How to Spot Online Gambling Scams

So you have signed up in an online gambling site, deposited money, made and won a bet. You try to collect your payout but the check does not arrive or no deposit has been made to your NeTeller account.

A couple of weeks pass, still no check or deposit. You kick and scream after finding out you've been a victim of online gambling scams.

There are varying degrees of scams when it comes to online gambling - some are devised as a way to collect your personal information and steal your identity. Others may be a little less than forthcoming with their payout terms - you have to know how to spot the potential for any form of deception.

Although you can usually weed out a scam gambling site with hours of internet research, who needs that when you want to gamble now? Here's a quick guide on how to spot online gambling scams.

1. The gambling site is brand-spanking new. Sure, even the biggest, most trustworthy sites were born sometime, but you shouldn't have played with them in their infancy, either! There are more sites that you should be wary of than sites you can feel comfortable with, and you'll never want to be the test case for a newly born scam site. Since this is such a dangerous world, stick to the trusted names with a history of good, honest service. Look the site up on review sites and forums. If it isn't there, it is probably too new to play at.

2. The casino has a very generic look to it. Online casinos are known for being either 1) garish or 2) slick in their designs. If the site is generic and boring, that should be a warning site. This means it was put up quickly, without a lot of thought. If the gambling site can't be bothered to come up with a strong brand of its own, it's not likely that they plan on sticking around much longer than it takes to steal your money.

3. The site's design or name is trying to confuse you. If you are familiar with an online gambling site named "Internet Casino A" that has a blue color scheme and images of gorillas all over the place, steer clear of "Internet Casino AA" that features gorillas playing on a blue background. If the site is trying to convince you that it's a different casino, then you should run the other way, since this is obviously a scam. (The one exception to this rule is sites that are affiliated with each other. Some brands have separate sites for its sportsbook or its casino, for example. These are OK, obviously, if its verifiable that the connection is valid.)

4. The casino's bonus offers seem desperate. There are going to be certain times of year when bonuses go up because the bid to get your business is more competitive. If it's a reasonable increase of their normal bonus during football season, for example, you shouldn't worry. If it's an obvious ploy to get your business that doesn't seem reasonable, you should really read the fine print to make sure you qualify for the bonus before you make your deposit.

5. A casino or sportsbook you have never heard of is flooding your inbox. Persistence shouldn't always pay off, especially when it comes to spam. If a casino is sending you multiple e-mails with too-good-to-be-true offers, then you should report them and delete the e-mails. Honest businesses won't risk the wrath of anti-spam laws (that can cost them jail time and huge fines) by engaging in mass e-mailing tactics.

6. The casino's "Terms of Use" are unclear or invisible. If you can't read and understand a full set of rules that the casino uses to govern its players, don't even think about depositing money with them. You have to know how you are expected to behave and how they will handle payouts and deposits, among other things. If any of that is not clear, you can't be sure that the casino will ever be adhering to any set of rules and therefore you can't trust them.

7. There is limited or no information on the ownership of the casino available. If you can't find basic info about the company that owns your online casino, such as its location and contact numbers, then you have a scam casino. This is standard and something you should expect from any casino.

8. The casino ownership has changed recently. A casino under new ownership (particularly new ownership that doesn't have a track record in the industry) might as well be a brand-spanking new casino.

9. The casino is hiding ties to other casinos. Most online casinos are part of a family of sites. Those that try to hide or obscure this information are probably trying to keep any damage from bad press isolated to one site, even though it should be a problem for the whole network. Many review sites and governing bodies will let you know what casinos are affiliated with each other, and you can compare that to the good sites that will let you know about their sister sites.

10. The customer service does not serve you. This may require a little more in depth research than the other items in this list - but only a call or an email. It's always a good idea to get a feel for the service you can expect from a casino before you have a problem. If they are unresponsive, don't get involved with them.

11. The casino is in a country that does not have a great track record with helping customers. If your casino is in Haiti, for example, they may be there for the express reason that there will be little legal recourse if you lose your money. It is best to deal with casinos in countries with a reputable history of online gambling.