Online casinos are a dime a dozen, with new additions to the market opening on a regular basis. It’s an exciting time for those who love to experience everything that casinos have to offer from the comfort of your home!

The real question is how to choose the perfect online casino for you that caters for your gaming needs while also keeping your cash and information safe. Casino reviews are the simple and effective way of discovering everything you need to know before creating an account and making that important first deposit.

It is the point of these reviews to balance the scales and help us all discover those hidden gems. Online gambling is a form of entertainment, however it is also a money generating phenomenon, and as such will attract all types of people – intelligent, honest reviews help us stick to the best, while avoiding the less reputable brands.

“Smooth Criminal: Online review sites now commonly have sections dedicated to so-called “Rogue Casinos”. They are termed this, because they do not answer to any authorities and have predatory wagering, bonus and cashout rules. Use these lists to safeguard your bankroll.”

Good casino reviews will be one where at the end of it you are able to make an informed decision about whether or not the casino you’re considering will be a good place to join, or one you should be avoid. If it’s not a ‘Heck Yes’, then it should be a ‘Heck No’!

PLAYER PERCEPTION IS A PLUS

The best reviews are always those written by players, themselves. After all, they are the ones that put their hard-earned money on the line. They are the ones who have to deal with the casinos, face to face. So, as a player, I would want to hear what my peers have experienced, before I read a paid review which runs the risk of being biased in the casino’s favour.

“Online casinos are unscrupulous with no controls! Online casinos take your money but never pay it back. Online casinos have worse odds than a land-based casino!” At some point we’ve all dealt with someone who has held some (or all) of these opinions about online casino gambling.

What we know, and they clearly don’t, is that these points of view couldn’t be further from the truth. In most cases the accuser will fall into one of two categories: either they never play online so they are ignorant of how it all works, or they are disgruntled gamblers who chase losses and need someone else to blame.

This is where ethical reviews of online and mobile casinos come into play.

At GamblersPick we gather real players and afford them the opportunity of reviewing and rating the casinos we have listed. Our player community is global, comprising all races and creeds, from the newbie online gambler to the veteran punter, everyone is encouraged to share their experiences!

“Premium Perspective: Read a review with our ‘Gambler’s Pick Select’ badge on it for a well-balanced review from some of our more experienced gambling veterans.”

Should you want to go the extra mile, we invite you to join our community and begin to share your experiences to close the circle!

BETTER BETTING BASICS

A great casino review comprises of personal feedback on a range of casino related information, with the intention of informing others on whether specific operators are deemed a great entertainment destination, or whether they are likely to give you a few grey hairs and raise your blood pressure!

Below are a number of focal point features that should be kept in mind when writing your next revealing review:

BONUS BONANZA

Bonuses are the way that a casino shows that it values its players. A lot can be said about the both the size of the bonus and the ‘playthrough’ conditions attached to it. Although there are several types of promotions than can be offered by online casinos, the two main categories of offers that one should keep an eye open for should include:

• Welcome Bonuses: These come in various forms, but with a common purpose – to welcome first time players to the casino. Usually these incentives are aimed at giving the player free cash and or free spins, to use on playing games so that they can get a feel for the casino, its games, and its software.
• Cash Back and Royalty Bonuses: Casinos must honour their regular players too. If not, how do they plan to keep them from going to another more competitive operator? Players need to know if there is a decent rewards program in place for frequent users.
• “Playthrough Requirements: Also known as wagering requirements, these are terms and conditions attached to bonus offers whereby a casino ensures you use the funds to play games and not just cash in on the free money. You will need to wager the bonus amount awarded a number of times before being able to cash-out on any winnings.”

WITHDRAWAL WOES

Nobody wants to experience any hang ups when it comes time to collect on lucky winnings. The social, and legal, agreement is a simple one, “you take my money quickly so I deserve to get cashouts quickly and efficiently too.”

However, this is not always the case. You need to be aware of the pros and cons of cashout terms and conditions:

Pay-out Times

Because online casinos do not deal directly with the public on a face to face, cash in hand basis, there are certain processes that must be put in place to ensure that pay-outs can be made. This is not always a fast affair. There are various factors that can determine pay-out times:

• Casino Staff: Are the staff trained sufficiently and have they an efficient staff compliment to process payments speedily and efficiently?
• Method Motivator: Some banking methods used for withdrawals take longer to reflect than others do.
• The mass of moolah: Large funds request may take longer to pay-out, as the casinos may take extra precautions.
• Do you hit high or low? VIP’s tend to get preferential treatment at casinos because of the bucks that they spend.
• Agent Interference: In the UK, all pay-out must be passed by a special agent before the funds will be released. This can take up valuable time.

No matter what the hold-up is, payments that take longer than 5 days to reflect in your account are unacceptable, unless you are receiving funds via courier cheque.

Payout Percentage

Just because you have won a lot of cash at a casino, doesn’t mean that you will be able to withdraw all of it. Many online casinos have pay-out limits. This is often an area of contention and must be covered in a good review. There are plenty of casinos who offer 100% pay-outs regardless of the size of your withdrawal. A red flag to watch out for are casinos with small weekly or monthly withdrawal limits. These limits can point to cash flow management issues which can threaten your chances of getting your jackpot paid out in full.

Methods for your Money

Any reputable casino will have a variety of payment methods available for you to use to deposit and withdraw funds. These methods will have a big say on the speed, safety, and efficiency of your funds being processed. Some of the more popular methods to look out for would be:

• Credit and Debit Card payments: Visa and Mastercard payments and withdrawals are some of the more popular transactional methods used by online gamblers, especially in areas like Europe.
• Prepaid Cards and Vouchers: These are some of the safest forms of transacting funds online. Popular brands include: Paysafecard and uKash.
• E-Wallets: Electronic wallets are virtual online accounts that facilitate payments to and from your bank account. They offer a decent security and super speedy transaction times. In fact, of the traditional currency banking methods, E-Wallets generally offer the fastest turn around times for withdrawals. Assuming that a casino authorises the transaction straight away, funds can reflect your e-wallet in under an hour. The most popular forms of e-wallets used at online casinos are Neteller, Skrill, and PayPal.
• Bank Transfer: This is a casino provider favourite, due to the security involved for both the ‘house’ and the player. Unfortunately, bank wire transfers and EFT’s can take a few days to clear.

“PayPal Pass-over: PayPal is not a casino vendor, nor player favourite, because of all the red tape that is involved when trying to clear gambling funds. Neteller and Skrill are suitable replacements and are industry favourites.”

THE ESSENCE OF ENTERTAINMENT – GAMES AND SOFTWARE

There is a misconception that all casinos carry the same games. The truth is, various casinos in various jurisdictions use different software providers to stock their galleries. This stands to reason that some casinos will specialise in certain games over others.

When reviewing casinos, it is always good to mention what games are up for grabs at the operator and which software is most notable. Some of the more reputable gaming software providers for online casinos are:

• NetEnt
• Microgaming (Quickfire)
• Playtech Gaming
• Scientific Gaming
• IGT
• RTG

Prominent questions to ask are:

• Does the casino offer a good variety of table games? These would include games like blackjack, poker, casino hold’em, baccarat, roulette and craps.
• Does the casino have a good array of slot games? This type of game is the most popular form of igaming entertainment and includes categories like 3D slots, classic slots, fruit slots, progressive slots, Vegas slots, and more.
• Does the Casino offer the less popular Keno and Bingo game software?
• Does the casino offer Live Dealer Games? Live dealer games include some of the more popular table games, but the difference is that the games are hosted by real live dealers via interactive live stream. These types of games are only offered at more exclusive casino operators.
• Does the casino offer Virtual Reality Gaming? This is a new technology for igaming, involving a form of escapism that allows the player to virtually enter the gaming world and play within the confines of a virtual casino with the help of interactive tools, such as VR goggles, earphones, and other controllers.
• Does the online casino have good mobile software? Here, the same questions and criteria used to review an online site can be levelled against the mobile site.

“Grandpas of the Industry: Microgaming is the oldest online software provider, having also founded the very first online casino, back in 1998. Their newer ‘Quickfire’ software platform has opened the door for other games developers to ‘hop on the bandwagon’ and offer top class gaming quality in many of the popular gaming genres.”

AREAS OF INFLUENCE: Jurisdictional Criteria

Various jurisdictions around the world offer licensing to casino operators to allow them to trade legally in various areas of the world. This offers a sense of security to players as these gaming commissions are in place to regulate fair gambling. The more reputable gaming authorities include:

• Gibraltar Betting and Gambling Commission
• UK Gambling Commission
• Malta Gaming Authority

The less reputable commissions include:

• Curacao eGaming Commission
• Costs Rican Commission

Though regulations may be strict in certain areas, it doesn’t mean that some of the casinos may not be questionable to some degree, and although some commissions are dubious, it does not mean that casinos within the jurisdiction are not reputable. This therefore emphasises the need for good reviews that balance the scales, because players need to learn that they cannot paint all casinos with identical licenses, with the same brush.

CUSTOMER IS KING!

All reputable casinos have efficient resolution procedures in place to handle queries and complaints. The level of service differs vastly amidst the online gambling world. Although, UK casinos have got the best reputations for customer liaisons and follow ups, a good review will test their resolve. Casino reviews will often keep casinos on their toes, as bad press is the last thing that operators can afford, especially in such a competitive market.

OUR INVITATION

We invite you to join our community of reviewers on our site. We openly afford you the chance to be heard. So, share with us about your personal experiences with casinos in our list of online operators, right away, and help your fellow gamers towards a great online gambling experience.

Every single casino review covers the most important aspects, making sure our players can proceed knowing everything they need to know. Of course, to even make to our review section, a casino has to be of the highest quality, but there are fine points that make a certain site a better choice for some players and another one for some other players.

 Community Rated Casinos

The casino ratings at GamblersPick are very much dependent on the ratings of our community's users; the star system relies on the feedback given by seasoned and new gamblers alike who have tried out the casinos listed on our site. For further impressions, listed casinos have a user review section where players share their personal experiences with the casino.

 Welcome Bonuses - a Focal Point

One of the vital parts of our casino reviews is the welcome bonus, and for a good reason. A welcome bonus speaks heaps about an online casino, as it is one of the best indicators how much they care about their players. It is not the sheer amount of the bonus, either, but also what kind of conditions are attached to it.

 Withdrawals - Speed is Key

The speed of withdrawals and the customer support are another important segment we always examine in our casino reviews. There is nothing worse than having to wait for the money you won fair and square without a good reason. And, if there is anything worse, that’s being kept completely in the dark about it and getting a runaround from the customer support.

 Games - The More The Merrier, But not Always

Other than this, every solid casino review needs to tell players about what they can expect in terms of available games. Although it is often said that all online casinos are basically the same, this is far from being true. Different casinos offer games various game suppliers. Some of them have live dealer tables – others don’t. Some casinos are better for video poker and table games – others are more geared towards slots.

All of these and many other vital aspects of online gambling are covered in all of our casino reviews. While there is no substitute for trying things for yourself, having all the relevant information at your disposal before you spend time registering and deposit any money can be quite advantageous.

 Make Your Say

If you've tried any of the casinos listed on GamblersPick and have an opinion to share, the community would love to hear it. Help everyone out and leave your review and rating.