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There are many reasons why you might want to use a VPN. By creating an encrypted tunnel to protect your online traffic, you can increase your cybersecurity, especially if you’re using public Wi-Fi. But VPNs aren’t just used to protect your online activity from prying eyes; they’re also used to virtually change your physical location.
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This is something online gamblers often do: they pretend to be in a different country. But is this a good idea? Can using a VPN to connect to a site like NV Casino get your account canceled? We’ll answer these questions below.
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What is a VPN, and How Does It Work?
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It stands for “virtual private network”, and it means that the user connects to the internet through the servers of the organization that provides this service. Simply put, if you connect to a VPN server before visiting a website, that website thinks the connection request is coming from the server, not from you.
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So, you appear to be sending a request from the country the server is in. For example, if you connect from France to a server in the US, your virtual location will be seen as the US.
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This “trick” is often used to deceive service providers who determine the content of their services based on geographic location. If you want to watch USA Netflix content even though you are in Europe, for example, you can change your virtual location to USA.
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You can also use a VPN to access websites that governments block or censor. Since traffic is encrypted, it cannot be blocked or censored by ISPs.
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Why Do Gamblers Use VPNs?
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If you are wondering why players use VPNs to access online casinos and sportsbooks, there are different reasons for this:
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- To bypass censorship. The government in the country where the player lives may have blocked online casinos. Using a VPN is the only way to access them.
- To manipulate content. Some services of online casinos are exclusive to certain countries. For example, a provider may offer its games only to specific regions. (Betsoft and Netent have a fairly long list of restricted countries.) Similarly, a bonus offered by a casino may not be available in certain locations. By changing the virtual location with a VPN, it is possible to access restricted content.
- To be able to join a casino. Sometimes, this is done just to be able to join an online casino: casinos cannot accept members from lots of countries due to their licensing requirements. For example, they cannot accept members from the UK without a UKGC (United Kingdom Gambling Commission) license. A UK player can still register by pretending to be from another country.
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A player may want to use a VPN for one or all of these reasons. But is this a good idea?
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Using a VPN May Get Your Account Closed
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Using the technology will cause the casino to close your account unless otherwise stated. This may not happen immediately: you can continue to play by changing your virtual location for a long time. But eventually, it will be revealed that you are a VPN user, even if you are very careful.
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The main problem that will give you away is your deposits and withdrawals. For example, you can pretend to be in Australia, but if you are withdrawing from a bank account in Germany, you will eventually be caught by the fraud detection algorithm.
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You may think that you can overcome this problem by using cryptocurrencies or e-wallets. But once again, eventually, what you are doing will be detected. For example, your connection may be disconnected without your realizing it, and your real IP address may be leaked.
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Your VPN provider may give you an IP address that has been caught in a honeypot (previously used maliciously), and this alone can trigger the relevant mechanisms. We could go on and on, but rest assured: if you use a VPN, the casino will eventually detect it, and unless you are explicitly allowed to do so, your account will be canceled.
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Why Don’t Casinos Want You to Use a VPN?
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We mentioned above why players use VPNs. This is exactly why casinos don’t want them. For example, a casino that accepts UK players without a UK license could face serious legal action. Similarly, game providers can terminate their agreement with a casino because their portfolio is accessed from restricted countries.
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For this reason, you should always read the terms & conditions carefully to see if you can use this technology. There are VPN-friendly casinos, although they are few in number, but in most cases, you will not be allowed to use the technology. It is always a good idea to find an online casino that you can use without changing your virtual location.
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