Our approach
We started Casino Rank Lab because most casino comparison sites spend all their time writing about bonuses, and very little time writing about whether a site is actually pleasant to use. We visit each site as a regular visitor would — not logged in, no special access — and note how easy it is to find things, how pages look on a phone, and whether the experience makes sense from one click to the next.
We do not write about offers, bonuses, or return-to-player figures. Those things change frequently and are better found directly on the site you are interested in. Our focus is on how a site works as a piece of design — whether its navigation is clear, whether help is easy to find, and whether the overall experience is comfortable.
All sites we cover hold an active licence from the UK Gambling Commission. This is a baseline requirement before we consider them for assessment. Beyond that, inclusion in our comparison is based on editorial judgment, not on commercial arrangements.
Five criteria we use
Every site gets the same treatment. That way the assessments are actually comparable — you're not trying to weigh up two reviews that were written with different things in mind.
Usability
Can someone land on the site and work out where to go without too much effort? We look at whether the main navigation is clearly labelled, whether the homepage makes sense at a glance, and whether the logical next steps are obvious. If it takes three clicks to find the terms page, that's worth noting.
Trust information
We look at how visible a site's licensing information is, how easy it is to find the responsible gambling section, and whether terms are written in plain language. A licence number that is buried in small print at the bottom of a page is less useful than one that is clearly displayed and linked.
Support access
This covers how easy it is to find contact and help options. We note whether live chat, phone, and email options are clearly signposted, and how many steps it takes to get to them from the homepage or a game page.
Game content layout
We look at how games are categorised and whether filters make it practical to find what you are looking for. This is not about the number of games available, but about whether the way they are presented makes browsing a reasonable experience.
Overall site experience
How does the site feel to use from start to finish? Does it behave the same way on a phone as on a laptop? Is it cluttered or clear? These are things you notice after ten minutes of browsing that are harder to put into a single category, but they matter.
What we do not cover
We're specific about what we write about, and deliberately specific about what we don't. Here's what you won't find in our assessments and why.
- Bonuses and promotions. We do not write about welcome offers, free spins, or any other form of promotional content. These change regularly and are subject to their own terms that you should always read directly on the site.
- Wagering requirements. Bonus terms including wagering requirements are not part of our assessment and we do not compare them between sites.
- Deposit and withdrawal methods. Payment processing is outside our remit. Always check a site's banking page directly for current options and any associated fees or timescales.
- Return to player percentages. RTP figures are not something we assess or recommend sites on the basis of.
- Game outcomes. We have no visibility of, and no comment to make on, the randomness or fairness of game outcomes.
Our update cycle
Casino sites change more often than you'd expect — menus get reorganised, sections move around, and layouts get redesigned without much notice. What we write reflects how the site looked on the date of our most recent visit, which is shown on each listing.
We try to revisit each site at least once every three months, and sooner if something significant changes. If you visit a site and what you see doesn't match what we've written, let us know via the contact page — we'd rather update than leave something out of date.
Our editorial corrections policy is covered in more detail on the editorial policy page.