The anonymous nature of online gambling has made it the 21st century version of the back-alley three-card monty game - a perfect venue for grifters and scam artists to meet up with your money. While there are many legitimate operations available to bettors, there are just as many internet betting sites that will try to scam you into giving up your money. With little to no regulation in many of the countries where these websites operate, the only way to protect yourself against these internet betting scams is to:

be aware scams are out there and be on guard.

Below is a list of some of the more popular scams to watch out for as you navigate the murky waters of the online betting world. The scams have varying degrees of severity, from outright fake casinos to somewhat shady practices, but all of them can mean that you will be out some sum of money that you will have earned.

The Dummy Site Scam
Operating on the belief that most online gamblers haven’t done extensive research before trying to find a place to lay their bets, these scam sites make their money on their ability to look like legitimate operations that you may have heard of. Using slight variations on their names (and sometimes stealing the names outright) and similar graphics and color schemes, their goal is to make you feel like you are in a trusted environment. You may even be directed to the scam casino by clicking on a link that had the name of the casino you were trying to go to.
Once you deposit your money, though, the experience will be quite unlike any you would have at the legitimate casino. Your money will likely never leave the account, whether you win or not, and you may be opening yourself up to a nasty case of identity theft, as well. Since these are often international fly-by-night operations, there is very little you can do when they take your money and run.
- Know where you are! Sites are set up specifically to trick you into thinking you are on a legitimate site
- Google the name of the site that you’re trying to get to
- Find a review site to ensure that the url is correct, such as www.sportsbettingreviews.com
The Bonus Draw Scam
To a gambler, the opportunity to play with house money is the ultimate aphrodisiac. Scam casinos know this, and are more than willing to prey on it. While it is a standard practice for legitimate online casinos to offer bonuses, scam casinos will often rope you in with the promise of large bonuses that they never plan on paying out. They will offer up ridiculous reasons for not giving you the bonus you were promised, after you’ve deposited your funds.
However, keep in mind that phony reasons do NOT include a “minimum play” requirement, which is standard and just. After all, you can’t expect to deposit money, earn a bonus, and then immediately withdraw.) If you have been promised a bonus that you didn’t receive, for any reason, you have been scammed.
- Bonus offers that sound too good to be true aren’t true.
- Verify that the casino offering the bonus will pay out on that particular offer.
- Many sites offer player reviews where you can see if anyone else has had a problem. Always read the fine print in any bonus offer to make sure that you qualify to earn it.
The “We’re Legit and Here’s Several Sites that Prove It” Scam
Not so much a separate scam as a more elaborate version of Scam 1, this occurs when a scam site tries to get legitimacy through the wonders of the internet. Because the cost to put up a website is relatively low, the operators of a scam casino can just as easily put up several “review” sites that declare that their site is everything you’re looking for and more. Of course, these reviews are hardly impartial and fail to point out obvious flaws, such as “it will steal your money,” for example.
- Don’t inherently trust review sites, they may have a financial stake in recommending a casino or sportsbook
- Sites that offer the opportunity for players to review a casino alongside the site’s official review are more likely to be reliable. Also, look for a review that site that reviews many casinos, and that is willing to give negative reviews and a list of those to avoid.
The Shady Casino Software Scam
When you’re playing at a Vegas casino, you can pretty much trust that a blackjack dealer is going to abide by a set of rules, and not pull out a deck that consists exclusively of face cards when you’re showing 12. Can you ever be sure that an online casino will do the same? While the legitimate casinos will have a truly random number generator that determines what cards come up, scam casinos will have a not-so-random number generator that will tilt the odds in favor of the house when it really counts.
You could also be suckered in by a free game that convinces you that you’re a master gambler that can’t lose. These games might actually be tilted in your favor for that very reason. Never join a casino based on the results of a free game!
- The software that your online casino uses will determine fairness
- Only visit sites whose software has been verified by one of the trusted governing bodies of internet gambling (e.g. Internet Gaming Council) or a review site that you trust.
- Never trust that a casino displaying a software seal of approval has earned it, because the image of the seal could have been stolen
- Always verify that the IGC has given that seal to the casino.
- Check the review sites to see if the casino has a reviews from people that complained of continuously losing
The “Sorry, We Only Like Losers” Scam
Online casinos aren’t too keen on losing money, so they often ban players that are making off with their cash. It’s the equivalent of a rough-looking guy in a suit walking you out of a Vegas casino. Often, casinos have reason to do this, since there are just as many players out there trying to scam the casinos as there are casinos trying to scam the players. Still, when you have won your money through honest means and they kick you out for it, you have to wonder about the legitimacy of the casino.
No one sits down to gamble in the hopes that he’ll lose big, but you should be able to hope that you’ll win big. If you gamble at a casino that will punish you for winning, what’s the point?
- There are countless tales of players being booted from an online casino
- Check the review sites and Google to see if this has been a major problem at your casino
The “We’ll Take You!” Scam
Since a gambler looking to bet will often turn to the first person willing to take his bets, he can fall victim to some rather unscrupulous people. E-mails promising that past experiences don’t matter and that you are welcome to join a certain casino are almost never good. Think about it: what casino would actively seek out people that other casinos deemed a problem? Often, it is a shady casino that received your personal information from the shady casino that kicked you out. Once you join and deposit, you can kiss your cash goodbye.
- If you receive an e-mail inviting you to join an unknown casino - don't
- If you have been banned from a casino, don’t just turn to the first casino who is offering to take your money
- Stick exclusively to the upper-tier of casinos, one of which will probably accept you if you have done nothing wrong.
The Maximum Payout Semi-Scam
This one is something that many legitimate casinos practice, and they’re often up front about it, which is why I’m only dubbing it a “semi-scam.” What it means is that no matter how much money you win, they will only ever give you a certain, previously determined amount. Often, that amount is in proportion to the amount that you have deposited. Once you have won that amount, you need to cash out and leave, because you can only lose from there on out. Casinos feel that they have to protect themselves from losing big, which is understandable, but it is a situation where the casino is not willing to shell out money that you have earned.
If you’re planning to win big (and aren’t we all?), make sure that you’re playing at a casino that will actually give you the full amount of money that you’ve won.
- Read the “Terms of Use” of the casino before making your deposit
- Check the review sites for non-payment complaints and search our scam site for the casino you’re interested in

Common Online Betting Scams