How We Rate Online Casinos
Every casino we review is rated across the same five areas, from its licence to its support. Here is what we check in each one and how an editor sets the Trust Score.
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Our casino review process
Every review on Casino Adventurer follows the same process, so you can compare one casino with another.
We gather the same facts for every casino, read its terms and look at five areas. An editor then sets one Trust Score from 1 to 10, and the review explains what is behind it.
The Trust Score
One number from 1 to 10 at the top of every review: an editor's overall view of the casino. The review sets out the strengths and weak points behind it.
The key facts
Licence, company, payment methods, limits and support, shown the same way on every review so you can compare casinos side by side.
The five areas we rate
Each review looks at the same five areas. The Trust Score is not a sum of points: an editor looks at all five and sets one overall score.
Area | What we look at |
|---|---|
Trust and safety | Licence, the company behind the site, terms that put winnings at risk, unresolved complaints |
Banking and payouts | Payment methods, withdrawal limits, fees, stated payout and verification times |
Bonuses and promotions | Wagering (such as 35x), maximum bet (such as €5), cashout caps, time limits (such as 7 days), eligible games |
Games and fairness | Game studios, game types, published RTP figures, independent testing |
Support and usability | Live chat, email, languages, mobile play |
Which areas matter most?
Some areas decide whether your money is safe. Others decide how much you enjoy playing. Check the first kind first.
1. Trust and safety
A big bonus is worth nothing if the casino doesn't pay. Look at the licence and the company behind the site before anything else.
2. Banking, payouts and bonuses
These decide how much of your money you can take out, and when. A low withdrawal cap or harsh bonus terms cost you more than a short game list does.
3. Games and support
They matter every time you play, but they rarely decide whether you get paid. Compare them once the first two areas look right.
What do we check in each area?
Here is what we look at in each area, and what the review points out when a casino falls short.
1. Trust and safety
We start with who runs the casino and who licenses it.
- Licence: the regulator that licenses the casino, and whether the licence appears on that regulator's public register where one exists
- Operator: the company that runs the site
- Terms: clauses that let the casino cancel winnings at its own discretion
- Complaints: reports of unpaid winnings and whether the casino resolved them
What the review flags: a licence we can't find on the register, no named company, terms that let the casino void winnings at will, or unpaid winnings it hasn't resolved.
2. Banking and payouts
Getting money in is rarely the problem. Getting it out is where casinos differ.
- Methods: the deposit and withdrawal methods, cards, e-wallets and crypto included
- Limits: the minimum deposit, often €10 or €20, the minimum withdrawal, and daily, weekly or monthly withdrawal caps
- Fees: any charge on deposits or withdrawals
- Speed: the payout and verification times the casino states, most often between 24 hours and 72 hours
What the review flags: low withdrawal caps, or fees on withdrawals.
3. Bonuses and promotions
A bonus is only as good as its terms, so we read past the headline offer.
- Wagering: how many times you must play the bonus through before you can withdraw. At 35x, a €100 bonus means €3,500 in bets
- Limits: the maximum bet while wagering and the most you can cash out
- Time: how many days you have to meet the terms
- Games: which games the bonus or free spins can be used on
What the review flags: wagering above 40x, a cap on what you can cash out from a deposit bonus, or 7 days or less to meet the terms.
4. Games and fairness
We look at what you can play and whether you can check the odds.
- Studios: the game providers the casino carries
- Game types: slots, live dealer tables and the other kinds of games on offer
- Fairness: whether the casino publishes RTP figures or independent game testing
RTP is the share of stakes a game pays back over the long run. A slot with a 96% RTP pays back about €96 of every €100 staked, and the casino keeps the rest.
What the review flags: no published RTP figures and no independent game testing.
5. Support and usability
When something goes wrong, you need a person who answers.
- Contact: live chat, email and phone, where offered
- Languages: the languages the site and its support use
- Devices: whether you can play on a phone
What the review flags: no live chat, or no way to reach support in writing.
How should you read the Trust Score?
The Trust Score runs from 1 to 10. It is an editor's judgement rather than a formula, so read it together with the review.
The number sums up and the review explains. Two casinos with close scores can have very different weak points, so read the review's cons, its licence section and the bonus terms before you sign up.
A high score is not a promise of wins. Every casino game has a house edge, so set a budget and only play with money you can afford to lose.
How we check each casino
Every review goes through the same six steps.
Collect the facts
We gather the casino's licence, company, payment methods, limits, restricted countries, game studios and bonus terms.
Check the licence
We note the regulator and the company behind the site, and look for the licence on the regulator's public register where it keeps one.
Read the terms
We go through the bonus and withdrawal terms for wagering, caps, fees and clauses that put your winnings at risk.
Note where it accepts players
We record the countries where the casino says it does not accept players, so the site can tell you when yours is one of them.
Set the Trust Score
An editor reads the facts and the review, weighs the five areas and sets a score from 1 to 10.
Keep it current
When terms change or a reader reports a mistake, we check the source and update the review. Every review shows the date it was last updated.
Where the facts come from
We take each kind of fact from its primary source:
- Licences: the regulator that issued them, and its public register where it keeps one, such as the Malta Gaming Authority's licensee register or the Anjouan licence register
- Terms, limits and payout times: the casino's own terms and conditions
- Laws and rule changes: the regulator or government that made them
We don't use other review sites as a source of facts.
Frequently Asked Questions
A score from 1 to 10 at the top of every review. An editor sets it after looking at the five areas on this page, so it is a judgement rather than a sum of points.
No. An editor sets every Trust Score by hand, and no casino can pay to raise it. Our Affiliate Disclosure explains which links may earn us a commission.
The payout time in a review is the one the casino states in its own terms. Identity checks, the payment method and weekends can all add time. If your experience was very different, tell us and we will look into it.
No. The score is an editor's view of the casino, not of your chances. Every casino game has a house edge, so set a budget and only play with money you can afford to lose.
Tell us what is wrong and where you saw it. We check it against the source and correct the review.
More about how we work: About Us, Editorial Policy, Affiliate Disclosure, Responsible Gambling and Contact Us.
Paschalis Dermentzis is Casino Adventurer's casino reviews editor, born and based in Athens. He looks at every casino the way a careful player would, checking the licence, bonus terms, payment options, withdrawal times and customer support, and flags any fine print that could catch readers out. Friends say he's the only person they know who actually reads the instruction manual. In his free time, he enjoys a game of tavli by the sea and cheering on Olympiacos.