Playing at anonymous online casinos is one of the latest trends in the online gambling industry and one that is continuing to gain traction internationally. But what exactly are anonymous casinos, and just how anonymous or incognito are they?
In this article we’ll explore those and other questions about anonymous casinos, and include a list of their pros and cons. But first, here’s some background on why the vast majority of regular online casinos are not incognito or anonymous.
Why regular online casinos are not anonymous
If you want to play for real money at a regular online casino you’ll always need to open a new account first which involves filling out a new account registration form.
This requires information like your full name, physical address, country, email address, date of birth, gender, contact phone number and a username and password you’ll need to login to the casino (regardless of the platform i.e. smart phone, PC, Mac, tablet etc.).
To ensure that the information you provided is true and accurate, many online casinos require you to verify your account before they activate it.
They do this by sending you either an email or text containing a verification link. Only once you’ve clicked said link will the virtual casino activate your account allowing you to login with the username and password you set up for yourself earlier.
As you can surmise from the sign up process above, as soon as you submit your casino registration form you’re no longer anonymous because the respective casino will keep your info on file for as long as you’re a registered player, if not longer.
In addition, using most banking methods at regular online casinos will also veto your anonymity. This is because your financial data is kept on file (albeit safely and securely as it’s protected 24/7 by cutting edge 256 SSL encryption software).
For instance, if you choose to use a credit card to fund your account the casino will keep your card info file. This includes your name (as printed on the card), the card number, the card expiry date and in most cases your card’s CVV number.
If your payment choice is a bank transfer or cheque, there will also be a ‘paper trail’ leading to you. But while the sharing of personal information isn’t an issue for most online gamblers, it is for some hence the need for anonymous casinos.
What makes anonymous online casinos anonymous?
What makes anonymous online casinos anonymous? The short answer is the type of payment method/currency they process, like Bitcoin and other popular digital coins.
The idea is a simple one. Because Bitcoin and its fellow cryptocurrencies are virtually anonymous (due to their decentralized nature) it follows that online casinos that choose to solely transact in them should allow their players to remain anonymous too.
This is made possible by the fact anonymous casinos keep track of their players solely based on their Bitcoin balance, which therefore alleviates the need to keep track of them via traditional information like that required by regular online casinos.
Incognito is the new way to play at all online casinos, but it doesn’t automatically make you anonymous. This takes more work if you consider registering a new email address to be work.
The reason for this is the only information an anonymous online casino needs from you is an email address, and there are many ways to create or register an anonymous or at least difficult to track email address, Gmail being one of the fastest and easiest.
It’s simple to create a new Gmail email without divulging any personal info whatsoever, which you can then provide to the anonymous casino as the associated email address that accompanies all of your Bitcoin transactions i.e. deposits and withdrawals.
At no point do you have to provide the casino with your name, address, phone number or any other personal information?
How anonymous casinos compare to regular casinos
As to the question of how anonymous casinos compare or stand up to regular casinos, the answer is they’re not all that different.
For instance, both types of casinos have the same categories of games including slots, video poker, card games, table games, progressives and others which in most cases are browser-based ‘instant play’ games.
Unlike traditional downloadable games, instant play games open / load on your internet browser with a single mouse click / finger tap – no downloading, installing or updating required – which makes them quick, convenient and easy to play.
Another similarity is that both types of casinos have around the clock customer support facilities. So you can contact a casino via Live Chat, email or phone for any reason. Their friendly and fast support agents are always available to assist you.
How anonymous casinos differ from regular casinos
Over and above their obvious info sharing policies, anonymous sites and regular casino sites are different in a few other ways.
For instance, while most regular casinos are licensed and regulated by one or more reputable online gambling jurisdictions (like Kahnawake, Malta, Curacao and the UK to name a few), very few if any anonymous casinos are licensed.
The reason for this is that they only process payments in digital coins, which are by their very nature anonymous and thus not subject to oversight or supervision from banks, financial institutions or any other type of traditional authority.
Another difference is that the games available at anonymous casinos are ‘provably fair.’ This involves using a special algorithm to prove that the outcome of any particular bet or transaction is 100% random, and therefore unequivocally fair.
Anonymous casinos also typically have fewer games than their regular counterparts, but still enough of a cross-section to satisfy most casino game fans.
The pros and cons of incognito online casinos
Here are the pros of playing at incognito online casinos:
- You can play at them with complete anonymity
- You can play with Bitcoin so your deposits and withdrawals clear instantly
- Most of their games are provable fair and thus 100% trustworthy
Here are the cons of playing at incognito online casinos:
- They are typically not licensed or regulated.
- They only accept crypto coins as a banking method and not FIAT currencies.
- Their game suites are smaller than those of regular casinos.
Are anonymous casinos better than regular casinos?
In summary, as to the final question of whether anonymous casinos are better than regular casinos, the answer is it all comes down to personal taste.
For instance, if you want to protect your identity or you like to gamble with Bitcoin then anonymous sites are for you. If you don’t care either way, regular casinos are probably more your speed.
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