50 Percent of Online Players Distrust Poker Sites According to New Survey

The big news today is a survey of 2,500 poker players taken by a British research company showing that fully one-third and up as many as half of the respondents do not trust online poker sites.

Poker site operators have to be very concerned over these results, since trust is paramount when it comes to gambling online—or in a brick-and-mortar casino for that matter. When up to half of a relatively large survey group of 2,500 have trust issues about online poker sites, clearly the sites have some work ahead of them. Even if scrupulously honest, perception is as important as reality, and a site that’s not trusted is not in an enviable position.

The survey was carried out by 72Point, an independent research company hired by London-based mobile technology provider Probability plc in advance of their launching a new mobile poker product.

Here are some survey results: To the statement, “I trust them, they provide a good service,” only 12.5 percent answered affirmatively. Nearly 37 percent gave a qualified answer (a “yes, but”) to the statement, “I mostly trust them.” Worse yet, nearly 20 percent said they mistrust poker sites and had “a lot of doubts” about them, while an additional 31 percent do not trust online poker sites “at all.”

Reasons for distrust include 33 percent who are concerned over whether cards are really randomly dealt online, along with 32 percent who worry about the safety of their money and bank details. More than 20 percent are concerned about regulation, while 13 percent are worried about “software bots” online.