Investigative Reviewing of Online Gambling Sites

Online casino reviews are helpful, but due diligence is better.

Every single day, countless people rely on the information of online gambling review sites. Some of these websites are great, detailing every worthwhile aspect of an operator, its software, and its payment systems. Unfortunately, these types of sites fall into a very small minority.

Most online casino surveyors don’t go nearly that far. They will skim over the basic topics, hitting harder on the promotional aspect than anything else. These sites are managed by indifferent affiliates who are just looking to make a buck. So long as they can convince you to join a casino and make a deposit, they get paid. That’s the only thing they’re interested in.

Only Trust Thorough Online Casino Reviews

A thorough online casino review will cover a lot of topics. They’ll tell you the basics, like software supplier and game variety, welcome bonuses and other promotions, and what payment methods are available. But they go way beyond that.

The reviewer will note the operating company of the casino, its year of establishment and reputation during that time. You’ll learn about where that operator is licenced, and if the software supplier is certified for fairness. The reliability of customer support and modes of contact will be on display. In rare cases, the writer will detail actual communication between them and the online casino support team.

These are the best online casino review sites, and are the first place you’ll want to gather information when seeking out a new gaming site to play at. But once you’ve read enough to select a casino, don’t stop there.

Even the best online gambling site reviews rarely go far enough to deliver 100% peace of mind to their readers. For that, it takes extra due diligence on the player’s part.

Investigative Reviewing of Online Gambling Sites

There are three things you want to investigate for yourself.

Casino Licence: First, go to the casino website, scroll to the bottom and double-check on the licencing info. If they claim to be licenced in Malta, for example (MGA), click on that icon to make sure it goes to the regulator’s websites, and shows that the company is indeed licenced there. If the licencing info/image isn’t linked, chances are the licence either doesn’t exist, or is expired.

Software Certification: Software certification is generally listed at the bottom of the online casino website, near the licencing info. Microgaming-powered casinos, for instance, will always display the Microgaming logo and the eCOGRA Safe & Fair logo, right next to each other. Microgaming is the software supplier, eCOGRA is the auditor that certifies it. Click on the certification link to ensure the software is actually certified by that third-party company. You can even go a step further, investigating the auditing firm to make sure it’s reliable, as well.

Payment Processor: Just knowing the payment methods available is helpful, but what about the company that the casino employs to process its payments? Sometimes, it’s not the casino’s fault for security flaws or slow withdrawals, but rather the payment processing firm that’s to blame. Online casinos that fall under group operation (i.e. Digimedia operates over a dozen brands) often host proprietary payment services, ensuring the payments are as reliable as the casino operator itself. For those that outsource processing companies, you’ll want to check on the reputation of that firm.

If all of these things check out, you can rest assured that you’ve done your homework. Combining the information of unbiased online casino reviews with a little elbow grease will provide ultimate peace of mind.