The eight criteria
The weightings are fixed. They are not adjusted per casino, and a strong score in one column cannot rescue a failed licence check.
| Criterion | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Licence verification | 25% | Checked on the CGA register: active status, matching company name, no revocation. A failure here ends the review. |
| Game library | 12% | Tier-one providers weighted above raw count. Live dealer depth assessed separately. |
| Bonus terms | 12% | Graded on five points: wagering multiplier, expiry, cashout cap, maximum bet, excluded games. |
| Payments and payout speed | 12% | Deposit breadth, limits, and a withdrawal actually timed rather than quoted. |
| Customer support | 10% | At least three live-chat sessions and one email. Response time and whether the answer was correct. |
| Mobile experience | 10% | iPhone and Android, Safari and Chrome. Layout, speed, and whether anything breaks. |
| Responsible gambling tools | 10% | Whether limits, reminders and self-exclusion exist and how many clicks they take to reach. |
| Player feedback | 9% | Complaint patterns across AskGamblers, Casino.Guru, Trustpilot and Reddit. Patterns count; single complaints do not. |
Why licence verification carries a quarter of the score
It is the only criterion that can rule a casino out on its own. A site with a wonderful game library and an unverifiable licence is not a good casino with one flaw — it is a risk with a nice front end. Everything else on this list assumes the licence checked out.
What the score means
Scores run 1 to 10. The bands below are what the numbers actually mean, rather than a curve where everything lands between 7 and 9.
| Score | Band | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 9.0 – 10.0 | Top tier | Verified active licence, a deep library from tier-one providers, and a withdrawal measured under 24 hours. |
| 7.5 – 8.9 | Strong | A solid operator with minor weaknesses, named in the review. |
| 6.0 – 7.4 | Acceptable, with caveats | Worth considering for a specific reason. The weakness is stated plainly. |
| 5.0 – 5.9 | Caution | Poor bonus terms, awkward withdrawals, or too short a track record to judge. |
| Below 5.0 | Not recommended | Failed licence check, unresolved complaints, or predatory terms. |
How the testing is done
Ratings are not compiled from other people's reviews. Each one involves an account, a deposit and a withdrawal.
- The licence is checked on the register, at cga.cw ↗, not taken from the operator's footer. The register blocks automated access, so this is a manual check.
- Money goes in and comes out. A withdrawal is requested and timed from request to funds arriving, including verification.
- Support is contacted at least four times — three live chats and one email — with questions that have a correct answer.
- Bonus terms are read in full, not from the promotional page but from the terms themselves.
- The responsible gambling tools are opened and the number of clicks to reach a deposit limit is recorded.
When a review changes
Every review is re-checked quarterly. A score moves between scheduled checks when something material changes:
- The licence no longer matches. An operator moving to a different jurisdiction, or a reference that stops resolving on the register.
- The operator closes or stops accepting UK registrations.
- A regulator issues a warning or revokes the licence.
- A pattern of complaints appears where there was not one before — pattern, not a single account.
Where a review changes, the date at the top of it changes with it. A page that says it was checked in September was checked in September.
Commercial relationship
This site links out to casinos. How that is funded, and whether it affects the order operators appear in, belongs on this page and will be stated here in full.
Commercial relationship — to be completed
This section will state plainly how this site is funded and whether that affects the order casinos appear in. It is deliberately blank rather than carrying a claim that has not been settled. Nothing else on this page depends on it: the licence check, the measured payout time and the bonus terms are recorded the same way regardless.
