Know Your Rights

What Are Your Rights as a Player in an Online Casino?

The activities of casinos and sportbooks are regulated by a strict set of laws and regulations, which are controlled by the Lotteries and Gambling Supervision Inspection (IAUI) of the Republic of Latvia.

IAUI set specific rules, and according to them, all iGaming companies in Latvia must guarantee specific rules and duties, including:

• Fairness of results
• Protection of players’ data and banking operations
• Separation of players’ money
• Preventing harm that can be done with gambling, for example, the possibility of setting personal deposit limits, and temporary or permanent self-ban.

When Latvian players participate in a financial operation with a gambler, they enter into an agreement with him. This agreement allows the casino to control the economic involvement of the player.

Fair Results

The protection of gamblers following the Consumer Rights Law ensures the protection of all Latvian gamblers who may develop a gambling addiction. The law also prevents casinos and bookmakers from using controversial contract language unfairly or improperly:

• Talking about the fairness of results, casinos must guarantee that the games available in an online casino are based on random number generators (RNG). That means that all results are random. That also guarantees that all players have equal chances to win. Random number generators are controlled with independent structures that inspect their fairness.
• Law on Consumer Protection protects gamblers’ interests, so the operators of online casinos don’t get an unfair advantage due to unclear wording in contracts. According to the law, the wording must be fair and clear.
• That means that the players of an online casino must understand the contract to make a deliberate choice if they want to open a deposit. Any part of the contract can’t be hidden or seen as an advantage for the operator.
• Competent authorities evaluate all licensed and regulated online casinos for the integrity of their software. Many tests are done, including gaming and math systems, live dealer tests, tests of RNG, poker systems, evaluations of betting and lottery systems.
• Operators who have passed all tests get a certificate that guarantees fair games. Besides, this means that slots match the minimum payout percent set with national gambling business regulators within the licensing criteria.

Bank Guarantees and Responsible Game

Bank Information Protection

• A casino must provide its customers with all information about its financial activities and accounts. That means that before a player registers with a specific casino, he must check if it has a reliable security system.
• Your bank details are required to be registered in an online casino to make bets, so you must expect from the casino that at least this data will be protected from hackers.
• After the players have checked the section about casino security, it is worth knowing how a bookie will protect players’ personal data.
• Because iGaming operators work with personal data, they must clearly explain what kind of data they collect and the legal basis for the processing.
• In some instances, players have an opportunity to request a deletion of their data from the casino website.
• In case data containing a player’s personal information is transferred between servers with a stable internet connection without any encrypting, any person who has access to a server can get a player’s personal and payment info. Reliable online casinos are using a unique encrypting system that secures data transactions between servers so that no one can decrypt the data.

Game Limits

• Game providers must call on players for a responsible game and allow self-exclusion if necessary. That means that a player can temporarily or permanently limit himself to make bets over the internet.
• Latvian players are also encouraged to use their money responsibly and set individual limits. This function reminds players how much time they have spent playing at a particular online casino. During the registration procedure, players are asked to set a reminder from 10 minutes to a couple of hours. As soon as the bet is placed, the countdown begins. When the time ends, a notification appears that reminds the player that it’s time to take a break.
• If a casino or bookie denies you something, you can always read the IAUI Terms and Conditions to find out your rights as a player in a Latvian casino.

Separation of Players’ Money

All licensed casinos in Latvia must protect players’ money. That means that the gambling sites must keep players’ deposits separated from their bank accounts to protect them—for example, in case of enterprise bankruptcy.

Customers must know that the Latvian government doesn’t protect the money deposited in an online casino in the same way as a bank does. That is why online casinos must keep their funds separately from the customers’ money.

There are three categories of money protection for online casino customers: primary, medium, and high. Every operator must decide which category can be used in his casino and explain his choice. The terms and conditions of every online casino must include a section that mentions the method of customers’ money protection and its category.

• Primary category – customers’ money has no extra protection, as they’re a part of a business (in case it will take bankruptcy).
• Middle category – Betting organizations have performed steps to guarantee players will receive their money back if the company becomes insolvent.
• High category – Customers’ money is kept on an account divided from other companys’ bank accounts and controlled by an external auditor to ensure players’ deposits will be returned to them in case of bankruptcy of the casino.

Conclusion

All online casino players’ must remember that they have rights and responsibilities. As customers deposit their funds, they must ensure that their data is secured. As the casinos also request gamblers’ personal data, they must know how it will be used and how it’s protected.

To ensure your information and funds are safe, always choose licensed in Latvia casinos.

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