Gambling is a popular pastime worldwide, but unfortunately, not all gambling is legal or regulated. Illegal gambling websites are a common way for people to engage in unregulated gambling. They can access and bet on games without proper licensing, oversight, or safety measures.
The 2022 Fifa World Cup opened several disputes in several sectors. Among the first online arguments that appeared when the organisers announced the restriction of the rights of LGBTQ+ people.
After that, a long problematic period brought to the surface poorly built football pitches, overpriced food products for football fans and many online ticket scams.
Another market, that of sports betting, also suffered because people worldwide wanted to show their support by making sports bets. Although most chose well-known and safe sites, the number of searches for black market casinos tripled in December 2022.
Let’s take a closer look at the phenomenon of illegal online casinos.
What is an illegal casino?
An illegal online casino is a website that targets a country’s gambling market without having legal grounds to do it. Most countries that accept online casinos request an operating license. Therefore online gambling websites have to provide them for each country.
Although the process of getting a gambling license is not easy, businesses gather all the necessary documentation, implement strategies and do whatever the market requires.
Why do illegal websites exist?
Some online casinos don’t want to invest money and time in gambling licenses, so they try to avoid the law and only get the market’s benefits. Other websites are just scandalous scams that sell personal data to third parties and make money. They want to “offer” a chance for players who excluded themselves from other platforms. It is a harmful and dangerous practice that will impact one’s life.
It is essential to understand that even some well-established casinos might not have operating licenses for your jurisdiction. Still, given their popularity, you might see online ads with their banners.
Risks when gambling on an unlicensed platform
One of the most significant dangers of gambling on illegal websites is the risk of fraud and exploitation. Since these sites operate outside the law, there is no accountability or transparency, leaving gamblers vulnerable to scams and unfair practices. These sites may also be more susceptible to hacking and cyberattacks, putting users’ personal and financial information at risk.
Another danger of illegal gambling is the potential for addiction and financial ruin. Unregulated sites may not have the safeguards to prevent people from developing gambling addictions and may not offer resources for individuals needing help. This can lead to devastating consequences like financial problems, relationship issues, and even mental health concerns like anxiety and depression.
Gambling on illegal websites can harm society as a whole. The profits from unlawful gambling may go toward criminal activities. Moreover, these sites may not contribute to public resources or social welfare programs like legal gambling businesses do.
Bettors choosing the wrong path
Some gamblers and new bettors want the best options. Some amateur gamblers consider that unregulated casinos offer better promotions, higher payouts and perfect odds. Social media advertising caught the attention of uninformed punters and made them sign up on phantom websites.
In reality, these casinos with fantastic offers use false advertising to attract innocent players, steal their data, or commit fraud.
If you are a newbie, remember that you should always look for vetted operators with eligible licenses, data encryption and bonuses with T&C. These three aspects will secure your gambling experience and help lower your chances of gambling addiction or use gambling reviews websites.
Some purposefully search for “casinos without licensing”
Some more advanced players started searching for “casinos without licensing” during the Qatar World Cup because these also avoid self-exclusion programs. Licensed online casinos must have self-exclusion programs and tools with which people can see their addiction risk.
Players who used a self-exclusion program and closed their account permanently cannot create another account on any platform that uses the same protective scheme. The database and the intelligent anti-gambling addiction software recognise their identification details and restrict their registration on any other operator.
That is why people at risk or even addicted to casino games look for unlicensed casinos. They expose themselves to huge risks of losing sensitive data and even money from attached accounts just to bet. Besides that, they also risk unbalancing their lives, falling into more profound addiction and harming themselves.
Numbers don’t lie
A publication shows that in December 2021, around 80,000 Google searches contained the words “casinos without licensing” or variants. In December 2022, there were 225,000 searches for unlicensed gambling websites.
Analysts found that online traffic to illegal websites increased by 83% over the last two months of 2022. These sites were advertising avid gamblers from the UK. Moreover, over 5,100 UK players searched for “Non-Gamstop casinos” in the same period, marking another 82% increase.
People must focus on legal and affordable betting websites and leave the black gambling market erased by international regulatory bodies. This is the only way we can evolve, help each other and ensure a safer environment for football fans.
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