Remembering the pre-smartphone era is somewhat challenging, considering how ingrained the devices have become in daily life and how much convenience they have created. The days of carrying around a camera, calculator, music player, and cellphone as separate devices have long passed. Smartphones have also brought some negatives. Chief among these is increased security risks. Thanks to their almost constant connection to the internet. These risks are more significant for people who use their phones for more than just connecting to others. Those who do their banking via an app or gamble on top-rated casino apps require extra security to prevent unwanted situations. This is why developers behind many apps take security seriously and work tirelessly to ensure their products are rock solid. In this article, we’ll delve into the security behind Canadian mobile casinos and see how they keep you safe while you’re playing.
Mobile Casinos vs. Mobile Casino Apps
The first thing to note is the distinction between a mobile casino and a mobile casino application. A mobile casino is simply an online casino that is compatible with mobile devices. And can be accessed through a device’s internet browser.
When visiting a mobile casino through a web browser, you are essentially accessing the standard online casino. The only difference is that the site layout is optimized for smaller screens. And some features may be limited.
A mobile casino app is a fully fledged application built by an online casino. They run natively on your device and requires an installation process. It also requires specific permissions from your device. They can access hardware components, and offer more features than an online casino.
Encryption Security
Now that we’ve established the two types of mobile casinos, let’s look at the most significant security feature—encryption. Encryption is at the heart of security for mobile casinos and online gambling websites.
This security feature makes all your data unreadable as it travels between your device and your chosen casino. Only once it reaches either of these endpoints is the data decrypted. ALways into something that you (or the website) can make sense of.
The perk of employing encrypted data comes into play should a transmission be intercepted. Anyone attempting to steal data in this way won’t be able to make heads or tails of it.
Encryption such as SSL or TLS (transport layer security) allows the safe transfer of your personal player information. Information about the game you’re playing, and even your financial transactions when depositing or withdrawing is safe. As such, it is vitally important to any casino and is even used in physical casinos.
OS Security
While mobile casino websites may not benefit from this, Canadian mobile casino apps take advantage of the security offered by the operating system they are installed on. This is particularly true if you download the app from an official app store, which generally blocks unverified casinos.
Android and iOS have stringent security measures for the applications available in their respective stores. When these apps are uploaded to the store, they are scanned for malicious code.
That said, even an app not directly downloaded from an app store, still benefits from other types of security. For Android, Google Play Protect ensures that any app installed is clean and inherently safe to use. iOS, on the other hand, uses a system called Secure Enclave to protect your device from breaches.
Biometrics and Two-Factor Authentication
Another popular security feature used with mobile devices is biometric and two-factor authentication. Like OS security, this security is primarily found in mobile casino applications. Although two-factor authentication can be used on browser-based gambling sites, biometrics are rarely seen here.
Many smartphones today have biometric security that requires a valid fingerprint to unlock features or grant access. Apple’s alternative on iOS is facial recognition, which works in much the same way except with facial features instead of fingerprints.
Mobile casino apps can take advantage of these by accessing your device’s security records and using your stored biometric or facial recognition information as a safeguard. Should you not be able to prove your identity with one of these, these apps can remain locked and stop any security breaches from occurring.
Facial recognition, in particular, is growing in use in casinos and online casinos worldwide—adding to the security of gambling in person, on your PC, or via your mobile device. Australia is the latest country to use the technology to track players for security and gambling addiction assistance.
Two-factor authentication works similarly. After providing your login credentials via an app or a mobile browser, you must further authenticate yourself using a unique passcode or OTP (one-time pin) that will be sent to your device.
These OTPs are usually sent via SMS (short message service) and expire after a short while to ensure safety. Alternatively, many authentication apps can be downloaded and linked to allow straightforward generation of authentication codes from within the app.
Server Routing
Another great security feature of mobile casinos is where they originate from, whether playing via an app or a mobile browser. Almost all mobile casinos are operated by online casinos that can be accessed via desktop. Therefore, the mobile counterparts of these sites share the same server.
While sharing a server doesn’t, in essence, make mobile casinos safer, the fact that they share all the same security systems, firewalls, and protection that an online casino uses does. This means that security protocols, exceptions, encryptions, and routines aren’t at all sacrificed for mobile compatibility.
Player Information
Like the server a casino operates on, player information and access are other details a mobile casino or app shares with the desktop version of a gambling site. That’s because player accounts and information are all stored in a central database.
Therefore, as with the PC version of a casino, only registered players with active accounts can access many parts of these mobile casinos or apps. This protects would-be hackers from accessing the member area of a casino and taking actions that would make the casino less secure for the player.
