5 ways to play safely when using online casino platforms

Since the rise of the internet in the 1990s, online casinos have become a major platform for accessing a range of old and new casino games. They’ve come a long way in the last couple of decades, but there’s still plenty to consider when playing casino games online.

That’s why we’ve put together a list of five ways that players can play safely when using online casino platforms. With these tips, players can ensure they have a safe and secure experience playing classic casino games in a digital format.

  1. Choosing a reputable and licensed platform

The first, and perhaps most obvious, ways that players can ensure they play safely is to choose a reliable and reputable online casino platform. There are plenty of different options out there, but an easy way to check is to look at the site’s licensing information.

Any reputable online casino will be licensed by a recognised authority like the Malta Gaming Authority or the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC). In order to obtain a license a platform must adhere to strict guidelines, ensuring fair play and protecting players’ data.

This license is generally shown at the bottom of the online casino’s page, so scroll down and take a look before committing to a site. It’s also worth checking out existing reviews from other players to get an idea of the online casino’s general reputation.

  1. Stick to secure connections

This is a general tip for any online activity really. When playing online casino games only use platforms that have proper encryption in place, shown by the HTTPS address and a padlock icon in the browser’s address bar.

Players should also stick to using secure Wi-Fi networks, rather than any unsecured public networks.

  1. Enable two-factor authentication

Something else to consider is enabling two-factor authentication (2FA). This adds an extra layer of security to a player’s data, requiring an additional step of verification when logging into a platform.

With 2FA enabled, it becomes far harder for any unauthorised access to occur, with the code being sent to a player’s phone or email account. While online casinos have a lot of security in place to protect player data, adding 2FA offers an additional layer of safety.

  1. Set a budget and stick to it

To play online casino games responsibly, it’s essential to set a budget before starting play. Deciding a budget and then sticking to allows players to manage their funds properly, making sure that they only wager what they can afford.

Sticking to a budget also helps to reduce the chances of players chasing their losses.

  1. Make use of responsible play tools

Following on from the last point, many online casinos offer tools that help players to maintain a responsible attitude to play. Tools like time and wager limits can assist players in keeping track of these factors and continuing to play safely.

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By adopting these tips, any player can make sure they have a safe and secure time playing online casino games. Maintaining a proactive approach to online safety is essential for anyone looking to play at an online casino.

Where is Epsom Downs Racecourse?

Epsom Downs Racecourse, as the name suggests, is situated at the foot of the North Downs, near Epsom, Surrey in South East England. Epsom is best known as the home of the Derby Festival, which is staged annually on the first weekend in June and features the third and fourth Classic races of the season, the Oaks and the Derby. Both races have a long, rich history, having been established in 1779 and 1780, respectively, but the Derby – which, at the last count, offered £1.5 million in total prize money – is by far the more prestigious and valuable of the pair. The roll of honour features the likes of Sea Bird, Mill Reef, Shergar and Sea The Stars, to name but four of the notable winners.

The Oaks and the Derby and, indeed, the Coronation Cup – a Group 1 race open to older horses – are run over a mile and a half on a left-handed, U-shaped course characterised by pronounced undulation. Runners ascend steeply for the first half a mile, before descending equally steeply, around Tattenham Corner, into the home straight, which rises again in the final furlong.

Epsom is essentially sharp for the last mile or so, particularly so on the five-furlong sprint course, which is officially the fastest in the world. On June 2, 2012, Stone Of Folca, trained by John Best and ridden by Luke Morris, won the Epsom Dash in a time of 53.69 seconds, thereby setting a world record as the fastest horse over five furlongs.

In which year did the FIFA Women’s World Cup make its debut?

1991 was an important year for women’s football, putting it firmly on the world stage. It likely would now surprise many to learn that this was the year of the first Women’s World Cup, held in Japan.

Nowadays, there’s a myriad of coverage both domestic and international, but even in recent history that hasn’t been the case. Some would say that it’s pushed too much (or is cheaper to broadcast than men’s football, so highlighted for that reason), but there’s little reason why football shouldn’t be a sport for all, and the increased attention paid can certainly be a catalyst to lift standards of, and interest in, the game.

With increased coverage comes a focus on in-form teams both domestic and international and takes on who will win in any particular clash. A YouGov study from last year found that 60% of those who engage in sports betting actively follow the women’s game.

The 1991 FIFA Women’s World Cup, took place in Guangdong, China and consisted of twelve nations vying for success on the world stage. There were:

Nigeria
China
Japan
Chinese Taipei
Brazil
New Zealand
Denmark
Germany
Italy
Norway
Sweden
United States

 

Matches were 80 minutes instead of the men’s 90 minute games, though that has since changed. The tournament captured significant attention from around the world and set a foundation from which has been built upon ever since. There have been eight tournaments since held in places such as Sweden, United States, Germany, Canada, Australia/New Zealand (jointly held). Speaking to the growing success of women’s football is the fact that in 2015 the Women’s World Cup final saw the most watched soccer match in American history – 23 million viewers. America certainly has a fondness for the womens game (there’s long been the idea of the ‘soccer mom’), which is likely why they’ve performed so well, in winning four out of the nine touraments  held so far.

The debut of the FIFA Women’s World Cup most certainly put the women’s game on the map and has expanded both the draw and inclusion of the beautiful game. In England where women’s football is also popular (with England women’s team making the final of the 2023 World Cup and winning the 2022 Women’s Euros) female footballers like Beth Mead, Lucy Bronze, and Jill Scott are now household names.

In many ways, on the International level at least, the women’s and men’s games complement each other well and can take inspiration from each others successes. Most likes to see their nations teams do well on the international stage and so gender shouldn’t really come into it on that level.

Can You Remember The Bronze Bully on TV Show Bullseye?

As Jim Bowen used to say: ‘You can’t beat a bit of Bully?’

He was right. We loved it! Every Sunday evening, back in the dark ages of TV, before YouTube and streaming platforms, we’d sit patiently for the catchy theme tune to start and the next moment we were floored by Bowen’s one-liner which had been refused as a dud by the Christmas Cracker Company.

In fairness, I think the stand-up comedian come TV host was told to find the worst kind of humour. It was probably the reason they hired sidekick Tony Green. He had a connection with Sid Waddell ‘The Voice of Darts’ whose Geordie accent was synonymous with the game. You may remember the BBC showing the World Professional Darts Championship at the Lakeside Country Club, Frimley Green, Surrey.

I’m pretty sure Bullseye was built on the back of that!

Back in the days of popular television, Bullseye was a phenomenal success. Created by Andrew Wood and Norman Vaughan, it was a great hit with viewers from 1981 – 1995. At its peak, Bullseye attracted a weekly audience of 10 – 15 million viewers. ITV broadcast the first year, but thereafter by Central Television. Every Sunday the populous were eager to watch.

The live audience looked to have an average age of 80. I’ve never seen so much blue-rinse hair and men in slippers.

However, they loved Bowen’s corny jokes and winning format.

The show’s mascot was an animated Bull named Bully. He wore a red and white striped shirt and blue trousers. The intro to the TV programme (with brilliant theme music sounding something like Chas and Dave) saw him jump from a pub sign, walk into a pub which has a dart’s competition. The cartoon like intro in the first series of 1981 was quite risqué with braless women in tight-fitting tee-shirts and heavyweight men with beer bellies standing at the bar drinking ale. A blue cat pops its head into shot. The next thing Bully hits a cracker of dart bang in the bullseye.

The show starts…

Ladies and Gentleman would you welcome your host for the evening, Jim Bowen…

It was a genius concept.

The game show was based on three sets of two contestants – a dart player and someone to answer the questions. Players would win by hitting a question category with a defined prize. After one of the pairs was knocked out of the competition the winning player’s score would be given in points profit if a question was answered correctly. In the final round, both players threw three darts each at a prize board to win a selection of goods – the bullseye offering the best swag. The contestants had the choice whether to chance their prize money and prizes for a tilt at the grand prize. In the final, they had six darts (three each) to score a total of 101 or more to pocket a secret prize. Sometime it was a car, exotic holiday and rather bizarrely a speedboat!

Whether contestants won of lost, they received their prized Bendy Bully and either a silver drinking tanker for the men and a goblet for the women.

As Jim would say: ‘Your charity money is safe!’

The dynamics of the game were something to behold. Often you didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at what you were watching. Some almost professional standard dart players while others could barley hit the board.

One of the contestants who took part in 1989 – John Copper – later turned out to be a convicted murderer. He was known as the ‘Bullseye Killer’.

Bowen had a list of popular catch phrases:

‘Super, smashing, great!’

‘You can’t beat a bit of bully!’

‘Let’s have a look at the board!’

‘Keep out of the black and in the red, nothing in this game for two in a bed.’

‘Look at what you could have won!’

There were a total of 354 episodes spanning 16 series. The show was dropped in 1996 after the TV network demanded Woods modernise the show.

One of the best parts of the show came before the final round when a professional dart player was invited to throw 9 darts for the contestants chosen charity. If the player scored over 301 the prize was doubled.

The professional with the highest score in that series took home the legendary Bronze Bully. Honestly, I think this was more prized than the World Darts Championship Trophy. It was hotly contested with all the famous darts players of the time. It ran from series 5 – 13 (1985 – 1995). True legends of the game took part.

In a rather unusual quirk, the highest score for the charity play came in 1984 (before the Bronze Bully Trophy) by Alan Evans with a score of 401 (to be fair he was unlucky not to score higher as his first three darts totalled 180, followed by another 180, then the wheels fell off (probably after seeing Bowen’s face and screech of Green’s high octane voice) he scored a paltry 41.

Still amazing to watch that example of fine dartsmanship to this day.

Unfortunately for Evans, the Bronze Bully Trophy started in 1985.

Here is a list of the top scores:

1985 – 86: John Lowe (380)
1986 – 87: Lionel Smith (365)
1987 – 88: Ray Farrell (340)
1988 – 89: Mike Gregory (380)
1989 – 90: Eric Bristow (380)
1990 – 91: Bob Anderson (380)
1991 – 92: Mandy Solomans (363)
1992 – 93: Mike Gregory (340)
1994 -Kevin Painter (380)

Bullseye was a great TV show. It was loved by millions and remembered fondly to this day.

As Jim Bowen said: ‘You can’t beat a bit of Bully!’

References:

Bullseye intro 1981 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoZgF0KNQN8

Alan Evans Bullseye https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBowkrRq0G0

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