14 Things to Expect from Accredited Casinos

Accreditation is always a good thing when it comes to online casinos. It means that somebody else has done the hard yards of looking into a casino’s internal practices, administration and reputation to discover whether they meet generally accepted standards of ‘fairness’ and good business practices. But what does accreditation really mean, in concrete terms? Well, the criteria vary wildly depending on which agency is accrediting the casino is question. Today we check out some general guidelines on what to expect from an online casino that has an accreditation seal – with the disclaimer that standards vary across agencies. 

Disallow Underage and Illegal Play 

Accredited online casinos will invariably disallow play by people who are under the legal gambling age in their jurisdiction, or for whom play is illegal in their jurisdiction. Support of illegal practices sullies the entire industry, and undue legal attention may well wreck the online casino industry for everyone – that is why you should care 

Pay Winnings in a Timely Manner 

Online casinos can always get your deposit into your account to play with it quickly. If they’re accredited, they should also pay out winnings reliably, even if it takes a little more time to pay out than deposit thanks to check and balance requirements. 

Have Clear and Fair T&Cs 

The terms and conditions statement should contain all the standard clauses in the industry and be worded in a way which is easy to understand for the average punter. 

Run Audited Software 

The software at any accredited casino should be third-party audited. These casinos should ideally run a recognised software package like RTG, Wagerworks, Cryptologic, Microgaming or Playtech. However as long as the software is audited independently, it doesn’t ‘really’ matter. 

Always Pay Out if You Play by the Rules 

Accredited casinos should never have been known to disqualify players from being paid out if there were no clear terms and conditions violations. 

Have a Clean History of Fairness 

There are always complaints about online casinos, even legitimate, respectable and accredited ones. However, these complaints should not be excessive and should not be backed up by evidence of wrongdoing at the casino for them to remain on an accredited list. 

Have In House Support 

Player support should be conducted in the online casino, with staff who know their stuff when it comes to terms, conditions, procedures and customer service. 

No Spamming 

All online casinos send out email offers to their players, but if they are accredited they should not spam. If any of their affiliates are found to be spamming, they should take action against them. 

Honesty in Advertising 

Yes, it sounds like an oxymoron … but online casinos with an accreditation seal should not use blatantly deceptive or misleading practices in their advertising. 

Spending Limits and Self Exclusion Options 

An accredited online casino should also be a supporter of responsible gambling. You should be able to self-exclude or set a spending limit at a casino, and have this request adhered to. 

All Voluntary Play 

Some shady online casinos will deliberately place you in situations that violate the terms and conditions of your bonus, in order to avoid paying out. Accredited casinos will definitely not do this! 

Payout Progressive Wins in Full 

Even if there is a payout limit at your accredited online casino, if you hit a big progressive win it will be paid out in full. Some casinos place a total winnings limit on your account – but not the good ones. 

Remove Bonuses at Your Request 

If an accredited casino’s policy is to auto-credit bonuses to player accounts, they must also give you the option to have the bonus (and wagering requirements) removed if play has not commenced. 

No Incentives for Reverse Withdrawals 

A good accredited casino will not entice you to avoid cashing out your money with extra bonuses or incentives – they’ll simply pay it to you. 

These are all pretty basic good-business or fairness practices, and they are the reason why we never recommend play at an online casino that is not accredited with a reputable agency!