The method behind the marks
Every score out of 10 in the archive is built from six weighted criteria, checked by hand. Here is the full working — including what we deliberately leave out.
Two things before the criteria. First: we are affiliate-funded, which means operators may pay us commission when readers open accounts through our links — but no operator can buy a score, a position or a category pick, and none has ever seen a review before publication. Second: we do not assess payment methods or withdrawal handling. We're a reviews-and-comparison archive, not a payments guide, and money matters belong between you and the operator.
Game studios & library depth
weight 25%The heaviest weight, because the studio roster decides what you can actually play. We check which providers a casino carries, whether headline studios like NetEnt, Play'n GO, Pragmatic Play and Big Time Gaming are present, and how deep each shelf goes beyond the front-page hits. A lobby with forty studios and real back-catalogue beats one with ten and the same fifty slots everyone stocks.
Live casino
weight 20%Almost every UK live section runs on Evolution or Playtech streams, so the differences lie in table count, exclusive branded tables, game-show coverage and how the section performs at busy evening hours. We note which operators just tick the box and which ones have negotiated something distinctive.
Mobile experience
weight 20%Where a native app exists we score it on speed, stability and whether it was designed for a phone or merely squeezed onto one. Where there's no app we score the mobile site on the same terms. LeoVegas anchors the top of this scale; most operators live comfortably in the middle.
Welcome offer clarity
weight 15%Not size — clarity. We look at the offer type, how plainly the wagering requirement is stated, whether game restrictions are easy to find, and how long you get to meet the terms. A modest offer with readable terms outscores a big number buried in conditions.
Customer support
weight 10%Channels, hours and the quality of first response. We favour operators with live chat that reaches a human, note whether cover extends into UK evenings and weekends, and record when support is email-only.
Usability & character
weight 10%How the site navigates, how fast lobbies load, and whether the operator has an identity beyond a template. Gamified systems like Voodoo Dreams' spell mechanics earn credit here when they add something, not just decoration.
How the checks actually happen
Each operator gets a full pass roughly once a quarter, plus spot checks when something changes — a new studio deal, an app update, a revised welcome offer. We verify the UKGC licence on the Commission's public register first; an operator without a valid licence doesn't get scored, it gets removed. Then we work through the lobby counting studios, sit at the live tables during a weekday evening, run the mobile experience on both iOS and Android, and put a question to the support desk to see what comes back and how fast.
What a 9 means, and what a 7 means
Scores cluster between 7 and 9.5 for a reason: anything scoring below 7 on our criteria tends not to be worth filing at all. Read a 9+ as market-leading in most criteria, an 8 as genuinely strong with a visible gap somewhere, and a 7 as competent but limited — usually in library depth or live coverage. A 7.2 like Ken Howells can still be the right pick if what it does well is what you want.
When scores change
The edition date on the homepage tells you when the current marks were filed. Operators redesign apps, lose studio deals and rewrite offers without notice, so treat every score as a photograph, not a portrait — and check the operator's own site for today's terms before signing up. Corrections and challenges are welcome via the contact page.
