How we review

The casino's own pages come first: the general terms, the bonus rules, the payments page, the responsible gambling page and the about page. Then independent reviews. Every detail is saved with its source and date.

When sources disagree, the casino's terms come first, then the casino's other pages, then our own tests (for what we tried ourselves), and finally other reviews.

For some casinos we keep our own dated notes on how deposits, the bonus, withdrawals, games and support worked when we tried them, and we use them in the review. Other reviews are based only on the sources above.

Before a review is published, its sentences are checked against the saved details, and a sentence the saved details don't back up is removed.

The rating is calculated automatically with a fixed formula; no writer sets it. Each criterion is scored only from details backed by a source. A criterion without evidence does not count, and its weight is redistributed among the others; the one exception is responsible gambling, which scores low when no tool is evidenced. A total rating is shown only when at least four criteria are backed by a source and the review lists at least two weaknesses backed by a source.

What we look at

• Licence and transparency: Which authority issued the licence, the company behind the casino and the licence number. Only a granted licence scores; an application or unclear information counts as not evidenced, and an expired licence gets the lowest score.
• Bonus terms: The wagering requirement on the bonus: the lower it is, the higher the score. Points are deducted when the bonus is valid for less than seven days and when bonus winnings are capped at a low amount.
• Withdrawals: The longest withdrawal time the casino or the sources state. Withdrawals within 24 hours score highest.
• Payment methods: How many payment methods can be used for withdrawals.
• Support: Live chat around the clock scores highest, live chat with limited hours less, and email only lowest.
• Games: The number of games and game providers.
• Responsible gambling: Which tools the casino offers: limits on deposits, losses, bets and time, reality checks, time-outs and self-exclusion. A casino without any evidenced tool gets a low score.

The rating is calculated on a scale from 1 to 10 and shown on a five-point scale in half-point steps, for example 3.5 out of 5. Each criterion is shown as stars on a five-point scale, in half-point steps; a criterion without evidence is marked Not evidenced.

The screenshots in a review are taken from a connection in Canada, so they show what visitors there see.

The date at the top of a review shows when the page was last updated, not that every detail was checked that day. Each detail is saved with the date it was collected. Found a detail that is no longer correct? Write to daniel@baccaratca.com.