Technology can be your friend when it comes to protecting yourself online
There is an entertainment side to sports betting. It is naturally appealing as punters try and pick out their winning selections to bank some profit. But there is another side to online wagering.
Doing any kind of business online from shopping to banking and playing at bookmakers at match.center/za comes with a degree of risk. At some point, you are sharing personal and financial details over the internet.
The backbone of enjoying sports betting needs to be built on the platform of security. That is a topic that covers many different things. How do you keep yourself safe while betting on sports?
Licenced sports betting sites
Find an online betting site that is licensed and regulated in your jurisdiction. In some instances, it is possible to play at overseas betting sites, but it is advisable to look for operators that are licensed locally.
Bookmakers have to abide by the rules and regulations that are set out, covering things such as fair gambling, player protection, data collection and payment security to obtain and keep an operating licence.
Players therefore should always check out any licensing, which should be listed on a site, because that adds a layer of protection.
Site security and connections
Technology can be your friend when it comes to protecting yourself online. When you register with an account, ensure that you are on a secure connection. Look for the little padlock in the address bar of your browser, which means that any information that is transmitted between you and the site can’t get picked up by anyone else while it is in transit.
The connection itself that you use should only be your private one and avoid any unsecured public Wi-Fi, which can leave you far more vulnerable.
Account information
When you are setting up an online betting account, ensure that this too is done on a secure connection. Don’t do it in public either, where someone could be looking over your shoulder! To create the betting site account you will have to enter your name, date of birth and address, information which can be gold for identity thieves.
Do your part in keeping things safe by setting up a secure password — one that isn’t easily guessable. There are very good password programmes that can be downloaded to your computer or mobile device, or simply added as an extension to your browser. These can securely store passwords and generate strong ones as well.
Use technology to strengthen security. It can include a VPN and antivirus software. Set up Two-Factor Authentication on your account, so that whenever you log in, you will also have to put in a generated code sent to your phone or email.
Betting apps can usually be locked by a PIN Code or Biometrics. Never set anything for an auto-login as that could be just handing someone a key to your info, and remember to log out completely if you are on a shared computer.
Secure payment
A good approach to online payments when available is to use an e-wallet. Setting one up means that your bank is directly linked to that payment platform. Then, when the e-wallet is used to deposit to the betting site, none of your financial details are passed on.
That’s not to say things like bank transfers and debit cards are not secure, but think about layering the security brick by brick.
Scam awareness
Something that is often overlooked is phishing communications. When setting up a betting account you are going to need to receive communications via email and/or mobile phone, for things like account verification and notifications.
Whitelist communication email addresses from the bookmaker. Do not click on any suspicious emails. If you are unsure about the legitimacy of an email, just go straight to the website by putting the address into the web browser or log in to the bookmaker’s app.
If a bookie is trying to contact you, you will have a notification in your account. Don’t click on any links from emails or text messages that you don’t know, and never give your password to anyone; not even a bookmaker’s customer service will ever ask for your account password.
In conclusion
While you are going to rely on the bookmaker doing their part for online security, the user must do due diligence as well. It is on the user’s end that things are more vulnerable, as people tend to use easy passwords or don’t have a PIN code set up on their devices. Protect yourself in every way possible so that your online betting experience is enjoyable.