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Are Awful Gambling Scams Still Common?

Though there have been plenty of scams at brick and mortar casinos, gambling scams are really a thing of the internet age. Obtaining a gambler's personal or banking details has been a common activity for years. Though sites have been proactive in putting up barriers against scammers, without any data on the numbers caught, it's hard to say if these measures are effective. It's always good practice to do your homework about each site. This is in order to discover how best to protect yourself.

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Are Awful Gambling Scams Still Common?

Gambling scams have been around since the first Neanderthal threw a handful of bones on the ground betting for food. And they are still around after all these years. Many gamblers will have a story concerning various levels of scams, more especially as we’re living in the age of the internet. And though several regulators and providers claim to be trying their hardest to both track down and prosecute offenders, just like a game of “whack-a-mole”, the moment you bash one, then another appears somewhere else. To that end, we don’t think that gambling scams are going away any time soon.

Though we’re all aware that gambling scams exist, the real question is just how prevalent are they? While the casinos and government agencies are forever claiming successes when it comes to the discovery and prosecution of scammers, the number of scams seems to remain the same. So are the number of scams receding, or are scammers getting better at their trade and being caught out less and less? In the 1940s and 50s, we imagine that very few would consider scamming the local casino was a good idea. There were very different forms of unofficial punishments being dealt out to perpetrators. No one wants to find themselves sinking to the bottom of the harbour wearing a pair of concrete shoes!

Gambling Scams not Reported

A factor that makes it difficult to track gambling scams, is that by their nature, they are hidden and only surface if a gambler files a complaint. Many a time, the punter playing jackpot games will put his loss down to bad luck. At other times, even when it’s obvious that there was foul play, many gamblers are reluctant to report their experiences to the authorities. More often than not, this is due to the perceived shame at being caught out, along with the negativity that goes hand in hand with gambling as a whole. Having said that, we find 22Bet Casino to be a reliable partner, with a great emphasis of customer security.

Today, many of the scams are connected with internet gambling. More often than not, the victim doesn’t realise that he’s been scammed until his credit card statement appears at the end of the month, even though he may have been following online jackpot rules. We’ve made a list of some basic safety tips for beginners.

Gambling Scams – Facts and Figures

Before taking a deeper look into the state of scamming within the gambling industry, it might be worth checking out what reputable authorities have to say about it. In truth, it’s difficult to find reliable data concerning gambling scams in the US. One of the major problems comes with how different states collect and store their crime data. Different states have different laws governing what may and may not be archived, as well as different rules concerning the overall legality of gambling, let alone any gambling crimes.

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So, though states may make claims to take gambling scams seriously, we can’t see how they can do so without being able to collate and study the correct data if they don’t have standardised rules on its collection.

The Gambling Industry Claims to be Making Inroads

The gambling industry is quick to point out that today’s gambler, searching for sites to win the jackpot, is safer than at any time in the history of gambling. But this type of statement fails to address the number of gambling scams that go on today. On the whole, the industry can’t afford to paint itself anything other than tough on scams and tough on the sources of scamming. But at the same time, to highlight the real amount of scamming that’s going on, would show the industry was actually either being weak or not caring about the victims.

In the Innovation’s 2019 Gambling industry Report, they claimed that “cheating and game abuse” stood at around 55% in 2017. But the rate of growth had slowed down to 12% a year later. They then go ahead and pat themselves on the back for being responsible for this fall in numbers.

Gambling Scams – More Proactive Regulation?

One thing that has been changing over the last 10 years or so, is that all online casinos are falling under the auspices of gambling authorities. Gaining a gambling license from one of the various gambling commissions does appear to be a given for any new casino entering the online marketplace. This certainly adds several layers of customer protection and makes the work of the scammer that much more difficult. In the US, until relatively recently, all sports betting was so heavily regulated, that no sports betting was to be found anywhere. The existence of the PASPA (Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992) meant that all sports betting was illegal, apart from in very specific areas.

Better Online Security

The act was repealed in 2018 which allowed a larger audience to participate in gambling. But the culture that the act created, continued in the form of higher standards of security and with an eye on customer satisfaction. To that end, there’s still a requirement for all US-based gambling entities to file various reports on many aspects of their ongoing businesses to state-level authorities. Though, again, we have no idea if these actions have any effect on the state of scamming and fraud. Unfortunately, casinos cannot be compelled to provide the most important data that would allow lawmakers to see the real picture.

We can’t help but feel, that as long as the casinos are making bank, then they don’t care about the elements of criminal activity that permeate through the business. After all, these are losses experienced by the customer, not the casino itself. If it were the other way around, with the casino suffering, then you can bet your last dollar, that they would be more active in stamping out any criminal elements.

Gambling Scams – Review Sites

It could be argued that the internet has allowed much more scamming to take place. The web is a difficult place to police, with new sites and criminal protocols appearing almost daily. But we can see that though the casinos only like to blow hot and cold, it’s the punters themselves who are beginning to take a greater interest in their well being. A prime example is the existence of the review site. These have grown in both popularity and number. Thanks to sites like these, which make an issue of highlighting the scams and crimes that affect their members, have been more influential in tackling fraud than anything the casinos have ever done.

It’s thanks to sites like these, that players can do their research and make knowledgeable decisions about which sites are more secure and reputable. Use them to find the best casino site to play. Sites like 22Bet Casino which offers the best in leading-edge technology and security.

And it’s because these sites are user-maintained, as opposed to having a particular casino company standing behind them, that gamblers can feel free to post their own unfortunate experiences dealing with gambling scams, without having to keep one eye on a sponsor. This user honesty, with the naming of companies who have lax security or simply don’t care about their customers, helps reduce the risk of other players falling into the same traps. In some ways, it’s the players or customers who are making the web a safer place for online gambling.

It’s Easier to Report Scams

Maybe another important factor is that the various authorities now make reporting cases of fraud and online shenanigans that much more simple. With just a couple of clicks of the mouse, a gambler can pull up all the relevant authorities who are dealing with online crime. They can approach the regulators straightforwardly and easily. Going back a few years, there were only very poor mechanisms for reporting online criminal activity. Today there are still no public figures for the number, or even types, of crime reported from customers and users. But the consensus is that by allowing reports to be made much easier, there should be a greater uptake of the reporting facilities.

Conclusion – Are Awful Gambling Scams Still Common?

Unfortunately, gambling scams will always be with us. No matter what a regulator or law enforcement proposes, the scammer is just a step in front. Though on the face of it the internet is an easy medium to understand, there’s a level of complexity behind every web page that the average punter would find impossible to comprehend. And it’s in this dark grey area that the fraudsters and scammer lay in wait. We suggest that you always do as much homework as possible before parting with your cash in the form of a casino deposit. Check out all the gambling forums and review sites. Be thorough in your approach as it’s your security that’s at stake.