In recent years, online poker has gone from strength to strength. Aside from providing casual and competitive entertainment, online poker has also become a means for players to carve out careers on the online circuit.
Because many financial transactions take place on online poker sites, security and reliability are crucial. According to a study published in the Journal of Gambling Studies, online gambling—like those in online poker rooms—is attractive to players compared to gambling in physical spaces due to its easier accessibility, convenience, time flexibility, and higher interactivity. At the same time, Internet gamblers are also more confident in the security of online payments and gambling websites than land-based gamblers.
For online poker providers and websites, ensuring website security is of the utmost importance. The more trustworthy and secure a poker site is, the more likely players will spend time on it and play in poker rooms or tournaments. Below, we’ll be sharing a guide to creating website security policies based on what poker sites are doing:
What is a website security policy?
A security policy is a document or page that describes and defines a company or website’s rules, expectations, and strategies to maintain data security. Security policies take on different forms and depend on sitewide concerns or addressing specific issues.
Security policies are crucial for helping a website achieve and maintain its security goals, especially as cyber risks continue to adapt and evolve through the years. For online poker sites and other gambling sites, for example, security policies must be established to help maintain transparency with users and players.
In December 2024, a report from Group-IB’s computer emergency response team found a sophisticated fake betting scam that uses the help of AI technology. Involving over 500 fraudulent advertisements and 1,377 malicious websites, Group-IB found the global scam used AI-generated voices to provide a local and trustworthy feel, no matter where the advertisements are published.
When a large scam is publicized this way, consumers and players are understandably more wary about visiting and using online poker or gambling sites. As such, establishing an accessible website security policy is important to communicate a website’s commitment to data and information security.
Communicating your policy
As mentioned above, establishing transparency when creating a website security policy helps set clear expectations for website users and visitors. A well-communicated security policy is also important for meeting potential compliance or regulation requirements.
When setting up a security policy page on the website or app, it’s important to ensure everything is easily comprehensible. This means using non-technical terminology that won’t confuse or mislead website users. In a previous post, on how to add Captcha to Joomla 4, we highlighted the many benefits of using the feature to enhance website security. Poker sites that have a Captcha feature should also communicate these benefits on the security policy page to establish transparency for users.
Specifically, American online poker site Americas Cardroom (ACR) communicates its security policies on a dedicated page, explaining what security features are implemented to maintain Game Integrity and Safety. This includes using Captcha to throw off bots, recording gameplay to spot suspicious behavior, and using data analysis and detection tools. Communicating your website security policy can also be done via e-mail sent to involved parties in case concerns or feedback is necessary.
Updating your policy
On top of communicating a website security policy effectively, it’s important to note that it’s a one-and-done solution. Updating your website security policies routinely is crucial. As previously mentioned, cyber risks such as identity fraud, data breaches, and scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Revisiting website security policies over time to ensure a website’s cybersecurity strategy is up-to-date is crucial.
For example, a common information security measure that poker sites use is SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates. Aside from ensuring the secure transfer of sensitive data and information like credentials, credit card information, and other personal details, SSL is also essential to help a poker site rank higher on search engines like Google, which tends to prioritize websites that use SSL certificates in their search results. In contrast, websites that are labeled “not secure” due to the lack of SSL by Internet browsers turn potential visitors and players away.
Still, it’s important to note that there are different types of SSL certificates depending on the level of validation and the number of domains or subdomains are secured. As such, updating your website’s security policy to properly detail the type of SSL certificate being used based on the poker site’s needs is important to reassure visitors and players.
Educating employees on security awareness
Finally, while a website security policy is meant to act as a blueprint for a website’s cybersecurity strategies and approaches, cybersecurity risks can also result from human error. As such, employee training and education are still important.
Unfortunately, a recent report from Fortinet indicates that nearly 70% of business leaders believe their employees lack critical cybersecurity knowledge — a significant increase from 56% recorded in 2023. To counter this, many organizations are investing in security awareness and training programs to better equip employees.
In 2023, a sizable cyberattack hit multiple systems at MGM sites across the US. The breach used a vishing (voice phishing) attack, where hackers impersonated an employee to access the sites’ systems and compromised multiple aspects of the online casino. The attack emphasized the need for human risk management training. It’s also a reminder that even with solid website security policies in place, poker sites, and providers shouldn’t overlook the importance of employee education and training to prevent cyberattacks.
Conclusion
Ultimately, creating, maintaining, and consistently updating a website’s security policies is crucial to establishing a solid cybersecurity strategy. With so many cyber risks threatening to impact website visitors, a well-established website security policy can help guide employees and cybersecurity teams to maintain crucial security features and add-ons on the website.
Poker sites, which handle lots of money and financial transactions in this modern age, are especially prone to cyberattacks. Learning website policy tactics from the best poker sites on the market today can help prepare against ever-evolving cyber risks.
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