need only to copy the layouts of legitimate casinos and adopt them as their own, including memberships and certifications. Logos and banners are very easy to copy (ever hear of photoshop?) so be wary of relying on these.

The best way to make sure that you don’t get scammed is to only go to online casinos approved by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. If you get invited to a site you are not familiar with, look up their certifications and make sure that these are legitimate. You can do this by doing a check of the authority certifying the site, checking with the Kahnawake commission, or even "Googleing"(tm) the site name to find reviews. You can also do a quick search of online gaming organizations' memberships. Scammers don't usually take the time to become members of these organizations because they are usually up and running for only short periods of time before they shut down one site and move on to the next.

Once you have found a legitimate site, you still have the risks inherent in the game itself. There are two ways to deal with these risks. The first way is to learn by doing. It's an excellent way to learn, but it's also the most expensive. It can be so expensive that you give up before you really get started. A better way is to read books by various experts and pros to learn basic strategy and theory. There are also forums you can join to meet with and learn from other players. Whatever your gaming interest, there's a forum for you.

Gambling should be primarily recreational entertainment. Taking the time to learn the game and taking care to patronize only legitimate sites will go a long way towards eliminating scams and frauds and making your gaming experience more enjoyable.

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