Online gaming watchdogs are there to ensure that bingo sites are operating correctly and aren’t deceiving their customers in anyway. There is quite a lot to understand exactly how bingo sites are regulated, though rest assured that sites are thoroughly regulated and in all likeliness you probably won’t come across a site that’s no good because the watchdogs are very fast at shutting down sites that are no good. There is a lot that goes into regulating bingo sites, with lots of different people involved. Everyone has the same intention: to make sure bingo sites are running properly, that no customers are going to be deceived or wronged in anyway and that the sites themselves aren’t going to fall victim to untrustworthy players.
Who regulates the bingo sites?
All bingo sites require a gambling license so that players know the site can be trusted. Having a gambling license not only means the site is legally permitted to offer gambling services, but also that the license provider has thoroughly checked the site in question to ensure that it’s operating correctly and is completely fair to all of its customers.
Bingo licenses
In Europe there are four main providers of gaming licenses. There’s the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner and the Malta Gaming Authority. The UK Gambling Commission has fully authorised all four of these providers, so you can be certain that they are completely legal. A bingo site that has one of these four licenses should be operating legally.
Independent auditors
Another way in which bingo sites are regulated is by independent auditors, who check that the random number generators are fair, that the site’s paying out money and that nothing’s being rigged by the site. As a show that they’re operating fairly, quite a lot of sites provide data on payout percentages.
Bingo watchdogs
What online bingo watchdog sites do is they investigate customer complains to determine whether sites are doing anything wrong or not. If someone emails them saying a site has been doing something dodgy or hasn’t paid them their winnings, the watchdog site will investigate. If the watchdog concludes the bingo site hasn’t been operating as it should, it will blacklist the site and will let everyone know the site should be avoided. The watchdogs will do their best to prevent people from going on a site that is known to cause problems, though sometimes people email complaints only for the player to be at fault, not the actual website itself. Watchdogs also watch out for people who might abuse the site. Some players might be underage or they might be using someone else’s identity or details to play on the site. Watchdogs do their best to find out if any players are doing this to protect bingo sites from players who aren’t going to follow the site’s rules.
Bingo site reviews
Lots of players who go on bingo sites regularly write reviews about sites. These reviews are a good way of deciding which sites you should go on. If a site’s been blacklisted, people will write about it and will spread the word to help warn people about it. Player reviews are a great way of finding out which sites are good and which ones are to be avoided.
Financial regulation
One thing watchdogs don’t do is that they don’t oversee financial transactions: this is done by banking and payment method companies. What these companies do is they oversee transactions and ensure that your money has gone to the right place.