Sports betting has seen rapid growth over the past five years in the United States, and casinos and online sportsbooks have gone to great lengths to make sure that their customers are protected through strong security measures.
In May of 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) was a violation of the country’s Tenth Amendment. The PASPA — which barred sports betting in most parts of America — went into effect in October 1992.
But the Supreme Court’s groundbreaking ruling allowed each U.S. state to legalize sports betting if they so desired. The states of New Jersey, Mississippi, and Delaware then moved quickly towards launching sports betting, joining Nevada — a notable exempt from the PASPA.
Fast forward to early 2023, and more than 30 different states have since launched a form of sports betting (mobile and/or in-person).
This includes the state of Kansas, which officially launched both in-person and mobile sports betting back in September 2022. There are several special Kansas sportsbooks promo codes available to new customers upon signing up, including a risk-free wager of up to $1,000 on the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs from BetMGM, $150 in bonus bets from FanDuel if you wager $5 on the Chiefs and $200 in free bets from DraftKings if you bet $5 on the NFL club.
Through the available sportsbooks across the United States, customers can place all sorts of different wagers on a variety of sports leagues and teams. This includes parlays, over/under totals, futures (league champions, award winners, etc.), money lines, and props.
It’s understandable why some interested customers may be nervous about signing up for sportsbooks online since you have to give away plenty of important personal information. But it’s important to be reassured that sportsbooks have strong security systems and protocols in place to make sure you’re not vulnerable to hackers.
With sports betting rising in terms of popularity and usage across the country, how are sports apps ensuring customer safety? Here is a look at some of the more recent trends that top sportsbooks have been using.
Secure Socket Layers
Secure Socket Layers (SSLs) are widely used by sportsbooks. SSLs help protect personal and sensitive information and data from being accessed by hackers, criminals, and unauthorized users.
By using Secret Socket Layers, sportsbooks ensure the safety and protection of information for their customers. Hackers will not be able to hack networks or your internet connection to steal valuable personal information.
As outlined on their websites, major sportsbooks such as DraftKings, FanDuel, Caesars, and BetMGM use Secure Socket Layers. SSLs have proven to be one of the greatest resources for fighting against criminal hackers, and you can take comfort in knowing that sportsbooks have very strong security systems in place to protect you.
FanDuel’s Partnership with HackerOne
FanDuel has been one of the most widely-used sportsbooks since launching in the summer of 2009. The sportsbook has partnerships with North America’s “Big Four” professional sports leagues in the NFL, NHL, NBA, and MLB.
FanDuel has a strong and successful working partnership with HackerOne, a world leader in cybersecurity. As noted on the company’s official website, FanDuel will pay customers who report a vulnerability. FanDuel users can make themselves eligible for payments by creating a HackerOne account.
DraftKings’ Tips & Authorized Account Holder Policies
Users of online sportsbooks can go the extra step to make sure that their personal information is safe and secure from potential hackers.
DraftKings offers several useful tips in regard to protecting your account and safety. For example, changing your password every so often and avoiding the same password that you may use for other accounts (social media, websites, sportsbooks, etc.) can go a long way in preventing your account from being hacked.
As well, if you share a computer, laptop, or mobile device of some sort with others, DraftKings advises being sure to sign out of your account when you’re done using the device. If you leave your account open, otherwise, people who share your devices would be able to access your sportsbook account.
DraftKings also disallows customers from sharing their gaming accounts with other people. As a company policy at DraftKings, the “Authorized Account Holder” is the only one who can use gift cards and personal credit cards on the account.
Matt Davidson has a passion for games and online gaming of all sorts–from Pokémon Go to Halo to Warcraft and casino games like blackjack and slots. He also writes about IT and technology in general.
