We pay for everything

Every account on this site was opened the way a reader opens one and funded out of our own budget. We do not accept comped balances, test accounts or press credentials, because an account a brand knows is being watched does not behave like yours.

Three filings, middle result

A single fast payout proves nothing except that one request went through on one day. We file three redemptions per brand across three separate weeks and publish the middle result rather than the fastest one. Where the middle result is materially worse than the brand advertises, the review says so.

What the score is built from

Payout speed carries the most weight, because it is the thing that most often goes wrong and the thing readers ask about most. Redeemable value comes next, measured as the promotional figure alone with the gold ignored entirely. Then play-through, then the redemption floor, then how clearly the rules document matches what the cashier actually does. Game library and interface quality matter least, because a beautiful casino that pays slowly is still a casino that pays slowly.

Commercial relationships

Some links on this site pay us when a reader opens an account. The rate is agreed before testing begins and cannot be renegotiated after a score is published. Several brands in the list pay us nothing and are ranked in the same positions they would have held regardless. No brand has ever been shown a score before publication and no brand can pay for placement.

Re-testing

Terms change. Brands that were one-times go to two-times, floors move, and cashiers get slower after a growth spurt. We re-fund and re-test the full list twice a year, and we update individual entries sooner when a reader tells us something has shifted.