Licensed sites have to comply with the rules and regulations laid down by their licensor, so they’re typically going to be much safe to use. Note that we said typically. Unfortunately, even a gambling license doesn’t 100% guarantee that a site is legit. Some licenses are so easy to get that they’re hardly even credible. Industry, as well as the gambling laws created to keep it running efficiently. While other nations across the planet swing wildly from one extreme to the other on the question of gambling, the citizens and lawmakers of Canada have managed to take an even-handed approach despite the allure of easy money.

• Safe Gambling Rules Card Game
• Sports Gambling Rules

There’s no doubt about it! Online gambling can be an
enjoyable and rewarding experience, but only if you use the
right sites. The sites you use must be both safe and
trustworthy, and unfortunately, finding these types of sites
isn’t always easy. That’s why we’ve gone out of our way to
compile the following list of the safest places to bet and play
online.

There are several reasons why some people are reluctant to
gamble online. High up on the list are concerns about safety.
The idea of depositing money at any type of gambling site can be
too daunting for some people to bear. They often wonder which
sites can be trusted, if any at all.

Surprisingly, the truth is that most gambling sites are safe.
There are a few rogue operators around unfortunately, but they
ARE in the minority and relatively easy to avoid. The fact that
they even exist, though, highlights the importance of being
selective when deciding which sites to use.

This is one of the fundamental reasons why we run
GamblingSites.org. We rank the leading gambling sites in a
variety of different categories, to help our readers find the
best places to bet and play. We take many factors into account
when making our recommendations, and safety is undoubtedly one
of the most important. Every single site is carefully assessed
before we even consider including them in our rankings, and only
those that we would feel comfortable depositing at ourselves
make the cut.

The sites that we’ve listed on this page are those that we
believe have earned the right to be called the most trustworthy
sites around. We have absolutely no hesitation in recommending
them, and we are confident you’ll have a positive experience at
any one of them. We recognize that you might like to learn more
about what they have to offer before signing up though, which is
why we have a comprehensive review section. This features
detailed and honest reviews of all the sites listed above, along
with all the ones we recommend in other categories.

Please note that the options we’ve listed on this page are
the safest “all in one” gambling sites. These are the right
places to choose if you tend to indulge in a range of different
gambling activities, as they can accommodate to all of them. If
you’re only interested in one specific form of gambling,
however, then a specialist site may be the better option.

Also on This Page

Regulation and Licensing

The online gambling industry is a truly global one. Companies
have emerged in a plethora of different countries all over the
world, which means people from all over the world have an
opportunity to experience them. This all has been made possible
thanks to the Internet. The only downside here is the fact that
laws and regulations differ so much from one region to the next.

There is no single set of laws that governs online gambling
on a global scale. In fact, most countries have their own
relevant legislation. In many regions, though, this legislation
is complex and often fails to make it clear exactly what’s legal
and what’s not. Some regions even rely on decades old gambling
legislation that was introduced long before the Internet even
existed.

Confusing legislation in some parts of the world is one of
the reasons why so many companies choose to operate somewhere
else. This means that the only option for residents of certain
countries is to use betting and gaming sites that are based
overseas, and this is a big part of why so many people have
concerns about the safety of online gambling. Quite
understandably, they don’t feel particularly comfortable
entrusting their funds to a faceless company that’s located in a
country they may have never even known existed.

Although there’s no single organization that regulates the
industry worldwide, there are several parts of the world where
operating gambling sites is both completely legal and fully
regulated. These regions are typically referred to as online
gambling jurisdictions, and the majority of companies in the
industry base themselves in these locations.

There’s usually an official government approved licensing
authority within these jurisdictions, which has complete
responsibility for issuing licenses to companies wishing to
provide online gambling services. Companies must be properly
licensed to be able to operate legally, and they must adhere to
specific rules and regulations in order to keep their licenses.

These jurisdictions and licensing authorities exist to help
legitimize the online gambling industry. They enable people to
choose sites that are properly licensed, so that they don’t have
to worry about whether or not they can trust the company their
dealing with.

You can read more about this subject in
our article explaining how online gambling is regulated and
governed. You may also be interested in our section on gambling
laws, as this includes details of the major licensing
authorities in the industry.

Regulatory Requirements

Regulation of the online gambling industry only serves a
purpose if it actually protects the consumers. There’s no point
in having any regulation at all unless it ensures that sites are
operated in an ethical and fair manner. Thankfully, the
established and reputable licensing authorities do generally
impose strict rules on the sites that they license.

The exact regulatory requirements vary from one jurisdiction
to the next, but they typically include everything in this list.

• Fit & Proper Person Test
• Segregation of Customer Funds
• Software Testing
• Auditing
• Dispute Management Process

Let’s explore each of these in more detail.

Fit and Proper Person Test

A fit and proper person test is basically just a fancy way of
saying that the individuals responsible for running gambling
companies have to prove themselves. In most jurisdictions, the
owner or owners of a company will have to undergo certain checks
before their company will be issued with a license. If they have
a criminal record, are not financially sound, or have been
involved in any kind of shady activity, they may be deemed
unsuitable. This particular requirement helps to keep sleazy
characters out of the industry.

Segregation of Customer Funds

A common safety concern relating to online gambling is the
fear of deposited money being lost if a company goes out of
business. This isn’t something to worry about with licensed
sites, as they are usually required to keep all customer funds
entirely separate from their own funds. This should mean that
all customers of a site would still get their balances back in
full even if it goes bankrupt.

Software Testing

Safe Gambling Rules Card Game

This requirement applies to sites that offer any type of
gambling games, such as casino games or poker. One of the
biggest concerns among people playing such games online is
whether they are fair or not. They worry that the games might be
fixed somehow, to ensure that they lose money. Although such
concerns are understandable, they are also largely unfounded.

There have been a few cases of unethical operators cheating
their customers in some way, but licensed sites have to have
their game software tested and approved by third parties. This
testing process ensures that all the games being offered are
fair, meaning they produce random results.

Auditing

Licensed sites are generally subject to regular auditing.
This is also carried out by approved third parties, and is
effectively another line of protection for customers. An audit
will typically include checking that random number generators
are working correctly where relevant, that game payouts are in
line with statistical expectations, and that funds are properly
segregated. Various other checks are often included as well.

Dispute Management Process

Regardless of how good a gambling site is, there will always
be occasions when a customer has some kind of dispute or
complaint. This is entirely normal, but what’s important is how
a site deals with these situations. A formal complaint procedure
is usually a requirement of licensing agencies. Likewise, any
disputes that cannot be resolved are then passed on to the
relevant licensing authority.

How We Assess Safety

We use several methods for assessing the safety of online
gambling destinations. Each one of these methods provides us
with some indication of how safe a site is, and by combining
them all we can get a very clear picture of the overall levels
of safety.

The first thing we do is look at whether a site is properly
licensed. They should be fully licensed for any and all of the
gambling activities that they offer, and any site that isn’t
cannot even be considered for our rankings. We also factor in
where they are licensed too, as some jurisdictions and licensing
authorities are more reputable than others. A site licensed in
the Isle of Man, for example, would generally be considered
safer than one licensed in Costa Rica. This isn’t an absolute
rule though, as there are some perfectly trustworthy sites
located in the less reputable jurisdictions.

How long a site has been operating for is also an important
factor. There’s no set number of years in business we look for,
but we prefer sites with a long history rather than a site fresh
on the market. We would never rule a site out, though, just
because it’s new.

TThe rest of the methods we use are all based around
additional research and practical testing. We won’t go into the
full details here, but trust us when we say that we do
everything we possibly can to ensure the legitimacy of a site
before including it in our rankings. We only ever make
recommendations when we are 100% convinced that they are safe to
use.

Safe Online Gambling From America

The matter of online safety is important regardless of where
you live. It’s something that’s particularly relevant to
American gamblers though, as the online gambling laws in the
United States are some of the most complex in the world.
Although the laws themselves are aimed at those operating
gambling sites and not those who use them, they still have a
significant impact on anyone wishing to gamble online.

This is because, as a direct result of US gambling
legislation, many of the most reputable licensing authorities
around the world won’t license sites that accept US customers.
The influence of the US government stretches far and wide, and
some jurisdictions choose to comply with the American gambling
laws even though they aren’t technically obligated to.

Sports Gambling Rules

For this reason, many of the sites that do accept US
customers are based in fairly obscure locations. Although most
of these locations still have strict regulation in place, some
of them are a little more relaxed. This means that Americans
have to be especially vigilant when it comes to choosing where
to bet and play. There’s no need to be overly worried. Safe
sites that accept US customers do exist. We have chosen the best
of these sites for our rankings.

Tips for Staying Safe Online

There are several things you can do to stay safe online, such
as using passwords that are hard to guess and installing
anti-virus software to protect against your accounts getting
hacked. Our number one tip for staying safe is as follows
though.

It’s a simple fact that using a safe gambling site will
protect you against most of the risks associated with online
gambling. If you stick with reputable and trustworthy operators,
then the chances of anything going wrong are actually very low.
The only real risk that’s left it is possible to lose money, and
that’s ultimately within your control. If you gamble
responsibly, and only spend what you can afford, then this
doesn’t need to be an issue for you.

Our gambling guide contains an article
that is full of advice for ensuring your online safety, so you
might like to take a look at this for a more detailed look at
how you can protect yourself when gambling online.

General Gambling Information and Advice

Staying safe is very important when gambling online, as we’ve
already highlighted. However, you need to know more than just
how to stay safe if you’re going to have the best possible
online gambling experience. You should also learn as much as you
can about gambling in general, as this can enhance your overall
experience and even improve your chances of winning some money.

The following sections of our websites aren’t directly
related to your safety when gambling online, but we want to let
you know about them anyway. They each feature a wide range of
information and advice, and we strongly suggest taking a look
through at least some of what they have to offer.

Complete Gambling Guide

A complete guide to gambling is a comprehensive resource that
covers all aspects of both gambling in general and gambling
online. It’s incredibly useful for anyone who is completely new
to gambling, and there’s plenty to interest more experienced
gamblers as well.

Sports Betting Guide

This section of our website is specifically focused on
betting on sports. There’s a beginner’s guide for those new to
betting, and a number of articles explaining essential betting
related information. There’s also lots of strategy advice,
provided by expert bettors.

Casino Guide

Casino games are one of the most popular forms of gambling,
and also one of the best in terms of the fun and sheer
excitement they have to offer. This guide will teach you
everything you could possibly want to know about playing in both
online casinos and land based venues.

Poker Guide

Our poker guide is aimed at everyone with an interest in
playing the game, whether they are beginners, seasoned players,
or somewhere in between. There’s a complete introduction
covering all the basics of the game, information and advice for
playing online, and a comprehensive strategy section.