It doesn’t matter what game you love to play, choosing which online casino or poker room you’ll deposit money into is a big decision.

In most cases, if you expect to withdraw any winnings, you’ll need to validate your identity first… that means (usually, not always) scanning or faxing a copy of your passport and a current utility bill.

Very rarely does this become a problem, but when it does, it has the potential to become a very big problem.

The more you play, the more information you’re handing over about yourself and your gaming habits. Even if you don’t deposit money, all major gaming software platforms track data such as IP address, HD serial #, Windows serial #, CPU speed, graphics resolution etc. - that’s above and beyond any personal data you’ve given them when registering your account.

The point I’m trying to make here, is that most people decide which online casino or poker room they’ll play at based solely on what signup bonuses are available… I think that should be the last thing you consider.

Next time you find yourself registering a new account, take a few minutes and decide if you’re prepared to hand over this personal data to the company you’re about to play with (do you know anything about them at all?). If you’re not comfortable handing over copies of your passport, now is the time to bail out, once you have winnings to collect it’s virtually impossible to change your mind.

There are many great online casinos and poker rooms available, make your decision based on the software you like and the reputation of the companies involved.  Bonuses are everywhere, finding a few brands you trust is a lot more important.

How do you make your choice? Let us know in the comments.