Our Cookie Policy in Plain English
This page sets out every cookie we set when you visit winota-aud.com, why it exists, how long it stays on your device, and what happens if you switch it off. No legal padding, just the facts.
What Cookies Actually Do
A cookie is a small text file that our site places on your device when you land on a page. It stores a short string of data, such as a session number or your chosen language, and sends that data back to us on your next visit. That is all it is: a label your browser hands back so we know whose session it is dealing with.
Your browser handles the whole exchange automatically. Cookies cannot read files off your hard drive, install anything, or see what you do on other websites. Each cookie is tied to the domain that created it, which is why a cookie set by us cannot be read by an unrelated site.
We also use a small number of similar technologies, including local storage entries that remember things like a dismissed banner. On this page we lump all of them under the word "cookie" so the explanation stays simple.
The Cookies We Set
Strictly necessary
These keep the site working. They maintain your login session, hold the security token that protects your account actions against cross-site request forgery, and keep your cashier session stable when you move between pages. Without them you could not stay logged in or complete a deposit, which is why we do not offer a switch to turn them off.
Functional
These remember choices you have already made: the interface language, your display currency, whether the lobby was in light or dark mode, and game filters you applied last time. They contain no tracking data and exist purely so you do not redo the same settings at every visit.
Analytics
These record, in aggregated form, which pages get visited, where players drop off during registration, and how long the average lobby session runs. We use the numbers to fix broken journeys and improve page speed. The data is not tied to your name or your betting history.
Marketing
These let us measure whether a promotion you clicked actually led you to our site, and let our advertising partners cap how often you see the same creative. If you came here through an affiliate link, a marketing cookie holds the referral tag so the partner gets credited correctly.
Cookie reference table
| Cookie name | Category | Purpose | Duration | Opt-out |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHPSESSID | Strictly necessary | Keeps your session alive | Session (deleted on browser close) | No |
| csrf_token | Strictly necessary | Protects account and cashier forms | Session | No |
| lang | Functional | Remembers your language choice | 90 days | Yes |
| currency_pref | Functional | Remembers your display currency | 90 days | Yes |
| lobby_state | Functional | Restores filters and layout | 30 days | Yes |
| _ga | Analytics | Aggregated traffic measurement | 365 days | Yes |
| _gid | Analytics | Short-interval traffic measurement | 24 hours | Yes |
| ref_tag | Marketing | Stores affiliate referral code | 30 days | Yes |
| ad_freq | Marketing | Caps repeat ad exposure | 90 days | Yes |
Cookies From Third Parties
Some cookies on our pages are set by other companies we work with, and their names and lifetimes appear in your browser under their own domains rather than ours. We group them into three categories and allow nothing outside them.
Analytics providers run the measurement layer of our site. They see page views, load times and funnel drop-off in aggregate, and they operate under contracts that stop them using the data for their own purposes.
Ad networks serve the promotional creatives that bring players to Winota Casino and then cap how often a creative repeats. They may set a frequency cookie when one of our ads appears on another site you visit.
Payment providers set cookies only on their own checkout pages, for fraud screening and to keep your payment session secure from start to finish. These never touch your card details; the full number stays inside the provider's encrypted fields.
Third-party cookies are the reason the consent banner exists. Unless you accept marketing, our tag management blocks the advertising scripts from loading at all, so no ad-network cookie ever gets written to your device.
Managing Your Cookie Choices
On our site
The first time you visit, our banner offers three options: accept all, reject everything except strictly necessary, or open a settings panel where each category gets its own toggle. Your choice is stored and honoured. You can reopen the panel any time via the "Cookie settings" link in the site footer, change one category, and the change applies from that moment.
In your browser
- Chrome: Settings, then Privacy and security, then Third-party cookies. Use the blocked or allowed lists to control individual sites.
- Safari: Settings, then Privacy. Use Manage Website Data to remove cookies already stored, and toggle Prevent Cross-Site Tracking for ad cookies.
- Firefox: Settings, then Privacy & Security. Choose Custom under Enhanced Tracking Protection and tick Cookies.
- Edge: Settings, then Cookies and site permissions. Pick Block third-party cookies, or add winota-aud.com to the allowed list.
What blocking costs you
Blocking strictly necessary cookies breaks login, deposits and withdrawals, because the server can no longer tell that two requests came from the same you. Blocking functional cookies costs nothing but convenience; you will re-pick your language and currency each visit. Blocking analytics and marketing affects us more than you, though affiliate-referred players may lose bonus attribution tied to a referral tag.
How Long We Keep Cookies
Session cookies vanish the moment you close your browser. They never hit long-term storage, and we use them only for strictly necessary work.
Persistent cookies carry an expiry date baked in when we set them. Functional cookies run for 30 or 90 days, marketing cookies for 30 to 90 days depending on the partner, and our analytics cookie holds for up to 365 days. On the expiry date your browser deletes the cookie by itself.
You do not have to wait for expiry. Clearing cookies in your browser settings wipes every category at once, including the stored consent record, so the banner will appear again on your next visit and ask you to choose afresh.
Changes to This Policy
When we add, remove or repurpose a cookie category, we update this page and push a short notice onto the site. Material changes, such as a new third-party category, also re-trigger the consent banner so nothing starts running before you agree. The revision date at the top of the page always reflects the current version, and questions go to [email protected], where our team answers around the clock.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to accept cookies to play at Winota Casino?
Only the strictly necessary ones. You can reject every other category in the banner and still register, deposit and play; the site just stops remembering preferences.
Can I change my cookie settings later?
Yes. Use the Cookie settings link in the footer at any time. Your new choices apply immediately, without clearing anything else.
Will clearing cookies log me out?
Yes, because clearing removes the session cookie. Log back in with your credentials and you are set. Your account balance and history are untouched.
Do cookies hold my card or ID details?
No. Payment data stays inside the encrypted fields of our payment providers, and identity documents sit in our KYC system. No cookie ever contains them.
What is the difference between first-party and third-party cookies?
First-party cookies are set by winota-aud.com itself for sessions and preferences. Third-party cookies come from analytics, advertising or payment partners and are set on their own domains.