Casino Ranking and Testing Methodology

Our mission is to rate online casinos in a way that is transparent, evidence-based, and repeatable. We combine hands-on testing with a structured audit so that scores are comparable across regions and legal entities. Safety, Trust & Regulation are the primary factors in our framework and carry the highest weight.

1) Scope & Eligibility

Licensed and verifiable: The casino must hold an active, appropriate gambling licence for the target market; licence details must match regulator registers.
Transparent ownership: Clear disclosure of the operating company, group ownership, registered address, and contact details.
Market compliance: Publishes restricted countries and blocks sign-ups where real-money play is not permitted; geolocation used where required.
Operational cashier: Live deposit and withdrawal systems with at least two payment rails per market (e.g., cards + e-wallets); fee and limit tables are public.
KYC/AML readiness: Onboarding and verification flows must be available for testing; responsible gambling tools are required.
Clean status: No unresolved regulatory bans, insolvency, or verified non-payment cases.

2) Scoring Pillars & Weights (100 points total)

Safety, Trust & Regulation — 35 pts
Licensing quality (tier of regulator), ownership transparency, audit certificates, independent dispute channels, responsible gambling toolkit depth, and clean sanctions/complaints record.
Payments & Payout Reliability — 15 pts
Deposit/withdrawal methods, fees, limits, payout speed from test cashouts, AML/KYC frictions, and published timeframes consistency.
Bonus Fairness & Clarity — 15 pts
Wagering requirements, max cashout, contribution tables, time limits, cap on winnings, game restrictions, and readability of T&Cs.
Game & Provider Integrity — 10 pts
Diversity of games, certified RNG/live studios, provider reputations, RTP disclosure, reality checks, and game fairness info.
Customer Support & Dispute Handling — 10 pts
24/7 availability, channels, KYC guidance quality, escalation paths, and dispute resolution outcomes.
Platform Experience (Web/Mobile) — 7 pts
Stability, latency, app/browser parity, accessibility basics, and account controls.
Data Protection & Security — 5 pts
TLS, privacy policy clarity, third-party testing/ISO attestations where applicable.
Localisation & Market Fit — 3 pts
Language quality, payment localisation, local RG resources, and cultural compliance.

3) How We Test (Hands-On)

Mystery-shopper accounts: We create test accounts in permitted jurisdictions, complete KYC, make small deposits, claim bonuses, and attempt withdrawals.
Cashout timing: We measure “request to received” times and compare against published SLAs.
Bonus parsing: We parse full promotional terms, replicating common player journeys to uncover edge-case restrictions.
Support stress tests: We raise realistic queries across live chat/email, measure first-response time, resolution quality, and escalation handling.
RG tool checks: We enable limits, self-exclusion, cool-offs, and reality checks to verify enforcement and reversibility rules.

4) Data Sources & Verification

Primary: Regulator registers, licence certificates, T&Cs, KYC/AML policies, payment pages, privacy/security statements.
Secondary: Game provider catalogues, audit firm listings, independent test certificates, public court/regulatory actions.
Community signals: We consider verifiable player reports with evidence (screenshots, IDs redacted) and aggregate public sentiment from Google Reviews and Trustpilot with fraud-signal filtering.

5) Weighting Logic (Safety-first)

Safety & Trust acts as a gate and a multiplier. Major issues (e.g., licence mismatch, non-payment, predatory terms) trigger hard caps and can suppress the overall score regardless of other strengths. Exceptional safety practices (e.g., best-in-class RG, independent audits, rapid payouts) can earn small merit uplifts within category caps.

6) Score Bands & Badges

90–100: Exceptional — eligible for “Editor’s Pick”; must have top-tier licensing and exemplary payout history.
80–89: Recommended — safe choice with minor improvement areas.
70–79: Pass — playable with caveats clearly listed in review.
<70: Not recommended — we advise alternatives; listing may be removed in sensitive markets.

7) User Feedback, Reviews & Complaints

Evidence-based intake: Players can email feedback or disputes to email@example.com. We prioritise reports with dated screenshots, transaction IDs (masked), and support transcripts.
External sentiment: We monitor trends on Google Reviews and Trustpilot and adjust the Support/Payments sub-scores if patterns are consistent and verifiable.
Out-of-cycle reviews: Material, corroborated issues (e.g., systemic payment delays) trigger an immediate re-audit and may lead to a badge removal or score downgrade.

8) Penalties & Red Flags

Licence or identity mismatch: −30 to delist.
Verified non-payment or confiscation without clear cause: −20 to delist.
Predatory or hidden terms: −10 to −25 depending on severity.
Obstructive KYC (unreasonable docs, circular requests): −5 to −15.
Misleading advertising or bonus bait-and-switch: −10 to −20.

9) Responsible Gambling (RG) Requirements

Account limits (deposit, loss, wager, session) and reality checks available at sign-up and in-session.
Self-exclusion and cool-off with clear, irreversible timelines and visible RG links.
Local helplines and links to recognised support organisations per market.
Proactive safer-gambling messaging and interventions for risk patterns.

10) Editorial Independence & Disclosures

Our ratings are produced by a separate review team. Commercial arrangements do not override safety decisions; low-scoring or penalised brands are not promoted.
Affiliate disclosures are visible on pages where they apply; recommendations remain independent and evidence-based.

11) Update Cycle

Routine: Annual full re-audit for stable brands; quarterly checks of payments, T&Cs, and RG features.
Event-driven: Immediate review on regulator action, ownership change, new markets, or verified complaint clusters.

12) For Operators: How to Request a Re-Review

Operators may submit new evidence (licence updates, audit reports, resolved disputes, bonus term fixes) via info@bonusinsider.com. We will verify changes and, if material, publish an update with a changelog.

13) Changelog & Traceability

Each review includes a visible changelog highlighting major score changes and the reason (e.g., “payout SLA improved”, “bonus terms clarified”, “regulatory warning resolved”).

14) Glossary (Selected)

KYC/AML: Know-Your-Customer/Anti-Money-Laundering checks required by regulators.
RTP: Return to Player; the theoretical payout percentage of a game.
RG tools: Practical controls that help players manage spend and time.