Staying Safe when Signing up to New Slot Sites

Written by Yvonne Foy 

Guaranteeing safety and security whilst signing up to and playing at the latest slot sites and online casinos is of the utmost importance.

We spoke with Iain Fenton the owner of SlotsHawk.com, an award winning platform set up to compare casinos in order to help Brits find the safest new online slot sites.

Having worked first as a journalist and then having spent over eight years within the online gaming industry, Fenton’s main role at SlotsHawk is researching and sourcing the various online casinos and slot sites in order to judge and highlight the ones which are trustworthy and safe for UK players. This interview will take a first-hand look at the key features players should take into account so that they can gamble safely and responsibly.

“New online casino sites are a regular occurrence within the online gaming sector,” Fenton explains to us.

“On average, you will probably see several new sites launched by one operating company or another per month. Some iGaming companies own several or even dozens of individual online casinos, of which some are more popular (and more profitable) than others.

“If you are an online casino player or you are thinking of becoming one, then the most important factor for you to be aware of is whether or not the site you are thinking about signing up with has a licence from the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC).”

Fenton goes on to explain to us that Great Britain is probably the most heavily regulated and safest place to gamble online in the world.

“British online casino players are the most protected of their kind in the world. The UK has always been something of a haven for gamblers, no more so because players do not have to pay any tax on their winnings.

“I digress, if you take nothing else from this interview, then just take this – if you are a UK citizen, you should only play at a gambling operator which has been licensed by the UKGC.

“There is a very simple method to decipher whether or not a gaming operator has this licence. Just scroll down to the bottom of the homepage and read the small print, if you read that they have a UKGC licence and there is a clickable link to said licence, then you will 100% know that it is a safe place to play.”

Fenton kindly explains to us how the UKGC licence is the hardest in the world to get. Gambling operators must pass stringent tests in order to prove that their platform adheres to all UK safe gambling laws and advertising standards. This includes a 24/7 support system where the operator ensures that a live support team is available to players at all times.

Fenton also emphasises the importance of due diligence when it comes to choosing an online casino to play at and appeals to players to read expert and user reviews before signing up.

“Expert reviews are the kryptonite to the dangerous operators.

“Think of it this way, you wouldn’t purchase a house or a new car or even a mobile phone without first finding out as much information as you can. The same mindset should be used for anything to do with casinos, slot sites and online slot games.

“Players should be arming themselves with as much information as possible so that they can enjoy their experience.

At SlotsHawk, we are extremely fastidious when it comes to which slot sites we list. We do not just list any, far from it. In addition, certain members of our team will create a test account at all of the sites which come across our desk. We will make a deposit, test out some games, talk with the support team and test withdrawal speeds too.

“We follow a strict criteria so that we are able to review all casinos in an unbiased way.”