People frequently ask the question whether sports betting in Florida is safe or not and what steps they need to take to reduce the chance of being subjected to fraud, data theft, unfair practices, and similar. The short answer is, yes, sports betting is safe, provided that you follow the tips we’re about to present.
If you’re in a hurry, you can just skim through the subheadings, but we do encourage you to give it a thorough read as we’ve made sure it’s packed full of valuable info that you can run with and implement immediately.
Without any further ado, here’s tip number 1:
1. Do your due diligence
You’re probably anxious to place a bet on your favorite sports team, but aimlessly throwing your money at the first online sports betting platform you come across is probably not a good idea. Instead, you should be comparing the top sports betting sites in FL so that you can pick the one that will give you a good deal and be worthy of your trust. Don’t forget that you’ll also be giving them some of your personal information for safekeeping when you create your account, so there are multiple considerations to be made that go beyond your investment.
A good starting point is to compose a personal list of favorites which would typically be the ones with a known and established brand in the industry. Then, you should drill down a bit more, identifying the ones with the most favorable terms, betting requirements, and so forth. Make a note on whatever catches your attention. Keep in mind that everyone has different preferences, so you should always do your own research. Checking what the users are saying on social media and customer review platforms is another great source of information – these comments and reviews are hard to manipulate, thus making them quite reliable and trustworthy.
2. Learn how to spot the red flags
If you’ve successfully completed step 1, you should have a wealth of information to work with. The next step is learning how to interpret it. In other words, by learning how to spot the red flags, you’ll be able to avoid several issues, letdowns, and potential deal-breakers such as:
– Delayed payments
– Operators running away with your funds
– Unfair betting conditions and practices
– Rigged algorithms
– Incompatible payment methods
– etc.
In particular, you should keep your eyes peeled and inspect the following:
The operating license
Can the bookie present a valid license? If so, this is an indicator of being regulated by a reputable gaming authority such as Curacao eGaming, signifying that the operator is fully compliant with any laws and regulations that apply. Usually, they tend to wear it as a badge of honor and will not shy away from displaying it in a visible section of their website (check the header and footer). If you find them to be tight-lipped about the licenses they’ve obtained, take it as a warning sign.
Review consistency
Do you find that some websites are giving them nothing but five stars and spotless reviews while others are flooded with customer service complaints and overall negative comments? While true that what we’ve described can be attributed to manipulation (examples include smear campaigns initiated by the competitors and paid reviews), for the most part, there should be a fair amount of consistency when it comes to reviews. Despite the occasional variance, a 5-star service is likely to get great reviews all across the board and in a manner that is more or less consistent.
Years in the business
Since many fly-by-night operations are popping up, a good rule of thumb is to stick to the bookies that have persevered in this business for many years. While this doesn’t guarantee anything, know that it’s highly unlikely for an established business to suddenly experience a change of heart and shift their ways overnight. Moreover, know that not all of the less-known brands are automatically a bad choice; however, it’s somewhat riskier to go with them in comparison.
3. Study the local laws
Before depositing your hard-earned money, you should always check whether sports betting in your jurisdiction is legal in the first place. In the case of Florida, the answer is yes – gambling and sports betting is legal, welcome, and accepted here! While you won’t get in any legal trouble for betting online in Florida, you should still exercise a reasonable amount of caution and pick a bookie that deserves your trust.
4. Secure your device
One of the most important, but often overlooked aspects of staying safe when betting on sports online, is the security of your computer or smart device. In other words, if the one you’re using is riddled with viruses and malware of all sorts, none of the tips we can give you will make a difference. Apart from installing antivirus software and running it regularly, there are other cyber security measures you can take.
An example would be to keep your passwords long, complex, and never re-use them across other user accounts you’ve created. The reason being is that, in the unfortunate event of a hacker compromising one of them, you’d want others to remain safe. Otherwise, you could find yourself locked out of each and every single one of them, with your personal details stolen and any funds you’ve deposited completely wiped away!
Apart from that, you should also keep the apps installed on your device up to date, right along with the operating system. The online threat landscape is constantly evolving, so you have to keep up with the pace and not let the hackers exploit what could have been prevented with minimal effort on your end.
The cyber safety of your device is not to be taken for granted so you should take the initiative.
Conclusion
With that, our guide on what to do to stay safe when betting on sports in Florida is complete. Note that the topics we’ve touched upon are quite complex in nature, so we’ve condensed it all down to what we consider to be the bare essentials. At any time you stumble across a term you’re unfamiliar with, you’re encouraged to do further research on your own. Have a great time betting online and, as always, stay safe!
