Our Rating Guidelines and the Principles in Operation
In our bid to provide players with information about the top online casinos and bonuses, we have certain processes in line for our reviews. It’s our goal to ensure that you’re receiving high-quality and reliable details of these sites. So, to make sure that this is happening, we have a system in place for rating the casinos and games. Let’s take a look at the rating guidelines and principles that we put into operation at TopCasinoBonus.com.
What Can You Find in a Casino Review?
Within our casino reviews, you’ll find various pieces of information surrounding online gaming sites. A number of criteria are looked at when our experts are forming these reviews, and it is through these that you are able to obtain an outside look at how a site operates. Whether we receive a submission of a casino or seek them out ourselves, they all get the same unbiased treatment. Our reviews can only be constructed based on honesty, so we take it upon ourselves to register and play at them as members. So, what are the criteria that we look for in online casinos?
Casino Review Criteria
It’s imperative for us to put online casinos through an in-depth testing procedure. This way, we can pass on to you the very best and most informative reviews of their features. Our experts look at the following when it comes to our New Jersey casino reviews:
License Status
It’s necessary for us to see if an online casino is in possession of a gambling license. And if it doesn’t hold one, we want to know why. Licenses must come from reputable jurisdictions, including:
- New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.
- Curacao eGaming.
- Malta Gaming Authority.
- Costa Rican Gambling Commission.
- United Kingdom Gambling Commission.
- Kahnawake Gaming Commission.
- Gibraltar Gambling Commission.
These are all well-established and highly regulated licensing bodies. Therefore, if an online casino possesses at least one of these, then it can be predicted that the site is safe, secure and fair. These licensing bodies also have a list of rules and regulations that online casinos must follow properly. In doing so, they are able to offer games within various countries. Such rules may include the necessity of restricting certain offers in different locations or being explicitly clear about the terms and conditions in place.
The Best Range of Games
Online casinos need to ensure that they are working alongside well-established and high-quality software providers. This includes developers like Netent, Play’n Go, Microgaming, Playtech, Betsoft and Real Time Gaming (RTG), amongst others. At the same time, we look into whether or not these sites provide access to these games in various ways – instant play, downloadable and mobile options. Furthermore, we want to know if there is a large range of games available to access in the lobby. One final thing is to make sure that the games do not suffer from any technical errors and that they load smoothly.
Variety of Payment Methods
When our team reviews online casinos, we expect them to have a good range of online payment methods for players to use. This means that not only should the platforms have standard methods like Visa, Mastercard and bank transfers, but alternative methods, too. Therefore, online casinos should provide depositing methods like cryptocurrencies, e-wallets, prepaid cards and more. Not only that, but our team always pays attention to what casino gamers say about their depositing experience at sites.
Customer Support
Customer service is a necessity at online casinos, and it must be available for players as much as possible. Where possible, it should be a 24/7 customer support operation. Not only that, but our experts seek out the platforms with a variety of customer service options. This means that they should provide live chat, email and telephone customer support. Additionally, those with social media outlets will also be noted. Regardless of which method a player chooses to speak with an advisor through, the service should be quick and friendly, with all relevant information provided in a professional manner.
Fair Gaming Policies
It’s also our primary goal to locate online casinos with fair gaming policies in place. This way, you can rest assured that you’re accessing online games that haven’t been fixed. The best online casinos should utilize software from companies that have had their titles independently audited. Monthly payout percentages must also be visible to anyone visiting the online casino. This is why we recommend casinos with return to player (RTP) rates clearly on display, and we also go through the process of trying the games ourselves to confirm their fairness.
Speed of Withdrawals
It’s important that we can obtain our winnings as soon as possible, and this means a swift withdrawal process should also be in place. It shouldn’t take days on end for our own won funds to be returned to us. So, we shall never recommend a casino with unsuitable withdrawal policies and timeframes. We’ll always pay attention to those sites that operate speedy withdrawal processes, allowing users to receive their money as quickly as possible.
Payouts should normally be processed by the casino within 24 hours, and no longer. Anything that goes beyond this timeframe cannot really be considered a top-quality service. Keep in mind that this doesn’t have anything to do with the payment method in operation, as each one comes with a different withdrawal timescale of its own, too.
Bonuses and Special Rewards
Who doesn’t like being on the receiving end of something special? In every casino that we look at during our review process, we ensure that we’re seeking out the best bonus offers, too. Not only do we check into the welcome offers and ongoing promotions that these sites provide, but also if they offer any sort of VIP program as well. High rollers can, of course, benefit properly from this kind of feature. Loyalty programs of online casinos should also be in place to cater to you as you continue playing the available games.
Responsible Gambling
It’s our idea that an online casino can only be properly judged by how reliable it is. This means that it should also offer its players some assistance if they find themselves becoming a victim of gambling addiction. It is for this reason that we look out for the promotion of responsible gambling at the various sites. Not only that, but we want to ensure that gamers are safe at the casinos they opt to play at. Therefore, we watch out for the casinos with great security measures in place throughout.
The Final Rating and Approval
Once we’ve been through the aforementioned criteria and a platform has passed successfully, they can be considered one of the best. However, all sites receive a final grade based on the strength of these features. We provide our readers with the pros and cons of each site, and then we keep checking back on the casinos periodically, too. Any changes to such will also result in us adjusting their ratings accordingly. Obviously, this is all part of the plan to be 100% honest and transparent with our readers.
What Can Be a Signal of a Bad Casino?
It’s not uncommon for us to find online sites that have bad features and that we think gamers should be wary of. We’d rather not proceed with listing any casinos that would provide such a service to players. That’s why we also insist on receiving your feedback if you come across any negative casinos, too. Black marks that don’t sit well with us include:
- Lack of transparency with players.
- Bad and unprofessional customer support.
- Incorrect licensing status.
- Lack of clear terms and conditions.
- Delayed and/or cancelled withdrawal requests.
When we’re reviewing online casinos, we look at all these to ensure we’re not recommending a bad gaming site. Should we find such in operation, we will blacklist the respective casino and not have it listed anywhere on our website.