NordVPN for Online Betting & Poker

While playing in a poker room, betting in sportsbooks or spinning on casino sites, your main aim is fun and wins. Not worrying about self-protection. However, whenever you have real cash put in real money games, you run risks of data leaks and hacking. Yes, regulated online gambling sites enforce solid security measures to protect players and bettors. However, there are steps you should take to add an extra layer of protection and anonymity.   

Just like if Apple equips an iPhone with solid security features, it’s up to you not to leave your phone unlocked in a public space. Otherwise those security measures are irrelevant and you’re exposing yourself and making personal data easily attainable. The same applies to having a VPN - a virtual private network. 

Providers like NordVPN encrypt your data to prevent it leaking to others who may profit from that information. As well as mask your IP address, hence effectively hiding your gambling activity. Obscuring these details makes it almost impossible for others to monitor and track your online actions. Basically, you become a digital ghost that’s able to go anywhere safely and without being seen.

NordVPN is one of the best VPNs today, making you invisible and securing your connection to enjoy complete privacy. You can connect to more than 5,500 servers in 55 countries and enjoy unique masking features. A VPN can unblock websites and overcome geolocation restrictions, however playing and betting for real money from restricted regions is illegal. We do not advise using a VPN for this reason, but rather as a security measure.

How NordVPN Works

As NordVPN describes it, this product provides a “secure, encrypted tunnel for online traffic to flow through”. It achieves this through a variety of mechanisms highlighted in this NordVPN review. VPNs mask your IP address by routing it through a server that’s not linked to your location.

Your IP is a marker that shows where you are in the world. It’s linked to a local server that has a unique number/address. Anyone wanting to track your location and read your data can use your IP address as a way into your system. This VPN encrypts your data and, in turn, disconnects you from your local IP. It routes you through another IP somewhere else and throws someone off the scent. Therefore, you become digitally invisible.

Kill Switch

As NordVPN describes it, “one click and your security is bulletproof”. It can make this bold claim thanks, in part, to its kill switch. The NordVPN kill switch automatically cuts your internet connection in the event of a fault. When a VPN is compromised, your IP becomes visible to the world. This is known as DNS leakage and it’s something the kill switch protects you against. It also does this without you having to lift a finger, because it’s an instant reaction, making it highly secure. 

Dedicated IP

All NordVPN connections are anonymous and secure. However, if you want even more privacy, even more security, and even faster connections, the NordVPN dedicated IP is perfect. This feature comes at an extra cost but it gives you access to an IP that’s yours and yours alone. What separates this dedicated IP is that you can:

1. Select your location.
2. Use it on two devices simultaneously.

Point #2 is perhaps the most impressive because almost every other dedicated IP is confined to one device. 

Speed

This VPN provider does everything it can to make your connections as fast as possible. Although different tests consider different metrics, NordVPN comes out top in a lot of scenarios. The average connection speed is 115 Mbps. This is the best we’ve seen compared to its peers. ExpressVPN comes close but Cyberghost comes in at 58 Mbps. NordVPN speed tests also show just a 2% drop rate. This means, on average, NordVPN download speeds will be 2% less than your standard download speed if you weren’t using a VPN. Finally, NordVPN Quick Connect automatically links you to the fastest server in your chosen location.

Security, Privacy and Logs

• 256-bit AES encryption
• 2,048-bit RSA keys
• SHA256 authentication

When you look at Cyberghost vs NordVPN, for example, you’ll find that they’re both hugely impressive when it comes to security. This means all connections come complete with 256-AES encryption. There are no NordVPN logs. This means everything you do is anonymous. Neither NordVPN nor the world at large know what you’re doing.

Beyond its standard security features, this VPN has a unique double IP protocol. This routes your connection through two NordVPN locations instead of one. Even the best VPNs only give you one remote IP. By giving you two, NordVPN is effectively making it twice as difficult for someone to track you. Moreover, it’s making the argument that it’s 2X better than its rivals.

Split Tunnelling

NordVPN Split Tunnelling lets you stream and share files through a VPN while surfing a local internet connection. In other words, you can do certain things under the cover of a VPN while simultaneously doing other things via your standard connection. This could be an ideal way to play online poker via a VPN. Because you can split at will, you can use the VPN to protect your poker activities but maintain a bit more speed and freedom outside of it when you’re browsing the internet. 

TOR Connections

Otherwise known as The Onion Router, TOR is the most secure way to surf the internet. It basically routes your connection through multiple nodes that have no links to each other. Your data is sent through a maze of connections that’s impossible to trace. Nord uses Onion over VPN to add a deeper (the deepest) layer of security to your online experience.

NordVPN vs ExpressVPN vs Cyberghost

If we do a NordVPN vs Surfshark, ExpressVPN and Cyberghost comparison, we can see NordVPN is the fastest. You may find that deciding on NordVPN or ExpressVPN comes down to price. Because they’re similar in so many ways, except ExpressVPN is pricier.  

Otherwise, when looking at Nordvpn vs ExpressVPN, they both have standard encryption, and servers in multiple locations worldwide. However, we can go as far to say that although ExpressVPN is ready out-the-box and hence easier to use, NordVPN allows more advanced features. Like double IP protocols, P2P connections, TOR, and split tunnelling, allowing you to run two simultaneous connections through one device. 

*considering several global locations multiple times a day

How to Use NordVPN

To get the NordVPN app and secure your online connection, follow the steps below:

NordVPN Alternatives

If this VPN service isn’t for you, try one of our most recommended VPN providers below:

ExpressVPN: Ideal for a fast, easy-to-use virtual private network with the most available servers and  locations. 

Privateinternetaccess: Speed is a key feature of this VPN, which is vital for online casino, poker and sportsbook sites. 

Cyberghost: Guaranteed no logs thanks to its NoSpy data center which makes it immune to government requests for log data.

Surfshark: Multiple connections, encryption, IP masking, and MultiHop to move from server to server to find better connections.

AtlasVPN: Though NordVPN price plans are reasonable, this VPN is the cheapest solution at just $1.39 a month.