Ever thought about the differences between independent and white-label casinos? If you’re like most players, you don’t give it much thought. Your primary interest is to have a delightful gaming experience no matter where you get it.
But if you’re doubtful about the legitimacy of independent casinos, this article is for you. Independent casinos don’t have sister sites and are not always owned by large corporations. All the same, below are seven reasons that show you can trust these operators.
Licensed by Trusted Regulators
What’s the number one sign of a trustworthy online casino? A license from a well-known regulator like the Malta Gaming Authority or the UK Gambling Commission. Regulators do background checks on executives and ask for high-standard features in a casino before they can issue out licenses.
Against that backdrop, nearly every online casino with an active license has been vetted for safety. It doesn’t matter who owns it. The bottom line is to feature a valid license. As a bonus, licensed casinos also to feature secure websites and apps.
Security is one of the requirements of getting a license from the UKGC and the MGA. Independent casinos must encrypt users’ data through SSL, provide password protection and treat players’ data professionally.
Fair, High-Quality Games
For some, the true sign of a legitimate casino lies in the quality of its games. Sure, a license is important. But it’s not as important as being able to play fair, high-quality games. Fairness means you have a chance to win at slots or poker.
On the other hand, quality shows a casino cares about its customers. It wants you to have a wonderful time so that you can come back over and over. The best independent casinos provide high-quality games no matter your tastes.
You can play popular slots like Starburst and Gonzo’s Quest from NetEnt. And you could dabble with classic blackjack or Texas Hold’em. For clarity, quality slots and table games have clear graphics, exciting narratives, bonus features and interactive mechanics.
Regarding software providers, independent casinos vary on where they get their games. Some of them acquire their games from a small number of developers. Others provide 1000+ games from over 20 software providers.
Sweet, Transparent Bonuses
The best casinos, especially the independent ones with a UKGC license, know how to treat new and regular customers. As a new customer, they give you free spins or betting credits after you create an account.
Then they offer to match your first deposit 100%, 200% or 500% for a maximum of $100 to $1000. In the UK, many independent casinos match your money up to GBP200. However, a handful of operators give you GBP 50 after you spend GBP 10 on their games.
The exact amount you get from a bonus shouldn’t be a big concern, though. A small bonus with great conditions is better than a generous reward with exploitive terms. In light of that information, pay attention to bonus policies.
Casinos determine the conditions to set on their bonuses. But generally speaking, independent operators have fairer terms than white-label companies. It makes sense. Independent casinos are constantly fighting competition from white-label businesses. And to succeed, they offer bonuses with extremely friendly policies.
Safe, Quick Banking
Many players biggest worry is losing money to fraudulent operators. Everyone knows they can lose money by playing slots or table games. But these losses aren’t as hurtful as winning cash and then losing it to a rogue operator.
That’s why it’s it essential to always vet a casino for safety in banking before you join it. Many independent casinos make this process stress-free. They show you their payment partners beforehand and work with the biggest names in the industry.
You can view which cards they support, whether PayPal is allowed and the limits and fees involved. What’s more, they explain the process of making deposits and withdrawals. And if you experience challenges, they have contacts to call.
White-label casinos also provide banking guides to new players. But they tend to have issues when it comes to withdrawals. It’s probably because they run too many casinos. All the same, they lag behind independent operators in providing smooth banking.
Professionally Designed, Websites and Apps
Let’s face it. Untrustworthy casinos have poorly designed websites. For starters, these sites load slowly. They are difficulty to use, games crash often and don’t run on mobile devices. What’s more, navigating across web pages can be a nightmare.
Fortunately, many legitimate casinos, including white-label websites, are designed professionally. White-label operators, in particular, invest a great deal of their money in creating beautiful websites.
But there’s a caveat: white-label owned casinos tend to look the same. By comparison, independent casinos have unique, properly designed websites. The sites operate on both desktop and mobile devices.
Mobile compatibility is especially important these days. Even though you might not be a big mobile gamer, there’s a chance you might want to play slots after work. And when you’re relaxing at home and away from your desktop computer, your iPhone can come in handy.
Quality Customer Service
One of the biggest problems with white-label casinos regards customer service. These operators have dozens of casinos to run. And due to that, they get overwhelmed with requests and take too long to respond.
The problem: poor customer service spoils your experience. If you run into a technical issue and have to wait for a day to get it fixed, you won’t want to play at the same website twice. If you encounter a rude support agent, you’ll feel helpless.
By comparison, independent casinos are often equipped well enough to provide quality assistance. They only have one website to run and as such, they’re quick to fix issues when they occur. In fact, many of them have teams deployed to ensure the website is constantly operating.
To be clear, the best operators provide quality customer service through live chatbots. Players love them because they receive feedback immediately. What’s more, it’s easy to know when support staff is available. That said, emails and phone contacts are excellent alternatives for contacts support agents.