Online gaming is bigger than ever before. Everybody is gaming online, mobile, PC, casino gaming, or streaming some co-op action adventure with buddies on Twitch — there appears to be something for everyone. The internet was always advertised as a tool that would bring the world together, and it without doubt succeeded in the gaming industry. But there’s a catch: bringing everyone so close means people are more vulnerable than ever before.
With data theft and financial fraud rates reaching new heights daily, it’s important to protect users when they game online. Some of that responsibility falls on the users themselves, and the larger chunk falls on the gaming services handling their personal and financial data.
For this reason, people and companies continue to experiment with several technologies in a bid to keep the bad eggs at bay.
One such technology that has yielded positive results is Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). While its working process is quite complex, the easiest way to understand it is that it creates a tunnel between your computer and the VPN server and allows you to transmit data to and fro, protecting you from third-party interceptions.
Because VPNs reroute user data through their servers, they ultimately mask the user’s IP address, shielding the user’s location and other personal information. Casino gamers in the UK will be familiar with the magic of the VPN because not only does it keep them safe online, but it’s also able to connect to servers located offshore which means UK players can bypass GamStop restrictions and access casinos not on GamStop to take advantage of their unique bonuses and large game selection (source: https://www.sportscasting.com/online-casinos/casinos-not-on-gamstop-uk/).
Another piece of technology that has changed the online gaming landscape forever is the blockchain. But “What is the blockchain?” It’s quite simple: the blockchain is an immutable, unalterable ledger that keeps records. So, how does this make online gaming safer?
The answer is that it creates a trustless system.
Systems that employ the blockchain no longer need to rely on people for smooth operations; they no longer need to worry about whether their gameplay is being manipulated or their funds are being siphoned; it’s all there for all who can access the blockchain to see. Doing things this way deters fraud and encourages trust in the online gaming platform by its users.
The age-old question: What came first, the blockchain or cryptocurrency?
We know which came first, and it was indeed the blockchain, but its most common use case has been cryptocurrency since Bitcoin was launched in 2009. In the same way that Blockchain safeguards online gaming, cryptocurrency also plays a part. Here’s how.
According to Security.org, 60% of United States citizens have been victims of credit card fraud, and 45% have been conned at least more than once. Safe to say, it is a huge problem, huge enough that people are very skeptical about entering their card details on any online system. But how then do you transact online on these online gaming platforms if you are unwilling to enter your card information? Enters cryptocurrency.
With cryptocurrency, you don’t have to link your card to any site, and thanks to its cryptographic technology, you’re basically unidentifiable. You’re only identifiable by a pseudonymous wallet address, which will take some effort before it can be traced back to you. This, coupled with the fact that it allows you to transact faster and cheaper than ever before, means credit and debit cards will not be missed.
When talking about making things encrypted and unidentifiable by third parties, we have SSL, TLS, and HTTPS encryption technologies. These three protocols are often used interchangeably, but while interrelated, they mean different things. Surface-level: They are great when they feature on sites. Their presence means your data is being encrypted between your device and the server and can not make sense to a third party when intercepted.
HTTPS stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, and it is the secure version of HTTP. HTTPS is secure because it combines with TLS, which means Transport Layer Security, or SSL, which means Secure Sockets Layer. TLS offers the same security as SSL and so much more. It is the newer of the two technologies and is more commonly used these days because it addresses many of SSL’s vulnerabilities.
So there you have it: technologies designed to ensure you can visit your favorite online casino and play your favorite video games anytime you want with peace of mind. With technology always advancing, you already know it can only get better.
