To
gamble online, you ought to ensure that you minimise your
risks - and that means all your risks. Before signing up to
any online casino, it is recommended to ensure that you have
the following:
- Broadband/cable connection - you want
to ensure stable and safe connectivity to the gambling site
and minimise the risk of disconnection particularly when
it comes to Poker or Backgammon as many do not provide disconnection
protection and you only have a limited time to make a decision
- Ample amount of hard disk space - most
gambling sites require downloading their software which
is typically around 5Mb
- Latest anti-virus and other security software
- whenever you download anything over the Internet, there
is always a security risk so having the latest security
software and anti-virus programmes should eliminate 99.99%
of all known threats
- Web Wallet - such as NETeller, MoneyBookers,
PaySafe or one of the other respected web "banks".
They do charge for their services but it is far safer to
provide them with your credit card and/or bank details than
to several gaming sites; the sites may be genuine but not
all employees are always 100% honest. Most well respected
gaming sites accept one or more of the recognised Web Wallet
brands. Recommend NETeller and PaySafe highly. You register
your credit card and/or bank account details so you can
freely move funds to and from your Web Wallet. Now NETeller
even provide a Debit Card so you can withdraw cash from
a regular bank ATM from your NETeller account. This means
that only ONE online institution has your credit card/bank
details. And also it is far easier to maintain and update
when you have a new credit card issued or you change your
bank account. Often when you use your credit card to deposit
funds, more and more online gambling sites demand that you
provide copies of the front and back of your credit card,
copy of your driving licence/passport as well as a utility
bill as proof of residency.
- Plenty of Time - make sure that you play
only when you have free time and nothing urgent to do. Gambling
or playing poker can be addictive and it is easy to forget
what time it is. Set a time limit at a time when you have
absolutely nothing else to do. You really should not miss
a meeting or a dinner in 30 minutes time because you are
doing well in a poker tournament that might go on for another
2 hours or even longer. A poker tournament with 10,000 people
will easily run for 6 hours or more! So when you play, make
sure you know how much time that you have free and how long
an event will take to complete. There are always chances
that an event might take a bit longer to complete so allow
for some buffer time just in case. Let's say that most single
table Sit and Go poker tournaments finish within one hour,
they can go on for over 2 hours.
The above contain some general advice for gambling online.
But please make sure that you only risk what you can afford
to lose! |
