Bitcoins, the “Shallow Web” and Illicit Services
Bitcoin.org is one of several sites that offer a cyber-currency. Just as with normal money we are seeing some misuse of this. Illegal betting is a common use as well as use for the purchase of some illicit items on what could be termed the “Shallow Web.” Things like private networks, Tor and other sites not on the core web. These are a bit above the highly-encrypted sectors of the deep web but still have some illicit activity. Many times these online activities go hand-in-hand as they would in real life.
The Dogs Watching the Foxes
However illegal gambling sites have unexpected oversight from an interesting source: legal gambling sites. Just as with legal casinos the guys who have their licenses and taxes don’t like having their toes stepped on by illegal sites and take every opportunity to ferret them out or celebrate their demise. This is an unexpected positive side effect of the industry.
We Already Know the Future
What is clearly going to happen is that gambling sites, apps and risks are going to grow. Both legal and illegal sites will spring up. You just have to do all you can to protect yourself and information.
Big Money and Big Tech
The final bit of good news is this, big business also cares. Visa for example tracks the differences between legal and illegal betting and they care very much where their funds are going. They use extensive databases and records of transactions on powerful servers to do this. Technology is on the side of the right here but only time will tell if it will be enough.