Dean McHugh
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Dean is an experienced copy writer, with work covering a...
View ProfileAt Casinopedia, we believe in a world where every gambler can play with confidence, knowing they’re using the safest and fairest casinos in the industry.
Unlike many other platforms, our reviews are built upon thousands of data points, monthly re-checks, and hands-on testing from multiple countries. This ensures our ratings remain fresh and trustworthy – no exceptions!
Over the last 7 years, our team has analyzed 100’s of different casino sites and over time we have condensed our rating system around 12 key areas, which we believe summarise a sites overall trustworthiness, appeal and safety.
Each critera in turn has multiple factors that we evaluate, which allows us to provide a final score (out of 100) that we can use to rank all reviewed sites and present an unbiased, comprehensive and transparent rating.
Our top priority when reviewing a casino—besides quickly spotting and ditching scams—is to give you a clear, honest rating you can rely on!
To do this, we break down each factor into smaller bits, scoring them out of 5, then add them up for the final tally. We also weigh how much each part matters – regulatory compliance is a big deal, but no mobile app? Not so much. These weightings (shown below) help us calculate a total score out of 100, which we turn into a simple 5-point rating to rank and compare casinos across the site.
If a casino scores 4.5/5 in Security (weighted at 20%), that portion yields 0.9 points toward the total. We repeat this for each category, and if the sum is 4.3 or above, we consider the casino ‘Top Tier.
Criteria | Weighting |
Licensing, Security & Fairness | 20 |
Game Selection & Software Providers | 15 |
Bonuses & Promotions | 10 |
Banking & Payout Processes | 10 |
User Experience & Interface | 5 |
Customer Support & Community Care | 5 |
Responsible Gambling & Player Protection | 15 |
Localization & Accessibility | 5 |
Ongoing Monitoring & Audits | 5 |
Total | 100 |
We begin our review process by evaluating a casino’s security and reliability, recognizing the critical need to keep your funds and personal information secure. To confirm that a casino operates a safe, fair, and legitimate platform, we examine the following key features:
A casino needs to first and foremast provide legal gambling services – as such we start by checking a site’s license. We not only look up the license on official databases for current status and any past infractions, we also confirm that the casino properly lists licensing details on-site (including license numbers).
👍 If a casino has multiple top-tier licenses (e.g., UKGC + Malta), that’s a higher score.
👎 If licenses are suspicious or missing, immediate red flag or potential blacklisting.
Casinos should also prove they’re regulated for security and fairness by a trusted independent body like eCOGRA. If this isn’t evident, we verify game fairness ourselves by running thousands of tests to confirm random outcomes and the use of a Random Number Generator (RNG).
Player security is paramount and we check several critical aspects.
Encryption technology, such as SSL or TLS, will be confirmed to protect personal and financial data, often indicated by a padlock icon in the browser.
Payment security will be assessed by examining the use of trusted options like credit cards, e-wallets (e.g., PayPal, Skrill), or cryptocurrencies, processed through secure gateways. Well confirm if two-factor authentication (2FA) is available, adding an extra login safeguard with a secondary step like a phone code.
Will doublecheck a site’s privacy policies and data protection measures, to confirm compliance with laws like GDPR. Lastly, we’ll check for fraud detection and anti-cheating measures, such as AI-powered monitoring, to confirm the casino prevents suspicious activities like cheating or money laundering, maintaining a secure and fair environment.
A great game selection is key to a top-notch casino site. We want you to feel confident you’re playing the best titles from leading providers at any casino we suggest, so here’s what we check:
We want to make sure our top rated casinos offer the widest variety of games, for every playstyle and preference!
To get a proper overview, we look at Slots titles, table games, live dealer options and also some niche games like keno, scratch cards or VR games.
👍 Lots of variety across a balanced portfolio, gets top marks.
👎 Small number of titles or no live dealer section? That will get deductions.
When it comes to provides, we want to see leading developers (Pragmatic, NetEnt, Microgaming, Playtech, Evolution etc.) as these have strict criteria for onboarding new casinos.
We keep a very close eye on shady or off-brand software via unofficial partnerships or aggregators – these can indicate potential rigging.
Our reviews are always based on actual gameplay experience, including rigorous play testing of the site across various devices (desktop, tablet, mobile) and browsers.
Any slow performance, gameplay lags or technical errors (frozen tables, glitchy graphics) gets logged and reflected in the final score.
Sometimes it can feel like most casino sites are just cookie cutter copies of each other with different branding.
The best casinos will have something to set them apart, and we look for innovative in-house titles and original games for those extra points on the final score.
Who doesn’t love a bonus to pump up their bankroll? But there’s more to welcome bonuses than meets the eye – and those surprises normally hide away in the T&C’s. That’s why we’ll dig into each one to ensure you’re snagging the best deals out there. The top casinos will nail all these key points:
We scour the web for the best offers & bonuses and list each sign-up bonus (match %, free spins, no deposit, cashback etc.). We make sure to check additional requirements, such as expiration, max/min deposits and game restrictions.
As always, the devil is in the detail! A great bonus has fair wagering requirements and little to no other restrictions.
Predatory terms and impossible wagering requirements will score low marks from us!
A strong first impression is always important, but what matters for continued loyalty is a strong rewards engine for existing players – both casual and VIP. That’s why we look beyond the welcome bonus to see how the site treats its existing base and its most important whales, the VIPS.
Finally, we look at special bonuses, such as weekly reloads, holiday specials, tournaments, prize draws, or social engagement incentives.
These won’t move the needle, but could provide a few extra points for the casino that goes above and beyond in rewarding loyal players!
The security, efficiency, and speed of transactions are crucial to your gambling experience. We test each casino’s deposit and withdrawal processes firsthand, uncovering flaws like hidden fees or slow payouts.
With this firsthand insight, we report back to you with a clear, honest assessment of the casino’s performance across the following key areas:
We list the full range of supported deposit and withdrawal options (e.g., Visa, PayPal, crypto, localized e-wallets) so you can check if you’re preferred method is supported.
For certain casinos that operate globally, we ensure that local support for the currency and payments is up to scratch.
👍More supported methods, with proper localized solutions, means top marks.
👎Narrow choice in payment methods would see a lower overall score.
For each payment method, we find out the fees and minimum thresholds to make sure these are fair and transparent.
Sometimes these can be “hidden” in unfavourable exchange rates – testing these first hand from various locales will highlight any predatory charges.
This is a big focus for our testing – how quickly and easily can you get your money out! To give you a real, honest assessment we go down the Mystery Shopper approach: deposit real funds, request withdrawals, and measure actual processing time!
During this process, we also flag any extra KYC checks or stall tactics.
We confirm the range of supported currencies (i.e. USD, EUR, GBP, etc). Especially for global casinos claiming a localized experience, we want to make sure that the correct currency is supported with fair exchange rates.
A buggy interface, confusing navigation and cluttered interface can make or break your gambling enjoyment!
We dive deep into the elements that shape how intuitive and enjoyable a platform is to use, from initial signup to down to the responsiveness of its design across devices, ensuring that every click, swipe, and spin delivers a hassle-free and engaging experience for players of all levels.
We go through the registration funnel and see how easy it is to get started. No one likes a cumbersome, buggy registration journey!
We record and highly any KYC requirements, evaluate how quickly the site verifies documents for age/ID checks.
👍 Fast is good! We want to be up and running in minutes.
👎 Make us jump through hoops – or have errors during signup – and we’ll deduct points!
This is more of an first impression assessment – Is the site layout clean and user-friendly? Are game categories easy to find? Does the categorisation make sense?
We play around with our profile to test personalization, account setup and onboarding flow.
With most gambling now being done on mobile phones or out of home, how the site reacts on mobile devices, and weak signals or data connections is key!
We test various devices and data speeds, as well as provide real gameplay feedback to highlight slow load speeds, lag or mobile issues.
When assessing the mobile version, we examine the casino’s responsiveness, app availability, and overall user experience across multiple devices, aiming to confirm that players enjoy a smooth, high-quality gaming experience on the go with easy navigation and top-notch performance on various mobile platforms.
We check font sizes, color contrast, alt-text for images and consider if the casino is WCAG-compliant for visually or hearing-impaired players.
Reliable customer support can be a lifeline for when you get stuck, need advice or just need a quick answer, making it a crucial part of the overall experience.
We assess the availability, responsiveness, and effectiveness of support channels – such as live chat, email, and phone – to determine how well a casino prioritizes its players’ needs:
When you need help, you want it now! We look at the scope of available options from live chat, email, phone, social media, and test the response times for each.
Our Mystery Shopper approach will see us asking tricky or urgent questions, and we note staff friendliness, knowledge, and how quickly issues escalate if needed.
👍 Quick respones, with lots of options will get top marks!
👎 Rude, slow or unresponsive support will see deductions.
An active, positive community is normally a sign of a solid site – so we can join and engage with the brand on social platforms, and try get a read on the vibes.
This is also a great way to confirm – or find – additional issues, and we look for evidence of the casino resolving or ignoring user complaints.
For the whales, we want to make sure that the casino has the specialized support a VIP can expect. Specialized support lines with personal account managers are what’s needed and we get anecdotal evidence to reflect on the VIP experience.
To determine the responsible gambling score, we analyze the casino’s dedication to promoting safe gaming through features like self-exclusion options, responsible gambling tools, and affiliations with established organizations focused on player well-being.
We check what Responsible Gambling tools the casinos supports, such as reality checks, Self-exclusion or “time out” features. We test the KYC verification for age checks and see if there are protective measures for those who exhibit high-risk behavior (flagging problem patterns).
Additionally, strong RG focus will allow players to set deposit, loss, wager, and session-limit settings.
We note any collaboration with GamCare, Gamblers Anonymous, or other reputable organizations and see if the sites provides clear links to help resources or external counselling.
Online gambling spans the globe, offering players access to countless casinos from diverse countries, and we value platforms that tailor their services to meet the varied needs of users worldwide, ensuring an exceptional experience for all.
We want to check that a site is truly the best option for local players, so we check for proper translations, multiple language options for support.
This extends to payments and currencies, so we revisit our earlier assessments and highlight whether the site supports local e-wallets, bank transfers, and relevant credit systems.
Some jurisdictions have unique laws or gambling taxes and we double check the casino’s stance in each region.
In addition to language we also evaluate site layout for non-English scripts (e.g., Chinese, Japanese, Arabic) and we check country restrictions and treatment of VPN usage.
Our job doesn’t end when we publish our review! Things change, and we ensure our ratings are an accurate, evolving reflection of the casino site as it operates today. Below is our approach to ensuring an ongoing evaluation of all key creiteria:
Our review process follows a strict editorial calendar to ensure we routinely re-check casino reviews. Our database keeps a log log of each casino’s bonus changes, game additions, user complaints, and payout speeds. For all top rated casinos, we conduct monthly check-ins to ensure the ratings are still justified.
You might find date-stamped updates to our reviews (e.g., “April 2025: Casino changed withdrawal processing from 3 days to 24 hours”) – this way you can be sure you’re getting the most up to date version of our review and assesment as we’re constantly updating our data.
We pro-actively encourage players to submit their experiences or complaints and our team will work directly with the brand to investigate repeated complaints and adjust the rating if necessary.
Sporadic, unannounced test deposits/withdrawals to confirm service consistency over time.
Now that we’ve thoroughly checked and scored all 30 (!) items across our 9 Rating Criteria, our system calculates the final score out of 100, which we show as Star rating out of 5 for ease of use. You can also easily verify indiviual ratings as we provide sub-totals for all Ranking Criteria, with our personal explanation of the score.
Our weighted rating gives you an easy to understand score out of 5.
Drawing on years of industry expertise and our own passion as gambling enthusiasts, we deeply understand what makes a casino experience exceptional and prioritize your security above all.
We welcome new casinos that want to be reviewed! If you think your site is ready for our team to come have a play, please let us know!
We’d love to hear from you! You can email us, submit a form or drop us a DM on socials!
For a full list of options, please click the link below
Whilst we do our utmost to ensure data accuracy across all of our efforts, sometimes things to do slip by! So if you find an error, or want to flag an issue, please do let us know!