It is impossible for anybody to guarantee that if you choose to play online poker you are completely safe and there is no way that you could be cheated out of your money. This can also be said for leaving money in your bank account however we see the security measures taken by the banks more clearly than is generally offered by the online poker rooms. My view is that you must look at the room itself and how it operates to make a decision on how secure your money is. There are reputable rooms and I believe I play at one of them.
Selecting a poker room is an important step. Although you want to register quickly and get playing, keeping your money safe is very important even if you are only depositing a small amount so take the time to consider the factors below before rushing into signing up and sending your money.
The Gaming Network
When you download your free poker software you are placing that program onto your computer. The network (e.g. Merge, iPoker) provide the software and you see the poker room via the specific skin you are using. You should research what network the poker room plays from as this can help you find out if there are any skeletons in the closet for that network. Recently there were problems with the Flash network but unless players looked at their skins to see what network powered their room they may fail to notice their room was linked to Flash. In poker network land, the bigger the network the better I find.
Previous Form
In 2008 Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet, now UB, were found to have cheated their customers out of more than $20 million dollars. Both companies have now pledged to have remedied and refunded the errors, but no-one was ever charged with a criminal offence and we only have the poker rooms word that the positive changes have been made. For me, I would trust a poker room that has never been known to cheat more than a room forced to defend their previous actions. There are no guarantees that any room will not cheat, but certainly a room found to have cheated in the past suggests players should be very careful before depositing.
Other Businesses
I play on bwin.com and one of the biggest parts of their business is their online sportsbook with over 20 million customers. Sports betting is heavily audited as I worked in that Industry in the past and a company acting improperly could not survive let alone grow to the level bwin.com has grown to. That is a positive for their company and suggests they would not risk their reputation and business on not operating their poker room correctly. Having the poker room backed up by a sportsbook or other integrity based company suggests to me that they can be trusted.
Cashing in and Cashing Out
Cashing in and out with money should be quick. I find bwin.com very good in this regard but other large sites took much longer to process my withdrawals. Some sites struggle to process cash outs because of lack of funds or an inefficient administrative support system. Either way you are better off playing elsewhere. Your money should be accessible quickly and within the time limits set out in the poker room’s terms and conditions.
I play 100% of my hands at bwin.com because I have the peace of mind that they are not doing anything they shouldn’t. They respond well to support queries and withdrawals are as fast as I would deem credible. As far as I can see after playing on both sites for a couple of years you money is safe here so register an account with bwin.com and see if you agree. I think you will.
By Malcolm Clarke
