The games that are popular in casinos are some of the oldest games in the world. From roulette to blackjack they have evolved from ancient pastimes played across the globe for hundreds of years.

But players of those earliest forms of games in the business such as poker and bingo would barely recognise their favourites in the amazing world of today’s online casinos.

With the fabulous graphics, enticing soundtracks and state-of-the-art technology, these casino sites have become so slick, attractive and reliable they are making playing games more popular than ever before.

Today’s players can easily choose to play poker online whenever and wherever they fancy a hand. Great games like bingo, slots and blackjack are never more than a few taps away.

The online casinos are the result of a technological revolution. These are highly innovative internet operations – and it has created a brilliant entertainment opportunity for gamers.

More and more players are being attracted to join this online gaming world. Whether you are a gaming pro or a worried beginner, it’s the big form of entertainment that everyone is talking about.

The leading online casinos have tried very hard to gain a slice of the booming market that is potentially very profitable. They’ve worked hard and invested heavily to make their sites look good, work smoothly – and most importantly give great security to all their clients.

This was one of the main stumbling blocks that online operators had to face when trying to attract players to their new sites. Many users were initially distrustful of sites that required them to register financial details before playing.

In an online world that is rife with scams, thieves and hackers all the gaming operators have managed to overcome player’s fears. 

They’ve done this by using some of the most sophisticated security technology in the world. It still pays to be cautious though.

Here are some of the things to look for when playing any type of games online:

• If you are playing with strangers, double-check that someone is who they say they are. 

Be aware that other players may not be there to play. They may be there to try to steal personal information, hack into any of your accounts and steal from your financial data.
Don’t share personal or financial data unless you are sure the recipient is a trusted user.

• If you find that you or your children are feeling uncomfortable about something another player has said or done, don’t be embarrassed to block or report them. This is the way that the internet will become a safer environment for everyone to use.

• Your account registration at any game or casino contains a useful amount of personal information to a thief. Your name, address, email and credit card number could be enough for them to steal your identity.
  So be particularly careful in public situations, when using airport or hotel wi-fi for example. These forms of internet connection are not usually encrypted.

• Always choose very secure strong passwords. Don’t fall into the trap of always using the same easy-to-remember password based on your birthday or house number.
  An amazing number of people even select something like ‘password123’ to safeguard their gaming account – not thinking that exactly the same password also protects their bank accounts too.

• Consider using a VPN, or virtual private network, to keep your identity safe. This is a clever way of sending your internet connection through a secure anonymous server.
  A VPN will mask your identity and prevents anyone else viewing what you do online. It is especially useful if you do a lot of your gaming on unencrypted public wi-fi, like in cafes and bars.
  The VPN system will encrypt all your internet traffic, keeping you safe and secure from hacking.

• Beware of downloading a cheat program from the internet.
  This might look like a fun way to jump to the next level in a game you are playing. But it could be a dangerous shortcut that actually contains malicious viruses or spyware to infect your device.

• Many experienced players decide to use a made-up username. They still have to register in the normal way with the casino operator but this information should be securely encrypted by them.

What isn’t encrypted though is the name they play under – that can be seen by all the other players. If it’s your real name, others may be able to compromise your identity and use it to harm you in some way.

• Always choose the proper version of a game – don’t risk using a cheap, free or pirated version. It’s not only a form of stealing from the rightful owners, these can cause a lot of trouble with no updates and plenty of bugs.

Worse still it could be a way of hackers or thieves gaining access into your digital world. It could contain malicious malware that could destroy or steal your data.

• Finally make sure that if you have children you use the parental controls on any internet devices they use. Where you draw the line is up to you of course – but there should be a line.

Otherwise under-age users will be able to access inappropriate and dangerous content. They will also be vulnerable online.
Lastly they may inadvertently compromise your whole system security… by NOT following any of the security advice above.