Every industry has been changed over recent decades by the advance of technology and the integration of the online world. Few, however, have been so fundamentally challenged as the world of betting.
While high street betting sites in Ireland are still a common sight—there as still as many as 800 operating—it is clear to see that betting sites are becoming more and more popular with each year that passes.
Today, we’re going to look at some essential things to know about online betting before you get started. What to look out for, what to try and avoid, and the best features of a good online betting site. Let’s get started.
- Security
The first and most important thing to look out for is always security. Each year, there are as many as 1,200 data breaches, in which user data from particular online platforms is leaked. This is a big risk for your financial information on a betting site.
So, when you’re looking into a new betting site, you need to be sure that it has robust security. Check that the operator has no history of large-scale data breaches, and that the site itself requires security features like 2FA.
Also, you must be sure that the site is licensed by the relevant commission. In Ireland, betting licenses are issued by the Revenue Commissioners. So, you can be sure that the site has passed the basic tests if it displays its official license.
Security is your first thing to check. Next, you’ll want to get an idea of how well it functions.
- Functionality
Technology has come a long way in recent years, but the simple fact is that it’s not perfect. Many apps and sites are still prone to bugs, crashing, freezing, and generally less than smooth functioning.
You should try to browse the app or site for a while before you actually make any bets. Does it seem to be slow, even freezing and crashing? If so, then it may need some fixes in updates. Until that happens, your best to simply avoid it.
While it isn’t necessarily the end of the world if a site isn’t as smooth as others, it is going to become a nuisance if you are using the site a lot. The biggest operators will run smooth and well-functioning apps, so they are usually the best place to start looking.
With up to €10,000 a minute spent on online gambling in Ireland, operators have plenty of motivation to get their site running smoothly.
Often, one of the best ways to establish this is to read the user reviews.
- User feedback
With any betting site, there will be the relevant collection of user reviews detailing how well or how poorly it works. Once you’re sure of its security and you’ve gotten a feel for its functionality, you can start looking to other users to get an idea of any major issues the site may face.
For the biggest sites, there will be literally tens of thousands of reviews—pointing out what’s good, and what needs to be improved. Scanning these reviews for any commonly recurring complaint is a good way to avoid the site in the first place.
It’s always important to check what other users have said about the site.
- Promotions and bonuses
Finally, you should start looking at which site offers the most attractive and lucrative welcome bonuses. In order to put up with the huge competition that betting sites now face, each has begun to offer increasingly lucrative welcome bonuses.
These can take many forms, most commonly giving you a certain amount of free funds to bet with on your first deposit. For example, you might get €50 of free bets for your first €10 deposit. This can be great for first time bettors.
You can always take advantage of multiple offers, but picking the site with a competitive promo is always a good place to start.
One thing that is great about betting sites is that they give a lot of power back to the consumer. Whereas once you were simply at the mercy of whichever betting shops you could get to, now you have a world of choice in the online sphere. That said, you still need to be really diligent about that choice—make sure the site you’re looking into is safe and secure, and that it isn’t severely lacking in smooth functioning. With these basics established, you can really find a site that works for you.
