How We Rate Slots and Online Casinos

Choosing the right casino is a crucial starting point for any gambler. A user-friendly online venue strictly adheres to the fair play policy, is comfortable to navigate, is safe for your money and sensitive data, supplies convenient deposit and withdrawal limits, guarantees quick cashout, and provides easy-to-access and quick-to-respond customer care. As you can see, there are numerous factors to consider if you want to select the most suitable option. Naturally, the process takes a lot of time, especially when choosing from hundreds of online establishments available to players today. That's where we can help you by rescuing you from wasting loads of time researching all these boring things.  

Our gambling aficionados team thoroughly analyzes each online casino we rate so you can make a reasonable decision in just a few minutes by familiarizing yourself with a detailed review highlighting all the notable aspects worth mentioning. Additionally, we assign a rating to each reviewed gambling venue, so you can even pick any site with a high score without diving deep into details. Both ways of selecting a suitable casino guarantee an excellent gambling experience and the topmost safety.

Of course, we also evaluate virtually every prospective and popular game of chance, especially freshly released ones, so that you can understand which gambles are the most fun, engaging, and generous. Now, let's get into more detail on how we check out gambling sites and games they propose.

How We Rate Casinos

There are dozens of factors a casino site has to be in line with so that we can give it a good rating score. Let's highlight in this publication some of the most essential ones you can also use to determine the worthwhile establishment on your own.

Legitimacy

First and foremost, everyone must ensure that the gambling place is completely legitimate. Fortunately, it is easy, as any worthwhile online casino has at least one license from a reputable body. Some of the most trustworthy gambling authorities are the UKGC, MGA, and the Gibraltar government, to name a few. Also, it is worthwhile to check if the license is currently valid. Logically, the more licenses, the more trustable the venue is.

Generally, licensed casinos guarantee several important pros, such as high safety for personal info, cutting-edge security measures targeting the safety of your money at the account, original and, as a result, fair play gaming software, guaranteed withdrawals, and timely cash-out. On the contrary, many sites lacking a license are simply rogue ones. Therefore, we strongly don't recommend registering at online venues of this kind. 

Certificates from Independent Authorities

Additional evidence that the chosen site adheres to the fairness principles is a certificate from independent research organizations, such as eCogra, GLI, BMM, or iTech Lab. These companies check out whether the provided games guarantee fair play and, as a result, an unpredictable playing outcome, thanks to the original RNG technology that wasn't hacked. Naturally, the absence of such a certificate doesn't mean that the site is a scam, but its presence provides additional evidence it offers a fair gaming experience.

Safe & Security Measures

Security is paramount for any gambler who decides to play with real money, as this decision requires one to reveal sensitive data upon registering a personal account. Its safety is essential. The same goes for money players deposit onto the balance. Robust SSL encryption is the golden standard since it allows you to efficiently shield any information transmitted between your device and the casino's server from interception. Because of that, any licensed casino boasts of employing this cutting-edge technology. Yet, there are many other security measures also available. One of them is two-factor authentication. So, the more security measures a site involves, the higher its rating on GamblerID.

Size of the Casino

Almost all gambling sites with expansive auditory of active users, counting millions, are relatively old online casinos that have proven their robustness, thanks to years of market presence. Only their commitment to the principles of fair play and adherence to the transparent rules helped them grow their audience, which has been actively gambling for years. On the other flip, new gambling venues haven't yet gained authority. Because of this, you can never know precisely if the new site will eventually be fair or just a rogue one. Another pro of big sites is their revenue, which is much bigger than smaller sites. That makes it possible to pay them out even gigantic prizes. Therefore, you can bravely hunt even the huge progressive jackpot on any large site, as it undoubtedly would pay any winning. That's why we rate these venues higher, and you may trust them more.  

Player Complaints

Additionally, we search for players' testimonials through specialized forums and sites like AskGamblers or Trustpilot. The overwhelming prevalence of positive or negative reviews elevates or downsizes the corresponding score.

Payment Methods

Given any player has their personal preferences about the most comfortable payment methods, we estimate better those gambling operators providing a maximally broad list of available payment choices. Nowadays, the most in-demand choices for online transactions are: 

• Bank transfers 
• Banking cards 
• E-Wallets 
• Cryptocurrencies 

For instance, most worthwhile sites allow you to use Visa, Mastercard, Neteller, Skrill, Apple Pay, PayPal, Bitcoin, and popular altcoins.

Deposit and Withdrawal Limits

Here, it is as simple as that. The higher the limits, the better we rate a corresponding site.

Cash Out Speed

Of course, any player prefers a quick withdrawal, but the speed of cashing out depends, particularly, on the holding period that the casino implements. Normally, it lasts around 24 hours. The shorter it is, the more comfortable it is for players. So, we assign better ratings to casinos with a minimal waiting time. 

Gaming Assortment

The bigger the number and variety of games, the more chances players would have of not getting bored on the chosen site. Traditionally, the best online venues provide thousands of slots of very diverse types:

• Classic slots
• Modern video slots
• Jackpot slots
• Megaways slots
• Slots w/ Free Spins
• Slots with the Gamble round
• Slots w/ Hold'n Win mini-game (Re-Spins), etc.

Also, these tremendously vary in themes:

• Fruits
• Futuristic
• Cosmic
• Pirates
• Luxury
• Cars
• Egyptian
• Greek myths, etc. 

The best sites allow you to dive into an almost endless diversity of slots, boasting games to any taste. We evaluate these the highest.

iGaming Developers Variety

The overall number of iGaming providers developing slots is around one hundred. Some of them, like BetSoft or Playtech, are industry giants that have released hundreds of games, whereas others are relatively small, having just several dozen games in a portfolio. Yet, regardless of their size, almost any company may boast engaging and profitable slots. So, the wider the assortment of providers to choose from, the higher the score we award to the site.  

Free-to-Play Option

Also, it's a golden industry standard if a site delivers an opportunity to play for free just for fun. That is possible due to the demo mode utilization. Any venue worth its salt allows you to play almost any game on the site, excluding live dealer titles, for free in the demo mode.

Welcome Bonus

It's no secret that players prefer sites that offer many profitable promos, including those for novices. As a rule of thumb, exactly welcome bonuses for the first deposit are the most generous ones. Moreover, sometimes, sites offer beneficial welcome incentives for multiple initial deposits.

Reload Bonuses

However, incentives for regular players also heavily influence the rating score we pin up to the evaluated sites. We assess the number of Reload promos aimed at already registered users and their conditions, including the size of the wagering coefficient. Sites offering no deposit or no wagering bonus promotions get extra points.

VIP Loyalty Program

Many establishments have implemented a loyalty system that engages registered gamblers to play more intensely. That is made by providing more tempting conditions for those who play regularly. Among incentives eligible for constant punters are cashback, birthday presents, exclusive promotions, wider withdrawal limits, dedicated support managers, etc. Having such a loyalty program counts as a plus.

Tournaments

Some casinos regularly organize tournaments, allowing players to compete for an impressive prize pool. Undoubtedly, this intensifies the players' thrill, thanks to the extra chances to win a huge prize. Consequently, sites practicing tournaments are evaluated better.

Customer Support

Any top-tier online venue cannot do without user-friendly customer support. Comfortable communication channels are a must. The gold standard is 24/7 live chat, granting a swift and convenient way to contact a support manager at any moment you may need to. 

Mobile Compatibility

Casino operators that have released a dedicated app for both popular mobile operating systems—iOS and Android—get a higher rating. Additionally, we look at whether a casino has a mobile-compatible site. 

How We Rate Slots

There are several points we take into account while estimating slots to put a fair rating on them. These are:

• Position in the Casino Lobby
• RTP
• Volatility 
• Maximum possible win
• Beneficial gameplay mechanics
• Available bonus features
• Visual component 
• Soundtrack

Let’s guide you through all these aspects one by one.

Position in the Casino Lobby for a Specific Market

We daily scan the biggest online casinos visited by millions of gamblers monthly to analyze which slots are popular among players and are at the top of these sites' lobbies. Our bots conduct research in incognito mode to guarantee unbiased scanning results, eliminating search personalization. The higher the slot is positioned within the site's lobby, the more points it gets towards its final ranking score. As for the other slots that aren't within a lobby, we rate only their RTP, profitable features, the maximum win, and other worthy attention factors. Naturally, we consider differences in the popularity of slots in distinct countries, delivering users from certain countries a relevant list of games with the corresponding rating scores.

RTP

The RTP term stands for ‘return to player,’ revealing how much money will be returned to a gambler. An RTP value is exhibited as a percentage. For many contemporary slot machines, it is usually above 95%. Naturally, the cashing back process isn’t steady, meaning not every round brings back precisely 95% of the stake placed. Otherwise, it would be impossible to get a big win even once since your game balance would gradually deplete. However, as we know, from time to time, players receive wins. So, despite some periods of losses, sometimes one can also grab a win. Yet, the more one plays, the closer the overall winnings amount will be to the sum calculated using the pointed RTP percentage. So, why is this figure so important? As you can imagine, the bigger the RTP, the more likely you eventually will wait for a solid prize. Consequently, we pin up a higher score for slots with a bigger RTP value. 

Volatility

Volatility defines how often prizes will hit. In a nutshell, the lower the volatility, the more frequent wins have to be, and vice versa. Yet, this isn’t the only distinction between low-volatility and high-volatility games since the latter also bring higher cash prizes that longer accumulate due to the more elongated non-winning gaps. As such, many adore high-volatility slots because of the thrilling opportunity to nab a huge prize instead of settling for numerous small ones. So, we usually rate high-volatility games somewhat higher. However, it doesn't mean you shouldn't play low-volatility games. It’s just a matter of the goals you put before yourselves. For instance, low-volatility slots are the best choice when you want to play as long as possible but have a modest budget. On the other hand, if you’re a high roller looking for a life-changing win, there is nothing better than a high-volatility slot machine. 

Maximum Win

The bigger the maximum win, the better for you. The best modern slots can bring cash prizes dozens of thousands of times more than the current stake. Naturally, the higher the game's winning potential, the better we rate it.

Jackpots

It’s no secret that many gamblers are allured by jackpots, regardless of whether they are fixed or progressive. The chance to grab dozens or even hundreds of thousands of euros in no time is too alluring. So, we rate any game boasting a jackpot higher so players can find games featuring desirable jackpots more easily.

Lucrative Mechanics

There are loads of beneficial gameplay mechanics involved in modern slots:

• MegaWays
• Avalanche
• Gigablox
• Expanding reels
• Win Multipliers
• Walking Wilds, etc.

All these mechanics are targeted to increase the number of wins and their size. So, logically, the more such mechanics a game features, the better we rate it. 

Bonus Features

Also, gamblers are fancy about popular bonus features involved in the playing process of many slot machines, such as:

• Free Spins
• Re-Spins
• Win Multipliers
• Instant prize-collecting mechanics
• Pick-a-prize mini-games
• Gamble rounds, etc.

These allow you to tremendously increase your winning potential, as maximum prizes are mainly won through bonus features. Therefore, the more the number and estimated lucrativeness of available bonus features, the higher we evaluate a game.

Visual Appearance & Soundtrack

Of course, we also evaluate the game's look and soundtrack. The better these are, the higher we rate the slot. Particularly, we pay attention to whether the graphics are sharp and the animations are smooth.