Since the turn of the millennium hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested into the development of online casinos. The internet has allowed the biggest expansion in gambling since the early 20th century when the state of Nevada legalised casino betting and gambling.
The result of that online expansion is a thriving, mixed and enticing market for consumers, although that does come with its pitfall. For every trusted, reputable and reliable online casino provider there are unscrupulous and dishonest providers looking to scam you out of your money.
In this article we examine how Apple Pay can protect your money online and minimize your stress levels.
Online betting scams
There are hundreds, if not thousands of scams on the internet designed to take advantage of naïve gamblers. Unfortunately we cannot cover every single angle in this article, so here are a small selection of popular scams to look out for.
Lottery wins
Some fraudsters will try to trick you into giving out your personal information or paying a small fee in exchange for a lottery prize which doesn’t exist. These type of scams will usually come through email and are easy to spot, however there are more sophisticated lottery scams.
Fraudulent gambling sites will often alert you to lottery prizes which must be claimed on a different site. Whilst these notifications may seem enticing, remember that they are too good to be true.
Trading gambles
One of the newest and most common scams involves financial trading which offers binary, gambling options. There are thousands of sites purporting to offer specialist advice on the stock market and facilities to gamble on share prices.
99% of these websites are set up by fraudsters, with the other 1% offering no financial security for your investments. If you have any doubts as to whether an operator like this is authorised and legitimate, do not use them as it is likely they are acting illegally.
Online scratchards
In recent years online scratchcards have become incredibly popular, which has caught the attention of fraudsters. Players usually pay a monthly subscription to receive a certain amount of scratchcards.
Some providers will promise players more entries if they encourage their friends and family to enter a new lottery game. Oftentimes these lotteries are illegal and the providers are shifting the legal responsibility onto you.
Promoting an illegal online lottery is an offence and if you are found guilty you can face prosecution. If you spot offers like this it’s a good idea to delete your account and search for a more reputable provider.
Apple Pay casinos
Developed in 2014 Apple Pay is a mobile payment and digital wallet service which offers users a quick, easy and safe way to pay for goods and services both in-person and online.
Enabling Apple Pay is an investment for online casinos, and only the most reputable of providers allow customers to pay in this way. Check out these recommendations for the best Apple Pay casino sites.
Why is Apple Pay so safe?
Usually when you make a payment online you have to share sensitive personal data along with your debit or credit card details. However, when you use Apple Pay you bypass having to share those details, making it a very secure way to pay.
Your card numbers are not stored on your Apple device and are never shared by Apple or sent out with your payment. The way that Apple Pay works is by giving your device a unique account number that’s encrypted and stored in a secure part of your phone.
This is what is used for transactions with Apple Pay and you can make the process even safer by authorising Apple Pay with your fingerprint or a tough to guess device passcode.
Even if you fall foul of a scam whilst using Apple Pay, you can be sure that your details will not be lost to fraudsters. As the service makes payments via encrypted codes and not your card details, you will not be liable to further losses.
Apple Pay’s other benefits
Security is of course the biggest attraction to using Apple Pay for any online or in-person transaction, but there are a number of other positives linked particularly to online casinos.
Quick deposits: After you have entered your card details and made your first payment with Apple Pay you should never have to enter further details or information until your card expires.
If you’re playing with an online casino on your mobile device and want to make a deposit, all you have to do is select the amount, click Apple Play and then verify the deposit with your thumb or finger print.
There’s no rushing around trying to find your wallet and type out your long card number or searching for your CVC. Apple Pay is quick and easy and makes your online casino experience as streamlined as possible.
Loyalty schemes: Some online casinos run their own loyalty schemes, either offering benefits with their own games or discounts with retail partners. In 2015 Apple Pay began to incorporate loyalty cards into their system.
Just like with your credit card, your loyalty card details are encrypted, safe and all available at the touch of a finger.
The Apple Card: On top of their payment system Apple have started to provide their own credit card, which works like a traditional credit card but with greater benefits and easier tracking systems.
If you’re making regular online casino deposits with Apple Pay you can earn 1% daily cashback by using an Apple credit card. Further to that you can also track your spending with in-depth analysis of every category of spending and frequency.
Should I use Apple Pay when gambling online?
Absolutely. The service is perhaps the most secure payment option available at the moment apart from Bitcoin. It’s also easy to use and offers you a host of unique benefits whilst keeping you safe.
