VPN makes our online second lives easier. It protects our privacy, shields us from potential attacks and problematic websites, and, sometimes, grants access to content we would have otherwise been blocked off from due to our physical location. However, the platform can often recognize VPN, which prevents us from relying on its usual advantages.
How about online casinos? In this article, the CasinoOnlineCA team of online gambling experts and recreational gamers will explore the features of VPN and answer the titular question. Read on to find out if the best online casino welcome bonus can be claimed by non-Canadian enthusiasts with a bit of help from Internet connection protection.
What Is a VPN?
To understand a VPN, one needs to define the IP address first. The letters stand for Internet protocol, rules that govern the format in which the information is sent on the network. A VPN protects your IP by granting you another, enabling browsing privacy and making tracking more difficult. Online browsers love VPNs because they help them remain anonymous in their search histories and sometimes gain access to content unavailable in their countries for both justified and dubious reasons.
Online Casinos and IP Tracking
Online casinos track our IP addresses primarily because of regulations that demand audits. All information regarding the behaviour on the platform needs to be transparent for the casino to adhere to gambling rules and regulations and conduct fairness checks. Still, regulatory demands are not the only reason casinos require their customers to have online addresses. Here are the other reasons online gambling platforms follow your Internet connection.
- Promotions—Your location is of utmost importance for the casino marketing campaigns. Casinos use ad targeting to redirect customers to other websites. Although some people find it distasteful, businesses use marketing to lure new people. Specifically, casinos use ad targeting to get the attention of more potential customers.
- Multiple Accounts—Some players share their accounts with close friends or family, while others create numerous. Casinos ensure that one account corresponds to one IP by tracking an IP. Having more than one account harms the casino business by potentially allowing players to abuse the bonus offers.
- Addiction—Gambling is fun but highly addictive due to its thrilling and adrenaline-inducing nature. Casinos are dedicated to helping their struggling customers. By using methods like temporary self-exclusion, the platforms target the accounts with suspicious behaviour to help recognize addiction patterns. Responsible gambling is the staple of the contemporary online gambling industry, and innovative technology is utilized to enable profile monitoring. Not being able to open another account to continue playing prevents the addictive gambler from gaining easy access to indulge in their addiction.
- Money Laundering Prevention—The major concern of gambling platforms, especially those that are not scams but legitimate businesses, is staying within the limits of the law. Avoiding fraud and the risk of money laundering keeps the renowned casino platforms transparent, safe, and under proper regulations.
“Some people believe they are being tracked for espionage reasons. We all leave so much information on our devices that it would be impossible for someone to spy on our privacy without a proper reason, such as a warrant for an investigation. Mainly, casinos track players to prevent fraud, stay legal, detect potential addictive behaviour, and, of course, for marketing,” says James Segrest, the CasinoOnlineCA editor-in-chief and a professional online gambler.
What Is a Welcome Bonus and How Does It Work
For those who do not know, welcome bonus promotions are advantages casinos grant to new players as a reward for creating an account. They come in the form of money or other beneficial gambling boosters, like free spins. The welcome bonus can be activated after a deposit. Each has terms and conditions and wagering requirements that need to be met to collect potential winnings, and they vary from casino to casino, as well as location.
Typically, you’ll only be able to use bonuses on casino platforms that accept players from your part of the world. Not all of them do because different countries may have different gambling laws and regulations. If you are a non-Canadian resident but can play in a Canadian online casino, there is no reason you should not be able to claim a bonus.
Still, the promotional combination might be slightly different from the one Canada-based players can expect. Sometimes, though, only the currency is different.
Avoiding Tracking
Not all VPNs function in the same way. If you rely on a poor-quality VPN, casinos will recognize your activity as suspicious and block you anyway.
Premium VPN
Premium VPNs are better options. They encrypt data and root your activity through a VPN, obscuring the IP. However, your online behaviour decides whether someone will detect you are using a VPN.
Crypto Casinos
Opting for crypto wallets as a payment option helps many players avoid leaving sensitive information like their banking data. With crypto as a deposit or withdrawal method, all you need is your crypto wallet address to collect your assets instantly from everywhere in the world. Is it always that simple? No. Many renowned casinos require KYC verifications upon payouts, which might lead to issues concerning location.
VPN Gambling Issues
Multiple risks and consequences derive from VPN gambling. Consider the following before making a final decision about gambling with a protected IP.
- Terms of Service Violation—Many casinos forbid VPNs. If caught, your account will be suspended.
- Legal Risks—If you come from a location where online gambling is illegal, you’ll face more severe consequences than an account ban.
- Withdrawal Issues—Due to identity verification, players might receive a bonus with a VPN but fail to collect their winnings.
- Slower Internet Speed—VPNs sometimes slow the connection speed, which might affect your gaming experience.
Conclusion
Despite many benefits like privacy and access to forbidden content, VPNs in online gambling are complex, mainly if they are used for concealing one’s location. Different countries have different jurisdictions concerning gambling, which might complicate the player’s legal situation if they are detected.
Although a premium VPN and the usage of a crypto wallet will probably succeed in the registering and even welcome bonus collecting process, withdrawal will be complicated because of the KYC verification. If you decide to take your chances anyway, remember the consequences can vary between mild, like an account ban and serious, like legal investigation.