How to Avoid Gambling Scams

Luckily, there are ways in which you can protect yourself from all types of online gambling scams. The only important thing to do is know where to look. That will keep you safe no matter if you are a player from Portugal, the rest of the EU, or any other country around the world.

In 2026, it’s evident that gambling fraud, alongside other types of scams are on the rise. But taking a closer look at website authenticity, licensing, and payment systems will immediately keep you safe from making the wrong decision.

Why Online Gambling Scams Are Increasing

As more people and businesses keep moving into the digital space, so are the fraudsters. They’re well aware that the majority of transactions today are performed digitally. When it comes to online gambling, the industry is growing year on year, making it an appealing industry to attack.

Even though players are mature and know of many different types of scams, fraudsters are extremely creative and go the extra mile to scam people. That’s not surprising, as we’re talking of billions of dollars in revenue annually; stealing just a portion of that becomes millions of dollars.

With so much at stake, fraudsters fake branding, use social media, and other forms of phishing to lure customers in and steal their data.

If you’re planning to gamble online, we’ve created a detailed list of scam types, how to recognize them, and what to do in case you get scammed.

Most Common Types of Scams

Out of all the gambling fraud you’ll find online, there are the most common ones that you should keep in mind.

But there’s a solution that will keep you safe from the usual gambling scams that follow predictable patterns. The usual fake licenses, delayed withdrawals, fake bonuses, and identity theft attempts are easy to see through.

Legitimate Casino vs Scam Website

Learning how to tell a legitimate casino from a scam casino is simple. All you have to do is pay attention to the small details that distinguish people from one another. We list those details in the table below. This applies to non gamstop casinos as well, just because they’re not gamstop casinos doesn’t mean they are not legal. Here’s what you need to know about these brands.

Fake licensing, unclear payment systems, and a lack of policy transparency are the key casino scam warning signs. If you see any of them, take a closer look at the operator’s site before you make a deposit.

Casino Scam Warning Signs

Here’s a list of casino scam warning signs to keep an eye out for:

• Unrealistic bonuses - 500% deposit match without any further details just sounds unreal from the start. Find the terms and conditions. If there are none, don’t make a deposit.

• No visible company registration - Where is this company registered? All legal casinos display this information clearly in the footer of their sites.

• No regulator verification link - You can verify every licence with a simple click from the operator’s site.

• Pressure tactics - Limited-time promos, discounts, and VIP invitations that urge you to deposit quickly.

• Poor website security indicators - Check whether the site is following the latest security standards. For starters, check whether it has SSL encryption enabled.

• Delayed or blocked withdrawals - If this happens, it’s an immediate red flag. Luckily, reviews of people on popular sites will mention this.

• Terms that allow arbitrary confiscation - Any terms mentioning arbitrary confiscation sound like a gambling scam warning sign. Why is this even possible? Who is arbitrating this process?

The only positive thing about all this is that you can notice a gambling scam before you make the first deposit.

Real-Life Example

Are you curious about how these scam sites steal money from players? The whole process usually looks the same. But before we get to that, keep in mind that searching for reliable review sites will always keep you safe. Professionals at icasino-reviews.co.nz carefully analyze secure sites that are fully legal and hold licensing from reputable licensing bodies. All these sites are completely scam-free.

Let’s go over a realistic step-by-step scam scenario that some people go through.

1. An illegal site might appear in search engines, advertisements, through influencer recommendations, and email marketing.

2. The lucrative bonus uses various urgency techniques, pushing the player to make a quick deposit. Player inputs private information and makes the deposit.

3. After playing for some time, the player tries to withdraw funds, but the process is delayed at first.

4. After back and forth, the account is abruptly closed, causing a complete financial loss on the player’s side.

The biggest tell is an attractive offer that is so good that it doesn’t make sense. Falling for it triggers all the other steps that lead to a casino scam.

What to Do If You’ve Been Scammed

Did you get scammed? Don’t worry, that doesn’t mean that you’ve lost your money. There are still steps that you can take to reduce and reverse the damage.

1. Stop further deposits immediately.

2. Contact the payment provider, block your card, and request a chargeback by explaining the whole situation.

3. Report to the regulator or the consumer protection authority.

4. Secure personal data by changing passwords and freezing your financial accounts to prevent any potential charges to your card.

5. Document communication.

It’s important to act quickly, though. You have a limited-time window once the gambling scam happens, so act fast forthe best damage control.

Statistical Snapshot

According to the World Economic Forum report, cybercrime is rampant globally. The report says that the top cybersecurity crime is ransomware. Additionally, AI is at the bottom of it all, allowing deepfake attacks to become more common as the technology is cheap and requires no tech knowledge.

The same report notes that the overall cybercrime is on the rise, as 72% of organizations have reported an increase in attacks in 2024/2025. On top of that, the latest technologies are enabling scammers to be more sophisticated.

Globally speaking, cybercrime costs the world more than $10.5 trillion at the moment. Which is a massive figure, showing why so many criminals went digital. Because the market size is so lucrative, it’s likely that the cybercrime rate is going to keep growing.

Final Verdict

Even though online gambling scams are becoming an increasing phenomenon, they’re easy to spot if you know where to look. We hope this guide has given you a clear insight into how to avoid gambling scams. Check for operators license, bonus offer terms, withdrawal policies, and the overall transparency of the platform.

That will give you an idea of whether a particular platform is fully legal and safe to gamble on. If you’re ever in doubt, you can always head over to review sites which feature reliable online casinos that you can trust.