How we score casinos and sportsbooks

Groups and weights

The score is a weighted mean of several groups. Each group gives its own sub-score from 0 to 10. Casinos and sportsbooks use different groups, because they offer different products. The tables below show the weights.

How the total is built

Each sub-score is rounded to one decimal first. The total is then the weighted mean of the groups that are known, rounded to one decimal. This means anyone can recompute a total from the published sub-scores.

Unknown facts are neutral, not bad

Inside a group, a part we cannot confirm counts as half of its points. This stops an operator with two good known facts and eight unknown ones from reaching a perfect score, and it also avoids punishing a site for something we simply have not checked. A group in which nothing is known is left out, not scored as zero.

The 70% coverage rule

Coverage is the sum of the weights of all groups with known data. If coverage is below 70%, we show Not rated instead of a number. Closed operators are also Not rated. Not rated means we know too little, not that the operator is bad.

Caps

Two caps limit the total after it is calculated.

• An operator with no valid licence can score at most 3.0.
• A blacklisted operator can score at most 2.0.

Licence tiers

The licence group takes the best licence the operator holds. A tier 1 regulator gives 10 points, tier 2 gives 7 and tier 3 gives 4. Holding two or more licences from tier 1 or tier 2 adds 1 point, up to a maximum of 10. A licence that we do not recognize gives 0. The tiers are described on the licences page.

Safety, payments, games and support

Safety looks at whether the operating company is known, how long the brand has operated and, for casinos, whether game fairness testing and RTP figures are published. Payments rewards a broad choice of deposit methods, fast withdrawals, high limits and no withdrawal fees. Games looks at the number of providers, live games, jackpots and the size of the library. Responsible gambling counts the tools on offer, and support counts live chat hours, email and languages.

Bonus fairness

The bonus group looks at the fairest current offer of the operator. Wagering that applies to deposit plus bonus counts double, because you must bet on both amounts, so 30x on deposit plus bonus is treated as 60x. Up to 10x scores 10, 35x scores 5, and 60x or more scores 0. A maximum cashout cap costs 1.5 points. An offer with no wagering scores 10 unless it has a cap.

Sportsbook odds and markets

For sportsbooks, the odds group uses the average margin on a dated sample of markets. A margin of 3% scores 10, 7% scores 5, and 11% or more scores 0. The markets group counts sports covered, live betting, streaming, cash out and bet builder.

Sources and dates

Every fact that feeds a score carries a source and the date we checked it. Sources include the operator's own site and terms, regulator registers and our own tests. Reviews show the date they were last updated, so a stale fact can be spotted.

What we do not score yet

Player reviews and complaint records are not part of the score. They are planned for a later version, and when they are added the version number will change.

Versioning

The current method is version 1.1. In this version unknown parts count as neutral inside a group. Scores are always tied to a method version, and a future change will get a new number so that old and new scores are not mixed up.

What a score is not

A score summarizes verified facts about an operator. It does not predict your results, and it is not advice to gamble. See responsible gambling.