The gaming industry is booming online. Online gambling, including casinos, poker rooms, and sportsbooks, is booming, and it’s projected to reach $84 billion in revenue in 2023. The Supreme Court’s decision a few years ago essentially gave US states the green light to legalize sports betting, which has been a huge boon to the industry. However, con artists seeking easy targets are increasingly targeting the online betting and gaming market as the business expands and more consumers join the online realm.

A growing number of channels have the potential to facilitate fraud, including shady internet casinos, harmful applications, and phishing emails. Check out the most typical scams we’ve listed below if you like to play online slots and use free chip bonuses. By the way, you will find the best offers at this link https://casinosanalyzer.co.nz/free-spins-no-deposit/free-chips. 

The 6 most common betting and gambling frauds

In most cases, con artists will use the same methods to contact their victims, which include email, messaging apps, social media, and rogue gambling websites, apps, and forums. Among the most prevalent dangers, we find the following:

1. Phishing

Phishing, a social engineering tactic that predates the internet, is a common tactic used by con artists in the casino industry. One strategy is to pose as a reputable online casino or betting firm to deceive victims into divulging sensitive information, such as login credentials or personal and financial data.

Promising exclusive deals, these communications may entice victims via email, social media, messaging apps, or SMS. Another option is for them to act as if their account is experiencing an emergency and needs immediate attention, often by providing login information. Scammers often use tactics that make their victims feel like they need to respond quickly rather than giving the situation more thought. Using fake sender domains or phone numbers and legitimate branding makes it seem even more legitimate.

2. Task scams

A particular kind of online employment fraud, in which victims are contacted about work—typically via unsolicited messages on WhatsApp or similar—has lately been the subject of a warning from the FTC. Scammers entice victims by promising them easy money for “app optimization” or “product boosting”—tasks where they are led to believe they would like and rate things using a dedicated app. They could even get a little money to prove the plan is real.

Nevertheless, the con artists will eventually urge their victims to invest their own money into the plan so that they may go on to the next stage. They will permanently lose the money if they do this. According to reports, the losses for the first half of 2024 were $220 million. Some have compared the gamification component to something “almost like gambling,” even if it is not technically a betting fraud.

3. Malicious casinos

You can’t trust every online casino. Actually, some of them are only a front for some kind of scam. If they want to entice victims, they could give them endless free spins, great returns, and massive welcome bonuses. Online advertisements or spam, such as emails, SMS, and social media messages, could potentially promote these deals. These seemingly unbelievable claims do not hold up when you look closer. There are a lot of cases when you can’t win anything or take advantage of anything because of the fine print.

Criminal casinos could utilize lengthy account verification procedures or technical reasons to reject withdrawals. Once they’ve stolen enough money from players, they could just vanish.

4. Fake apps

Another prevalent method of stealing money from gamblers is via fraudulent applications. Their glitzy online adverts entice victims by offering easy money. They could be using phishing or false review sites to bolster their claims, which is something anybody can do with AI technologies in a variety of local languages these days. To boost customers’ confidence and get them to gamble higher bets, some platforms even let them win tiny sums at first. The crooks will vanish after locking any profits.

There was a campaign not long ago that included 1,377 malicious websites and 500 misleading advertisements.

5. Scam tipsters

Another thing to watch out for is someone promising you secret advice online. Con artists in the betting industry may boast that their technique is invincible. Another possibility is that they claim they’ve been blacklisted by online gambling sites due to their consistent winnings and are now offering recommendations to others like you for a fee.

But it’s all false, of course. An uncommon source for such scams could be a world-class poker player currently serving time for deceitfully providing “insider information” to give gamblers an advantage in the game.

6. Fixed-match scam

Just as in the previous scenario, the con artist will first identify a group of people—let’s say 30 people—who are interested in fixed matches. In this scenario, the tipster will ask for money in advance and then assign 10 to wager on one result, 10 to wager on another, and 10 to wager on a third. (Usually, a sporting event has just three potential results).

Because they will feel as if they have just gambled on a real rigged match, the ten people for whom the tipster correctly predicted the outcome will be more likely to increase their wagers for the following match. The con artist will cut off communication with those who did not win.

Best practices for a risk-free betting session

Avoid falling victim to fraudsters by following these steps: 

• Only play on legitimate, licensed, and regulated gaming sites.
• Always read the fine print, and be wary of promises like huge bonuses or infinite free spins; these features sometimes have hidden catches.
• To further safeguard your accounts and prevent illegal access to your login credentials, enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on any account.
• Avoid giving up sensitive information, such as login credentials, via unsolicited communications or dubious websites.
• Be vigilant in monitoring your betting and bank accounts for any signs of suspicious activity.
• Avoid internet tipsters at all costs, particularly those that offer you rigged matches or claim to have exclusive information.
• Do not engage with advertisements or people associated with newly created social media accounts; instead, only do business with established brands and verified users.
• Be sure to check ratings and developer reviews before downloading programs, and only from official shops like the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Gambling, like any other kind of internet activity, carries with it some inherent dangers. It is important to exercise caution and make wise wagers.