How Do We Rate Online Casinos?
Bookies.com Casino Evaluation Methodology
Pillar 1: Security
The first thing we look at is security. We want to make sure you have a safe experience, so we never recommend unlicensed online casinos. If you’re in a regulated jurisdiction like the US or the UK, we only suggest casinos that hold a valid license in the region, while for other areas we recommend sites licensed by reputable bodies like the Malta Gaming Authority.
We also make sure that the site uses industry standard encryption technology to protect your payments and personal data - we’re able to check this by looking for certifications in the footer of the site, or for the lock icon in the URL bar.
If you play at an unlicensed casino, you run the risk of your data being stolen, or not getting a payout even if you win. That’s why we only recommend licensed sites.
Pillar 2: Welcome Bonus
Before we recommend a casino site, we make sure that it has a welcome bonus. Casinos that don’t offer any kind of new player promo get marked down. Our preferred offers consist of at least a 100% deposit match up to several hundred dollars, pounds, or euros and we’ll give a casino extra points if there are free spins (or cashback) thrown in too. We’re very keen on promos that don’t have any wagering requirements, but if a promo does have wagering, the lower the amount, the better.
When we look at social casinos, we want to see a good batch of Gold Coins (over a million is first prize) and several hundred Sweeps Coins.
Welcome bonuses are the best way to get started at an online casino, so a great sign up offer means that the site really values new players.
Pillar 3: Payments
We want to make sure that you can deposit and withdraw seamlessly using your preferred payment options. We always check the number of methods, for example we’ll mark down sites that have less than five options. We look for specific payment methods for each country (for example Interac in Canada) and ideally the minimum deposit for all methods should be $10 or less.
Payout times are also extremely important. We prefer casinos that pay out instantly, but these are rare, so any site that processes withdrawals within less than 24 hours gets the Bookies.com stamp of approval.
Payments at online casinos should be as easy as buying anything else on the internet and the quality and speed of deposits and withdrawals is a great indicator of the overall casino experience.
Pillar 4: User Experience
There’s a whole lot that goes into reviewing an online casino’s user experience. And it goes deeper than just having a quick look at the site’s design.
Firstly, we want to see a polished site with simple navigation and quick loading times. Some sites can be a bit clunky and awkward on certain browsers or devices and we’ll definitely mark them down for that.
For mobile play, a casino gets extra points for having downloadable apps for iOS and Android, especially if they have a lot of reviews (10,000+) and five-star ratings.
Customer support also falls under the user experience category. Our favorite sites have 24/7 customer support via live chat, plus FAQs and other support options. Plus, we want to see a robust set of responsible gambling tools, including deposit limits, session time reminders and self-exclusion.
An online casino with a poor user experience simply isn’t worth your time. We don’t want you to bother with sites that are hard to figure out, or don’t work on your phone.
Pillar 5: Games and Softwares
Let’s face it: when you’re looking for an online casino, the game selection is one of the most important factors. There’s no shortage of casino games out there, but we want to make sure we recommend sites that offer the best ones.
In general, we look for a selection of at least 1,000 games, for a top score from Bookies.com. We’ll give casinos a higher rating if they offer games from lots of different providers, for example 20+ studios, as well as if they make their very own games in-house.
We don’t just want to see slot games either - live casino games, virtual tables and even instant win games are also important.
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Game quality and variety can really set an online casino apart. Sites that offer games from top providers like NetEnt and Pragmatic Play are certain to deliver a great experience.
Bookies.com Star Ratings
Now that we’ve explained what criteria we look at when rating online casinos, we need to tell you how everything comes together.
When we write casino site reviews, we use a quantitative system, where we weight each element and come up with an overall score for the casino site. The score translates into a star-rating, which is how you can tell at a glance whether a site is worthwhile or not. We know that there are some online casinos that really go above and beyond, so we make sure that’s reflected with our top, “Bookies Superstar” rating.
| Rating | What to expect |
1 Star Casino ★★★★★ Avoid | A 1 Star casino likely isn’t licensed and provides a very poor experience, for example limited games and no welcome bonus. We would recommend avoiding these sites at all costs, as they might not be safe and you could face issues getting payments if you land a win. |
2 Star Casino ★★★★★ Poor | These low-quality sites might not be licensed, or they could offer a bad experience, for example the apps might have very low ratings, or the welcome bonus could come with extreme wagering requirements. If you’re looking for the best possible experience, skip these sites. |
3 Star Casino ★★★★★ Average | 3 Star casinos are usually licensed, so they’re a safe option, but they might not provide the best experience. For example, the game library might be really limited, the site might not be mobile-friendly and these casinos don’t usually have good promos or loyalty schemes. |
4 Star Casino ★★★★★ Good | These sites offer a positive experience, with multiple payment methods, a good welcome bonus (usually including a match of 100% or more) and lots of games including slots and live casino tables from respected providers. Of course, they’re also fully licensed so you don’t need to worry about security. |
5 Star Casino ★★★★★ Excellent | You can expect an extensive games library including hundreds or even thousands of titles, a generous welcome bonus with low or no wagering requirements and payment options that are suited to your location. These sites also offer high-quality customer support via channels like live chat and email. |
Bookies Superstar ★★★★★ Our top pick | These fantastic casino sites tick all of the boxes for us, from excellent games and no-wagering bonuses, to highly-rated mobile apps and stand-out customer support. Bookies Superstar casinos are really one in a million, so if you spot one of these, we’d highly encourage you to check it out. |
Casino Example - DraftKings Casino USA
To give you an idea of how ranking methodology works, here’s why DraftKings consistently earns its spot as one of our top‑rated US online casinos.
DraftKings achieves their 4.5 star rating in large part due to their approach to user experience and the accessibility of both its desktop and mobile site as well as their app offering. And their users love to shout about it! They have achieved a 4.6 star rating on Google Play from over 32.6K user reviews and 4.7 star rating on Apple App Store from 95.7K reviews. Users rave about the gaming experience that goes above and beyond industry standards and the responsiveness of their customer service team.
The platform offers a huge game library with 100s of slot titles, including Megaways, progressive jackpots and DraftKings‑exclusive releases. Classic table games like blackjack, roulette and baccarat are all available, as well as live‑dealer tables for an immersive, real‑casino feel.
New players can take advantage of a generous welcome bonus offering losses back up to $1,000 plus 500 free spins on over 100 slots. With a minimum deposit of just $5 and support for payment methods like cards, Apple Pay, PayPal, Venmo and crypto, getting started is easy. Once you're signed up you can begin to earn rewards, work your way up the leaderboards and even get into their VIP program.
Fully licensed, regulated and secure, DraftKings remains a platform our in‑house experts regularly use—and confidently recommend.
Online Casinos to Avoid
We’re happy to let you know that we would never recommend sites with less and a three star rating, as they tend to come with issues like delayed payments or lack of licensing. These are some of the red flags that we always look out for.
- Unregulated: We never recommend a site without a valid license.
- Slow site: Delays in loading pages, lags in games and general slowness are all indicators of a low-quality site.
- Limited payment options: If a site only takes one payment method (like crypto), it’s certainly a bad sign.
- Unreasonable wagering requirements: A good site will never make you play through a bonus 100+ times!
- Unknown game providers: If a casino is trying to pass unlicensed software providers off as legit, you won’t have any protection if you land a win.
How To Choose The RIght Casino For You
- Read our casino site reviews here at Bookies.com
- Click on a link to go to the site where you want to sign up
- Fill out the registration form (name, email address, date of birth, address, mobile number)
- Enter the promo code if there is one
- Verify your account if necessary
- Go to the cashier and make your first deposit to claim your offer
- Come back regularly to find new sites and bonuses
Our Experts
Online casino reviews at Bookies.com are produced by our dedicated in-house team of industry specialists. Our editors and contributors bring decades of collective experience within the global online casino sector, having spent years evaluating platforms, testing games, and assessing player experiences across regulated markets.
This depth of expertise enables our team to identify potential risks quickly and recognise the indicators of a substandard casino experience. We apply rigorous editorial standards to every review, ensuring we never recommend an operator that fails to meet our expectations for fairness, usability, or player protection.
Equally, our experts know when a casino truly stands out. When an operator excels across key criteria, including game quality, security, and customer experience, it may earn our highest distinction as a Bookies Superstar Casino. These ratings are grounded in first-hand knowledge, careful analysis, and an unwavering commitment to helping players make confident, informed decisions.
Explore our authors' page to get some insight into our expert analysts and casino reviewers.
Why Trust Us
We don’t just judge online casinos on games or bonuses. We take a balanced approach to the overall experience, so that we can recommend the most impressive sites out there. We don’t shy away from letting you know what we really think of a casino site.
Over the years, we’ve put together hundreds (if not thousands) of casino site reviews, so we know exactly what sets the excellent apart from the average.
Whenever we review online casinos, we make sure to check what real players think, for example by looking at reviews in the App Store and Play Store. If the same issues come up frequently (for example technical glitches or delays payouts), we’ll take a closer look.
We operate with integrity and transparency - we want to make sure you have a fantastic online gambling experience, but above all we base our casino site reviews on safety and security.
Affiliate Disclaimer: Bookies.com is an affiliate site, so we might earn commission from the sites that we recommend, but our casino site reviews remain unbiased, factual and free of influence. We also never recommend unlicensed sites which could be unsafe.
Responsible Gambling
As part of our casino site review process, we strongly promote responsible gambling. You should always use the tools available at your chosen online casino site and get external help if you need it. There are different resources available depending on your region, so you can consult one of these:
Final Thoughts
Our casino site reviews are very in-depth and take a lot of different elements into consideration, from the range of games and providers, to the level of customer support and the mobile experience. But most importantly of all, we make sure that any site we recommend is completely safe and secure, so you don’t need to worry about your personal data or your money - and you’re guaranteed to be paid out if you land a win.
It’s safe to say that at Bookies.com, we’ve done all the hard work for you, so you can simply choose one of our top sites, sign up to claim your welcome bonus and start enjoying all of your favorite games.
Bookies.com Casino Rating FAQs
How are online casinos rated at Bookies.com?
We have a very specific, quantitative scoring system for online casinos at Bookies.com. We rate each site based on specific criteria in categories like bonuses, security, payments, casino software and general user experience and make sure that they meet our standards before we recommend them to you.
How can I find the best online casino?
How do I know if an online casino is safe?
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