Casino reviews

Casino reviews approved by our ultimate tool - the LegitoMeter

If you just choose an online casino because you like the way it looks then you could be asking for trouble. Most online casino websites look similar to each other. The look of a casino website doesn’t tell you if it is legitimate and that you can trust it.

Here at Legit.Casino we have a team of online casino experts that have many years of experience between them. They know exactly what to look for when they review an online casino. All of our team members are aware of online casino scams, dishonest practices, and other negative factors that tell you that you need to avoid playing at an online casino.

On our review pages, you will see the “legitometer”. This is a stand-out graphic that tells you immediately if an online casino is legitimate or not. Our visitors really appreciate the “legitometer” as it tells them at a glance what to expect from the online casino.

The “legitometer”

As you can see from the image below, our “legitometer” has 5 different positions which are:

• Unfair
• Questionable
• Needs Improvement
• Almost There
• Legit

Our recommendation to you is that you only register and play at online casinos that have the “Legit” ranking on our review pages.

Below the “legitometer” graphic you will see a table that provides a clear indication of the factors that affect our “legitometer”. These are all important aspects that our expert team will check when they review an online casino. Here is what you will usually expect to find in our “legitometer” table:

1. License – does the online casino have a valid operating license from a reputable gaming authority?
2. Withdrawal times – are withdrawals fast at the online casino or are they slow?
3. Winning limits – are there limits imposed by the online casino that restrict how much you can win?
4. Support 24/7 – does the online casino provide customer support on a 24/7 basis?
5. Fair bonus terms – are the terms and conditions associated with the bonuses offered reasonable?
6. User reviews – does the online casino have user reviews and are these mainly positive or negative?
7. Fake casino games – are there fake games at the online casino?
8. Withdrawal limits – does the online casino have high or low withdrawal limits?
9. Casino older than 12 months – has the online casino been around for longer than a year?
10. Variety of payment methods – are there several different payment methods accepted by the online casino for deposits and withdrawals?
11. Fair terms and conditions – are the main terms and conditions of the online casino fair?
12. Related blacklisted casino – are there other casinos related to this one appearing on blacklists?

These are the most important factors that our expert team will investigate when they review an online casino. They perform many different tough tests and checks and the online casino will only achieve the “Legit” status if they pass all of them.

Only a few online casinos will receive the “Legit” status. When you see this status on a review that our team has conducted you know that the online casino is completely legitimate and safe to play at.

The factors that our team considers when reviewing an online casino

When our team of online casino experts performs a review of an online casino, they will look at many different aspects of it to award the final “legitometer” status. They have devised a series of stringent tests and checks that they apply to each online casino that they review. Here are the main factors that our expert team will consider in a review:

1. Does the online casino have a legitimate operating license?

It is essential that you only register with online casinos that have a valid operating license that has been issued by a reputable gaming authority. Our team checks that any information that the online casino publishes on its official website about its license is true.

With so many unlicensed online casinos available today, you cannot just accept the licensing information that they publish on their website to be true. Most unlicensed online casinos will lie about having a license because they know that most people will not verify this information.

Reputable online casinos invest a lot of money in obtaining a valid license. They do this because they want to prove that they operate fairly and that they can be trusted by players from around the world. Once an online casino has obtained a valid operating license, they will do everything that they can to keep it.

This means that they must treat their players fairly, only provide provably fair casino games, comply with Know Your Customer (KYC) rules and regulations if these apply, and a lot more. If an online casino violates the terms of its license, then the licensing authority can take it away.

Why unlicensed casinos are risky to play at

The reason that the operating license is the first and most important check that our team makes is because it provides players with a degree of protection. Licensed online casinos are obligated to treat their players fairly and deal with any problems promptly and professionally.

There are a lot of cases of unlicensed online casinos stealing money from their players. If this happens when you are playing at an unlicensed casino then there is nothing that you can do about it. As the online casino doesn’t have a license, there is no higher authority for a player to take their complaint to.

We are not saying that every unlicensed online casino is dishonest. There may be some that treat their players fairly and pay their winnings when they make a valid withdrawal request. But in our opinion, these are the exception rather than the rule. It is not worth taking the risk.

If a player complains to a reputable licensing authority that they have been mistreated by an online casino that has been licensed by them, the authority will take this very seriously and force the online casino to resolve the issue properly. The online casino will not want to lose its license and will act swiftly to sort the problem out.

Licensing jurisdictions

There are a number of reputable gaming authorities around the world that issue operating licenses to online casinos. If an online casino claims to have a license from one of these authorities, our team will contact the authority directly to verify that this is true.

Here are some of the most popular international licensing authorities:

• The UKGC (United Kingdom Gambling Commission)
• The MGA (Malta Gaming Authority)
• The GLA (Gibraltar Licensing Authority)
• The CGA (Curacao Gaming Authority)
• PAGCOR (gambling regulator in the Philippines)
• The PGCB (Panama Gaming Control Board)
• The AGC (Alderney Gambling Commission)
• The GSC (Gambling Supervision Commission Isle of Man)

This is not an exhaustive list. When our team reviews an online casino, they will specify the authority and jurisdiction that issued the operating license. Not all of these licensing authorities are equal. The UKGC is known for its very strict regulations while the Curacao Gaming Authority is not considered to be as strict.

If you see that an online casino is licensed by the Curacao authorities, this doesn’t mean that you should dismiss it. The license rules and regulations from Curacao are still very strict and online casinos have to work hard to be compliant.

2. Casino owners and operators

Our team of experts will check to see who owns and operates the online casino under review. Often, these are one and the same, but this is not always the case. The team will check the credentials of companies and owners to ensure that they are legitimate. They will publish the name of the owner in the review.

How long has the online casino been operating?

It seems like every day; a new online casino emerges offering its services to the world. We do not recommend that you play at an online casino that has been operating for less than a year. The reason for this is that they will not have had enough time in our opinion to establish a good reputation with players.

In all of our online casino reviews, you will see when they were first established. If this is less than a year ago, it will not receive “Legit” status from us. This doesn’t mean that the online casino is dishonest in any way, but unfortunately, new online casinos open and close quickly at an alarming rate.

3. The reputation of the online casino

After our team has established that the online casino has a valid operating license and didn’t open its doors last week, they will check the reputation that it has with players. All online casinos will have testimonials from players on their official website. Our team will not waste their time reading these as they can be fake.

Instead, the team will look for independent player reviews of the casino online. There are different external websites where players at an online casino can post an honest review about it. A good example of this is TrustPilot.com.

We will not just leave it there. Our team will also check online casino forums to see if anything negative is being said about the online casino under review. You can be sure of getting the truth from online forums as their members want to protect other members by being honest about their online casino experiences.

There are online casino blacklist websites that our team checks to ensure that the casino under review, or an online casino related to it, does not appear. These blacklist websites are independent and our team trusts them to report on online casinos that are not treating their players fairly.

4. Are the terms and conditions of the online casino fair?

All online casinos have general terms and conditions that players must comply with to keep their accounts open. You need to be aware that the general terms and conditions of one online casino can vary considerably from others. Our team will thoroughly check the terms and conditions of all online casinos that they review to ensure that they are reasonable.

Think of the terms and conditions of an online casino as its rules. If a player violates these rules, then the casino can suspend their account and even ban them altogether. Some players have had their winnings confiscated by online casinos for violating their terms and conditions. This is why it is so important for our experts to check that they are fair.

Usually, the terms and conditions for an online casino will reflect the strict terms of their operating license. They can cover subjects such as restricted countries, KYC procedures, the use of more than one account, any deposit and withdrawal limits, minimum and maximum limits, and more.

If our team believes that the terms and conditions of the online casino are unfair, they will not achieve “Legit” status in the review. The team will explain what it feels is unfair about the terms and conditions so that everyone is aware.

Two specific things that our team of experts will look for in the online casino terms and conditions are winning limits and withdrawal limits. If winning limits are imposed by the casino, this means that players can only win a certain amount. High withdrawal limits are good as these allow the player to withdraw large amounts at a time.

5. Fair casino games

The casino games that the online casino offers are another very important aspect that our team will check thoroughly. We believe that players should have the widest choice of casino games possible and that they should all be fair.

We will examine the total number of casino games that are offered by the online casino under review. With most online casinos, slot games dominate the games that are available. This is because players like slot games more than any other.

Even if an online casino has achieved the “Legit” status in our reviews, we always recommend that you check to see if your favorite games are available. It is impossible for us to know what casino games you enjoy playing the most. If you like playing a particular slot game then visit the casino site and see if it is available or not.

Our team will look at the different types of casino games that are available. We expect to see a good selection of slots of varying themes. In addition to this, we expect to find popular table games such as roulette, blackjack, and baccarat available. Does the casino have live dealer games? These are very popular with players these days.

Software providers

If an online casino offers games from the top software providers, then this is a big plus point in our opinion. Casino games from industry leaders such as Playtech, Microgaming, NetEnt, Play N Go, Pragmatic Play, and more will always be fair. They will have a published RTP (Return to Player) figure which is a probable win percentage.

Our team will investigate the games that the online casino offers and provide a list of software providers in the review. We do not want our readers to play fake casino games that are rigged against them meaning that they will always lose when they play them.

6. Customer support provided by the online casino

Any number of issues can arise for a player when they are playing at an online casino. It is essential that there is a good customer support team in place that is responsive and will answer any questions professionally.

These days, online casinos tend to welcome players from all over the world. This means that different time zones are in play. We expect the online casino under review to provide 24/7 customer support. Unfortunately, some online casinos have limited hours when their support personnel are available.

The method of contacting the customer support team is also important. We recommend using the live chat feature as this is the most efficient way of resolving issues. All online casinos will provide access to the support team via email, but this will be a lot slower. Some online casinos will also offer telephone support.

Our team will pose a number of questions to the customer support team to test their responsiveness and knowledge. They will also check to see how friendly and helpful the team is. If the team concludes that the customer support is poor, they will not achieve “Legit” status in our reviews.

7. Accepted payment methods

Again, we want players to have as much choice as possible when it comes to the payment methods, they can use to make deposits and withdrawals with an online casino. Some online casinos only accept fiat currency payment methods, others will only accept cryptocurrency, and the rest will accept a combination of the two.

The most important thing about any payment method accepted by an online casino is security. Our team will look for proven payment methods that they know are safe and secure. Credit and debit cards issued by banks are a secure payment method, as are bank transfers, certain e-wallet systems, specific prepaid cards, and so on.

Major crypto coins such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin all operate on a blockchain network which acts as a very secure decentralized ledger. It is almost impossible for hackers to infiltrate cryptocurrency transactions due to the checks that are made by the blockchain network.

8. Withdrawal times

While most deposit times are very fast with online casinos, the same cannot be said for withdrawal times. Our team firmly believes that online casino players should have access to their winnings quickly. So, they check the average withdrawal times of each online casino that they review.

In fairness to online casinos, the payment method that the player chooses for their withdrawal can have a significant impact on the withdrawal time. Bank transfers can take several business days to complete. Withdrawals to credit and debit cards can also take days.

Usually, the fastest withdrawal payment methods are cryptocurrency (transactions are very fast), e-wallets such as Skrill and Neteller, and other methods such as Trustly and Paysafe Card. Our team will report on the average withdrawal times in each review.

It is normal for online casinos to check all withdrawal requests that they receive. Some online casinos will take a long time to perform these reviews which creates delays for players in obtaining their funds. To achieve “Legit” status in a review, an online casino must have reasonable average withdrawal times.

9. Minimum deposits and maximum withdrawals

Another important check that our team performs is the minimum deposit requirements and the maximum withdrawal limits imposed by the online casino. These can vary depending on the payment method that the player chooses. We will publish our findings in the review. High withdrawal limits will always be considered a good thing by our team.

10. Bonus terms and conditions

Online casinos will rarely provide something for nothing. They are in the business of making money and when they offer bonuses there are always terms and conditions that are associated with them.

In order for a player to claim a bonus they have won; they must comply with the terms and conditions related to it. Let’s say that a player received some free spins and experiences some wins with these. To claim their winnings, the player will usually have to comply with a wagering requirement detailed in the terms and conditions.

Sometimes, wagering requirements for bonuses can be excessive. Our team always checks for this and will not award “Legit” status in the review if they believe this is the case. Wagering requirements as high as 70 times the bonus amount are not uncommon. A wagering requirement of 30 or 40 times is considered reasonable.

What bonuses and promotions are available?

The online casino industry is highly competitive and nowadays, all online casinos will offer bonuses to attract new players and keep their existing players happy. On the surface, these bonuses and promotions appear to be very generous, but the reality can often be very different.

Our team will check what welcome bonuses are available from the online casino. Some online casinos will offer no deposit bonuses which are often in the form of free spins on a slot game specified by the casino. Matched deposit bonuses are also very popular. Here players will receive a matched bonus (usually from 50% to 100%) with their first and subsequent deposits.

Many online casinos offer reload bonuses now which are usually available on a daily or weekly basis. Cashback offers are also common as are free spins on slot games. The best online casinos offer a loyalty or VIP program for their existing players to retain them.

Why is it important to read casino reviews before signing up?

We have mentioned this at the beginning but it is always worth reiterating. Unfortunately, there are several unlicensed online casinos around these days that just want to relieve you of your hard-earned cash. They use sharp practices to gain your confidence and then will stop you from withdrawing any winnings that you are entitled to.

Of course, you cannot trust every online casino review that you find. Look for quality reviews from sites like Legit.Casino which has the backing of a team of online casino experts. Our aim is to recommend the very best online casinos to you that are safe for you to play at. We review many online casinos and only a small number receive “Legit” status from our team.

You could perform the necessary due diligence yourself but this will take a lot of time and effort. Also, it is unlikely that you will always know what to look for if you are unsure about the credibility of an online casino. This is where the experience of our expert team comes in. They know what makes a good online casino and also a bad one.

Always remember that you are spending your money at an online casino. When you gamble on specific casino games it is essential that you are confident they are fair. Also, you need to be confident that the online casino will pay you any winnings that you are entitled to.

What you need to do next

We recommend that you browse through our reviews here to find an online casino that will meet your needs. It is impossible for us to know what your favorite casino games are, what payment methods you prefer to use, which country you live in, and so on. By browsing our reviews, you can get answers to all of your questions.

Our team is brutal with the tests and checks that they apply to online casinos when they review them. We are passionate about helping you find the best legitimate online casinos that will treat you fairly and have a good track record. If you have any questions, please contact us here.