Playing at a legit, licensed online casino is a convenient and fun way to try your luck at your favourite casino game without having to venture out to a land based casino, but some players are nervous about having their gambling activity logged on the Internet. Whether you’re using a shared computer or just super safety conscious, read on to find out how you can play real money casino games anonymously online.
Is anonymous play possible?
Anonymous online gambling isn’t entirely possible because most legitimate online casinos require players to provide proof of identification before any money made from winnings can be withdrawn. When you first sign up for an online casino account, you will be required to enter standard personal information like your name, date of birth and address. If this information does not match up with the proof of ID you provide to the casino, the casino has the right to refuse your payout. This is done by casino vendors to safeguard their business from any money fraud or criminal activity, and is a standard process across the board. You may be asked to provide a copy of your driver’s license, credit card, or a recent utility bill and the casino will dispute your withdrawal if any of the information doesn’t match up.
Although anonymous play is not one hundred percent possible when playing at an online casino, there are certain measures you can put in place to be as anonymous as possible. These measures can be helpful if you’re seeking an extra layer of security, or if you’re trying to keep your casino payments off of your credit card or bank account statements.
Using a VPN for online gambling
VPNs (virtual private networks) are becoming incredibly popular with online users, not just with gamblers, but with anyone seeking additional security or wanting to get around online region-blocks. A VPN allows you to connect securely to the Internet via a server run by a VPN provider, which is independent of your usual Internet provider, securing a connection to another network over the Internet. VPN servers can be located anywhere in the world, so you can surf the Web as though you are in a different location. This is especially helpful when playing at an offshore casino not allowed to service your country, but is also great for players wanting to gamble anonymously online as there’s no one tracking your online activity.
VPNs provide a variety of benefits: hiding your browsing activity from your Internet provider, helping you access geo-blocked casino sites, bypassing Internet censorship, and protecting your safety when using a public Wi-Fi connection. If you decide to use a VPN, make sure you use a trusted VPN provider and consider paying for a more premium service.
Making anonymous online casino deposits
When you decide to play online casino games for real money, one of the biggest decisions you need to make is which deposit method to use to fund your account. Online casinos accept plenty of safe and reliable payment methods, like credit cards, bank deposits and web wallets, but this is where things can get tricky for some players. Perhaps you share a bank account with a wife or husband who doesn’t approve of your gambling habits, or you want to keep any gambling related activity off your credit card in case it impacts your credibility when applying for loans in the future – whatever the reason, there are some ways you can deposit anonymously at online casinos.
Pre-paid deposit methods
The pre-paid card (also known as an e-Voucher) has become a very popular payment method for online gamblers, especially those seeking to play anonymously. E-Vouchers like Paysafecard (formerly called Ukash) and Flexepin are widely accepted at a majority of the best online casino sites. The beauty of these cards is they are purchased in real life from real retail outlets, so there are no transactions appearing on your credit card or bank account statements, nor do you run the risk of your payment information falling into the wrong hands online.
Pre-paid cards are purchased using cash from vendors like petrol stations, supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, news agencies and lottery outlets. In exchange for cash you are given a unique pin-number, which you can then enter at your chosen online casino to transfer cash to your casino account. You don’t need access to a line of credit or even a bank account to use an e-Voucher service, and no form of ID is required when purchasing one.
Of course, the downside to using a pre-paid card is when it comes time to withdraw your winnings from an online casino, withdrawals can’t be made back to a pre-paid card. This means you will still need to provide an alternative payment method when cashing in your winnings.
Paying anonymously with Bitcoin
Bitcoin is a virtual currency (known as a cryptocurrency), and unless you’re already familiar with this payment method, Bitcoin can be difficult to get your head around. Bitcoin’s exist solely in digital form, but they hold genuine monetary value and can be transferred online from one individual to another, essentially working as a form of Internet-only cash. The fabulous thing about Bitcoin is this cryptocurrency runs completely independently of any bank or financial institution, operating instead from a centralised ledger shared by all Bitcoin users with no central authority or middle-men.
Until recently, Bitcoin casino deposits were unheard of, but as more people look for ways to anonymously fund their online casino accounts, Bitcoin payments are starting to pop up at some of the leading casino sites. When a casino also allows withdrawals using Bitcoin, this becomes the only online payment method which provides 100 per cent anonymity for online gambling. You can learn more about how to play at an online casino using Bitcoin here.
Staying safe when gambling online
Using the measures discussed above will help players to gamble as anonymously as possible when playing at an online casino, but there are other general measures you can take to stay safe when playing for real money online:
- Stick with online casino sites protected by a minimum level of 128 Bit-SSL digital encryption security.
- Only play at casinos with licensing from a reputable offshore gambling jurisdiction.
- Be familiar with the online gambling laws applying in your country.
- Understand how geo-blocks work and how they apply to you.
- Choose games provided by the best online casino software developers.
- Play at casino sites certified by leading third-party auditing bodies like eCOGRA.
- Never give your payment information to another player online.
The casinos recommended on our site all meet the criteria above – stick with these sites and you can rest assured you are playing at a safe, licensed and legitimate online casino.