Sports betting is increasing in popularity online and in-app purchases are made daily. It is normal to be worried about the security of the transactions that you are making.
This article will tell you about how to make sure your transaction are secure when making them online for both sport betting and more generally for in-app purchases.
What is Sports Betting?
Sports betting is a type of gambling where you can place a bet, or a wager, on the final score or outcome of a sporting event, match, game, or tournament.
The goal is to correctly predict the outcome of the sports event in order to win additional profit. If you lose the bet, or the result of the sports game is not what you placed your bet on, then you lose the money you wagered.
Secure Transactions in Sports Betting
With so many many different payment methods and electronic products, you want to make sure that where you are placing your sports bet is safe and that your personal information is secure.
Placing Your Sports Bet Offline
A bookmaker, also known as a bookie, is a person or organization that facilitates sports betting. The bookmaker acts as intermediaries between bettors who want to place bets on various sports events or outcomes.
The bookmaker also provides information that will help bettors make their predictions and decide what outcome they want to place their bet on.
It is important that the bookmaker you use is someone, or an organization, that is authorised, legalized, and reputable. This will mean your transactions are more likely to be safe and your personal information will be secure.
Placing Your Sports Bet Online
In addition to offline services, many bookmakers also have mobile apps that make sports betting even more accessible.
When you place a sports bet online, you want to follow the same recommendations for secure online in-app transactions that are listed below.
Also, just like if you were using an bookkeeper offline, you want to make sure that the online bookkeeper is authorised, legal and reputable.
What is an In-App Purchase?
In-app purchases are items that you can buy within a mobile app. These items can range from consumable items to non-consumable items, like extra features or content for a mobile game, to subscription services.
Some mobile apps allow you to purchase extra features and bonuses through points or achieving a certain status by defeating certain levels and challenges. However, in-app purchases are items purchased with real money, so it is important to make sure that the transaction you are making is safe and secure.
Secure Transactions for In-App Purchases
There are various ways to make sure that any in-app purchases are safe, and to be certain that your sensitive information is secure.
What Companies and Mobile App Owners Should Do
First, make sure you trust the app that you are making the in-app purchase from. Whether a transaction is secure or not depends a lot on the company and owner of the mobile app.
Companies should do the following to ensure secure transactions:
- Integrate with secure payment gateways – Integration with reputable and secure payment gateways that comply with industry standards for data encryption and payment processing is critical. For example: PayPal, Stripe, and Google Pay.
- Encryption – Companies must implement strong encryption protocols to protect data that is transmitted between the app and the payment gateway. This means all sensitive information and credit card details is securely transmitted.
- Two-Factor Authentication – Companies should offer Two-Factor Authentication for user accounts as an extra layer of security. This extra layer will prevent hackers and reduce the risk of fraud.
- Secure User Authentication – Companies should require secure user authentication whenever an in-app purchase is made. For example, Face ID or a fingerprint.
- Regular Audits and Updates – Companies should continuously update their app, and ensure that the security tools they are using are the most recent and up to date.
What You Can Do To Ensure Secure In-App Transactions
- Use Trusted Apps – Only make in-app purchases through apps that you have downloaded from official app stores, like the App Store that is on your mobile device.
- Use Secure Wi-Fi Connections – When making in-app purchases and making transactions that require you to input secure information, it is always recommended to do this on a private Wi-Fi network, and not when you are using a public, open network.
- Check Refund Policy & Customer Service – Check the app’s refund policy and ease of reaching customer service. In the case of an unathorised payment, or if you notice fraudulent activity on your card after making an in-app purchase, you want to know that you can reach out to the app’s customer service and receive help in identifying how the hack may have occurred.
- Strong Password – Of course, you should always use a strong password.