Online casinos are not rigged, as long as you don’t play on unlicensed or unreliable casinos. Nowadays, online casinos comprise hundreds of options, and if you happen to choose a dishonest gaming site, an online casino scam may be possible. Some players wonder if online casinos are rigged when they don’t win anything, but this is usually due to the house edge, or the games’ return-to-player percentages, which ensure the casino wins in the long run.
In this article, we will examine whether online casinos are rigged, taking different perspectives into account. We will also explore why it sometimes feels like casinos cheat. We will also look at reliable gaming sites that can help you avoid rigged casinos. Later in the page, you will find information on whether online casinos can be cheated and why you should absolutely not do so.
Why does it feel like online casinos cheat?
Do you sometimes feel that online casinos cheat? Behind this feeling are significant online casino losses and it feels as though the casino has deceived you. This is a completely normal feeling when you simply cannot get any wins from those games. However, this is normal, as the return-to-player percentage is set so that the casino wins in the long term. All gambling games, such as slot machines, offer a return-to-player percentage that is below 100%. Usually, the return-to-player percentage, or RTP, is between 92-96%. Table games have a slightly higher percentage.
If a game’s RTP is, for instance, 96%, it returns that amount to players from all the money wagered on it. For example, if a game is played with 100 €/$, you will receive an average of 96 €/$ back in winnings. So in the long run, you will lose 4 €/$ every time you play the game with 100 euros.
The impact of game volatility on the gaming experience is significant
It is important to note that in addition to the return-to-player percentage, the gaming experience is affected by volatility, or the game’s variance. Some games offer high volatility, meaning you win less frequently, but with larger wins. In these high-variance games, losses can be substantial even in a short period.
If you primarily play these games, you may encounter very long losing streaks before your first big win. This leads to significant online casino losses and a feeling that casino fraud is present. In reality, it was not casino cheating, but rather the game’s feature, high volatility, that caused the long losing streak.
Withdrawals are delayed: Is this an online casino scam?
You have probably encountered an online casino that delays processing withdrawals. This is quite a common problem with unreliable casinos, and as a player, it would be important for you to always choose the best online casino based on experiences. If a casino deliberately delays withdrawals so that you would cancel the pending withdrawal and lose the money to the casino, this constitutes an online casino scam. You will inevitably encounter these casinos if you play on a random gaming site.
Delays and complication of account verification
Often, the processing of withdrawals is delayed through the KYC process (Know Your Customer), which requires the player to do a considerable amount of extra work to complete.
Account verification documents previously accepted by other casinos do not seem to be valid, and you are continuously required to provide new documents whilst the withdrawal processing stagnates. In this situation, one feels rather deceived, especially if account verification takes weeks.
Withdrawal requests are pending for several days without a reasonable cause
Failing to process withdrawal requests without a reasonable cause is one of the most irritating casino scams. In this case, the casino simply ignores withdrawal requests and keeps them pending day after day. The hope here is that the player would cancel the pending withdrawal and play back their winnings, or a portion of them, to the casino.
There are situations where a withdrawal request is pending for a reason, such as due to a manual verification caused by a large win. In this case, the casino requests confirmation from the game provider to verify the large win. This slows down the processing of the withdrawal, and is not an online casino scam. As mentioned earlier, an incomplete KYC process also keeps the withdrawal request pending until it is fully completed.
Rapid online casino losses due to low return-to-player percentages
Let’s do a small test: Open your online casino and find Book of Dead (Play’n GO) from the game selection. Look for the question mark symbol in the game and click on it. Search for the information: “Average return-to-player percentage is” and find out what return-to-player percentage is listed for the game.
The highest possible return-to-player percentage for the game is 96.21%, which offers the best return in the long run. There are also versions of the game with reduced RTP, which maximise the benefit gained from the player.
The lowest return-to-player percentage that can be found in the game is only 84.18%. If the casino has hidden the return-to-player percentage information, you can assume it to be either 84.18% or 87.25%. If the high-return version of the game were offered, why would the casino want to hide this information? In our opinion, this is a clear online casino scam, where the player is not even aware that they are playing a game with an extremely low return-to-player percentage.
Safe online casinos: Bonusroller TOP picks for 2025
Casino fraud can be avoided by choosing an honest online casino. Here are the best ones:
We offer only safe and reliable online casinos, so that you can avoid the most common online casino scams. This list comprises only the highest-rated casinos that hold an MGA or other safe online casino licence. They offer the best return percentages on the market, quick withdrawal times, and the best gaming experience.
Can online casinos be cheated?
Online casinos can be attempted to cheat, but it is illegal, extremely risky and results in serious penalties. Here is the most recent example from Finland:
In Finland, a 33-year-old British man cheated online casinos out of over €800,000. The case made headlines and attracted widespread media attention. The man managed to exploit software bugs in casinos and manipulated the outcomes of gambling games.
He downloaded a free program to his computer that helped him find vulnerabilities on gambling sites. When he discovered a loophole, he managed to collect substantial winnings from two foreign online casinos.
The man’s scam was quickly uncovered. On one gambling account, which had previously been used only for small-scale gambling, €10,000 was suddenly deposited and within an hour, €118,000 was withdrawn. The British man was caught and sentenced to prison for aggravated fraud in July 2024.
It is of paramount importance to remember that cheating casinos is a serious crime. It results in severe penalties, such as lengthy prison sentences. Additionally, the risk of getting caught is extremely high, as online casinos use the most effective monitoring tools on the market to detect unusual gambling patterns.
The only safe and legal way to play at online casinos is to follow the rules and gamble responsibly on reliable, licensed sites, such as MGA casinos.
Summary
Online casinos are not rigged, as long as you choose casino sites carefully. Untrustworthy scam casinos can be identified by hidden licence information, low return percentages, and delays in withdrawals and the KYC process. An untrustworthy casino is also typically a poor translation and the terms are unreasonable.
By choosing casinos through our site, you too can avoid online casino scams and improve your gaming experience. Bonusroller.com is your support and security in every situation, whether you want to avoid casino scams or find out the safest places to play. We hope you enjoyed this article; it took us an entire day to compile. If you liked what you read, please remember to check out our other casino guides as well.
FAQs – Online casino scams
We have compiled all frequently asked questions about online casino scams.
How do I identify an unreliable online casino?
An unreliable online casino can be identified by hidden licence information, low return percentages, delays in account verification (KYC) and slow withdrawal times. Especially if the casino delays approving withdrawals without a reasonable explanation, so that you would continue playing, it is quite a dishonest casino.
How do you identify a reliable online casino?
You can identify a reliable online casino by a safe gambling licence, high return percentages, fast withdrawal times, good customer service, clear bonus terms and a comprehensive range of responsible gambling tools. Our site helps you find the most suitable honest online casino for you.
Why do casinos hide the return to player of their games?
Some online casinos hide the RTP of their games so that players wouldn’t know how low the return percentage offered by the game is. Many unreliable casinos offer, for example, Play’n GO’s popular Book of Dead slot game with a return percentage of 84.18%, which is appalling. The best version of the game returns 96.21% to players, so the difference is remarkably large.
Why do casinos cheat by delaying the approval of withdrawals?
Some scam casinos deliberately avoid paying out winnings so that the player would continue playing and lose their winnings back to the casino. Usually, however, the delay in withdrawals is due to a large win that is manually checked by the game provider before the withdrawal is approved. Sometimes, failure to verify the gaming account is also the reason for delayed withdrawals.
