Privacy Policy in Online Casinos
Due to the increasing digitalization of our everyday life, the protection of privacy should be a particularly important issue not only for online casino players, but also for all Internet users. In recent years, there have been several hacker attacks on leading online companies such as Sony and Ebay, where thousands of customer data were stolen. As a result, it has become extremely clear that the Internet has long ceased to be a protected environment, and we constantly have to be careful where and what personal information we share. In order to get free access to gambling on the Internet, however, the entry of such data is also requested by online casino operators. Why do they need our personal data, what they are used for and how they are protected, you can read in the further course of this article.
What information is collected by online casinos?
Whenever you open your own player account at a casino on the Internet, you will be asked for your name, e-mail address, postal address, telephone number and date of birth during the registration process. But if you want to participate in the games of chance in real money mode, of course you still have to make a deposit. In this case, you will need to enter further information such as debit or credit card details. In addition, online gambling providers also collect other information such as how you arrived at the respective casino site, how much time you spent there or what games you played.
Why do online gambling providers require such data from us?
As already mentioned, every new customer is asked not only for his name but also for his date of birth during the account creation in an online casino. The reason for this is the current gambling law, which prohibits minors from participating in gambling. In order to block access to casino sites for minors, the gambling organizers on the Internet are obliged to always carry out the so-called age verification. For this, your registration data must be entered correctly, as the casino operators often require further documents such as a copy of an ID card for player identification. Of course, real money players must also enter their bank details. Only then would deposit and withdrawal processes be possible in the respective casino.
How is this information collected?
Personal data such as name, e-mail address and date of birth are collected during the registration process, when you participate in various surveys or use the services of the Customer Service. Information that relates exclusively to your visitor behavior is collected with the help of the so-called cookies. This term is understood as a small text file on the computer that stores information about websites you have visited. Reputable online casinos inform their customers about the use of cookies and require their consent. All cookies can be found and deleted later via the browser.
Why do online casinos use your information?
Personal information is used by the casinos only for identification and communication with the player. Bank details are of course required for the processing of payment transactions between casino operators and customers. The information collected by the gambling providers only with regard to visitor behavior is stored in an anonymous database and is only used to improve your stay at the respective online casino. Settings such as preferred language, currency and games are automatically adjusted. The casino visitors can decide for themselves to allow or reject the cookies. However, gambling providers reserve the right to restrict your access to the casino site if you have not accepted the cookies.
How is our personal information protected by online casinos?
Trusted online casinos use the most modern SSL encryption techniques to ensure the security of data transmission. You can even find out for yourself whether the casino you have selected uses such security techniques. To do this, you should just take a closer look at the URL of the specific casino page and find out if "https" instead of "http" can be seen there. The https protocol is used to encrypt and authenticate the communication between the web browser and the casino server. For this purpose, either 128-bit key algorithms or 256-bit key algorithms are used. Encryption for secure data transmission over the Internet is often certified in reputable online casinos by various companies such as VeriSign.
Who has access to my personal information?
As a rule, only authorized employees of the specific online casino may receive free access to your personal information. Casino operators cannot share your data with non-employees without your express consent. Reputable online casinos do not offer personal information for sale to third parties. However, as a user of a casino site, you automatically agree to their terms and conditions of participation. Therefore, you always need to inform yourself about what the terms and the privacy policy of this site say. Of course, they must be clearly written on the official website of the casino and easy to understand.
Can I additionally protect my registration and bank details?
Although reputable online casinos use reliable SSL encryption from famous companies such as Truste or Thawte, the examples given above with the hacker attacks from the near past serve as a reminder that your sensitive information on the Internet can never be 100% protected again. Although all gambling providers use different security techniques to offer you a trustworthy gaming environment, you can also take a few measures and protect your data in addition. Since security is closely related to your password, you should never pass your password on to third parties. To create a secure password, you should always use a combination of letters and numbers. Furthermore, you do not need to save it in the browser under any circumstances. Another way to protect your identity in Google Chrome or Firefox is the incognito or private mode while you surf. In this way, neither cookies nor website histories or form data are stored on your computer.
Can I delete my personal data in the respective online casino?
Every casino player has the right to find out what data an online casino has stored about him. In most casinos, you have the opportunity to constantly correct and update the personal information about the player's account. In addition, as a user, according to § 34 of the Federal Data Protection Act, you may revoke the processing and use of your personal information by the casino at any time. If you have any questions, you can contact a casino employee at any time and get more information about it.