How We Review Online Casinos
Industry Reputation
The reputation of the operator plays a major role in how we review online casinos. Reputable online casinos with years of experience in the iGaming world always get the benefit of the doubt. Usually, with experience comes transparency, and such operators have already built a network that is based on trust and positive player experience. That is not to say that new and upcoming casinos don’t enjoy the same treatment, as long as they manage to satisfy the strict criteria of Gamblers Connect for evaluating online casinos. Reputation is not something that is built overnight, which is why we employ a rigorous set of rules meant to motivate casinos to improve.
Game selection
Entertainment is one of the key factors that we take into account when evaluating online casinos. A good online casino must offer diverse entertainment that is powered by legitimate and leading software developers. This must include both quality and quantity, being that these two usually go in pairs. In addition, the online casino also must excel in the way that it displays its entertainment. This includes the exceptional and user-friendly organization of its games, pre-determined game categories with the most popular game types, and even displaying the exact number of games. Is not just about having games. It’s about quality and how you present these games to your players.
Payment Methods
Online casino gambling wouldn’t be possible without online payment methods. Preferably, an online casino must come with cutting-edge payment methods that are available throughout all corners of the globe. More importantly, the player must have access to payment solutions that are fast, reliable, and with low/or no fees at all. The casino also must ensure a dedicated payment page where the players can see all of the details regarding the payment methods, including minimum and maximum deposits and /or withdrawals, the price of the fees, as well as the currencies that the said casino supports. Fast transactions and secure banking solutions are key to transparency.
Customer Support
Customer service is one of the most important aspects of the entire gambling experience, and one of the most important factors when we review online casinos. An online casino must possess 24/7 customer support either via live chat, email, or even telephone. Moreover, we evaluate the customer support team based on response time, politeness, and knowledge. This trifecta of attributes greatly contributes to the overall quality of the casino operator itself, being that it is simply unimaginable for an online casino to maintain a healthy relationship with its players without exceptional communication.
License & Transparency
The most important aspect of evaluating online casinos, as well as the biggest contributor to an online casino when giving them the final score, licensing and transparency are the two most important pillars of online casino gambling. Simply put, an online casino without a valid license cannot be considered a top-tier operator regardless of how many games and features it has to offer. Preferably, the casino will have any type of license. Ideally, it will have licenses from leading and reputable gambling authorities such as the Malta Gaming Authority or the UK Gambling Commission. The key to transparency is safety, and the best way to ensure security is by having an online gambling license.
Bonuses & Promotions
The most effective way to win a player is by having a diverse selection of bonuses and promotions. The rewarding prowess of the online casino is one of the most important attributes we take into action when we do our evaluation. This must include a rewarding welcome bonus, additional daily and weekly promotions, a VIP Club, frequent tournaments, and in-house challenges. We understand that possessing all of these can be a challenge, and not all casinos can manage to achieve this level of promotions and bonuses. However, those who do almost exclusively end up getting a high score, being that it speaks volumes about the general nature of the casino itself.
Mobile App Experience
An online gambling platform with excellent mobile compatibility is a must. Especially since most online gamblers prefer to do their gambling via mobile or tablet. We take into account the mobile version of each online casino that we review. This includes user experience, whether the desktop features work on the mobile version, as well as the speed. The online casinos that get the highest score in this department are those operators who have a dedicated mobile app. This is because downloading a mobile app produced by a casino ensures that the player is always logged in, has the same functionalities as the desktop version, and usually gets a bonus for downloading the app.
Safer Play – Responsible Gambling Index Scoring
Ensuring that the players are protected and that they play in a safe gambling environment is imperative. This is why we put special emphasis on how responsible is the casino that we review. We purposefully created our Responsible Gambling Index so that we can evaluate the responsible gambling policy of each online casino that we rank. We use a set of 12 tools for safer play. Depending on how many of these tools the casino possesses, it then gets a grade appropriate to its current policy. Our goal is to motivate those casinos who fail our scoring to improve. Those who get an exceptional grade also get the Exceptional Badge for outstanding safer play practices.
