Are Online Racebooks Safe
Are Online Racebooks Safe
If you are an avid horse racing enthusiast, you are perhaps aware that you can bet on horse races online. But, for anyone who has considered betting online the first question to pop up is whether it is safe to wager money at an online racebook or not.
With traditional gambling, be it the casinos, the poker rooms, the sportsbooks and the racebooks, all going online, many gamblers have opted to move over to the virtual world of gambling. For some, the decision to bet at an online racebook is a practical one, simply because they live too far away from the race tracks and online racebooks give them the opportunity to indulge in their hobby from the comforts of their home. Indeed online race books bring the thrill and the exciting atmosphere of the racetrack right into your home.
But going back to the issue of safety of the racebook, the answer is really simple. If you place your wager at a top online racebook, your money will usually be safe. A trusted racebook is one that has been in business for a reasonable amount of time and has built up a good reputation for itself. But the thing is online racebooks and sports books are becoming increasingly popular, making them a profitable industry. This has attracted a large number of shady operators who have begun fake sites that steal personal information or financial data or simply avoid paying any winnings to the customers. To avoid getting your fingers burnt, you as a customer can take a few steps to ensure that you are registering at a reputable race book.
If you don’t want to end up losing your money to a rogue online racebook, it is important to do some background research on various racebooks available online. Generally, most of the top online sportsbooks offer racebooks as well. Take for example Sportsbook.com which has a separate racebook for horse racing fans. This is one of the most reputed sports betting sites that let you bet on all the important horse racing events that take place around the world. Well established online sportsbooks and casinos have a reputation to protect and therefore take their customers’ needs very seriously. You can be assured of the security of your personal and financial data at such sites.
Another aspect to look into while selecting a racebook is to check out the banking methods. Online racebooks like every other online enterprise does away with the need to deal with hard cash. Instead, you will use an online payment method to get your funds on and off the site. There are plenty of options to deposit funds, namely credit cards, wire transfers, e-wallets and e-checks. However, the question you need to ask is how well the particular banking option works and how quickly the funds will be transferred. This aspect becomes crucial when it comes to withdrawing your winnings. You don’t want to wait for days on end to receive the money you won at the horse races.
Online banking transactions are carried out on 128-bit encrypted servers. This means all your credit card or e-wallet details are scrambled to ensure that no unauthorized person gets those details. Even the information stored at the site’s database is encrypted and is therefore secure from hackers. So long as the online racebook has a security certification (which you can check out on the site’s ‘About Us’ page) from known authorities, your data and your money is safe.
When it comes to the security aspect of an online racebook, you too have some responsibility. You should never divulge your password or write it down lest someone finds it and misuses your account. Online gambling might pose technological risks to your computer system; viruses may arrive as attachments to emails or through instant messaging systems or malicious software may be hidden in the gaming software files. Such malware will play havoc with your Computer system, so before you download any racebook to your computer, ensure that you have a solid anti-virus program and a firewall to protect your data.
Another advantage of joining a reputed online racebook is the quality of software they use. The best online racebooks will generally use software from reputed gaming software providers who never compromise on the security aspect of the software. Usually this software has built-in security features that prevent exploitation of software codes by hackers to access personal data. Racebooks using software from well-known providers like Microgaming or Cryptologic or Playtech will not have problems with the security issue.
If you deal with a trustworthy racebook, you generally will not have a problem withdrawing your winnings. Licensing authorities require online sportsbooks and racebooks to reveal their financial stability in order to receive permission to operate. Some licensing jurisdictions may even go to the extent of asking for an insurance to cover the players’ balances before permits are granted. Therefore, you can be sure of getting your money from the racebook only if it is a licensed one. Again, all this information will only come to you with the help of research. It is always a good idea to visit online forums and blogs dealing with online casinos and sportsbooks so that you have an insight into other people’s experiences and can safeguard yourself from the dangers of fraud and cheating.
From what we have seen here it can be concluded that online racebooks are indeed safe, provided you stick with the reputed ones who have been in the industry for a long time, consider the security of their customers’ data to be of paramount importance and take steps to ensure it. They also have an excellent track record in terms of payments and make every possible effort to offer quality gaming software for a thrilling wagering experience. Of course, you have a responsibility too. You must be an informed player and you must also ensure that your computer security is in place before you decide to bet on the horses online.
