At GLMShows, we know that the online casino you choose can make or break your gambling journey. For this reason, we accord uttermost importance to our review process, carefully selecting the best casinos that offer a balance of safety and entertainment. Factors such as licensing, software, and bonuses guide our testing process. In this guide, we will tell you about our review process and how we make unbiased choices.
Our Key Criteria for Rating Online Casinos
Our review process constitutes two significant steps. The first consists of judging casinos according to some key criteria outlined in the sections below.
Licensing and Security
We recommend only safe online casinos by considering casinos with valid licences from reputable regulatory authorities. Some are the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC), the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), and the Curacao Gaming Control Board.
In terms of security, we ensure the casino has a valid certificate of security with SSL encryption technology of at least 128-bit. This ensures that all data transmissions from the casino to the player, and vice-versa, are not at risk of getting stolen.
Next, we check the casino’s commitment to fair gaming. Most platforms have audit certifications from third parties like eCOGRA, iTechLabs, and Quinel. However, the presence of licensed providers often indicates the casino’s dedication to fair gaming.
Game Selection and Software Providers
A casino’s game selection is another criteria that influences our choice. It is always great to see platforms with thousands of options, but it goes deeper than that. Our focus centres on the variety of the selection: whether the casino offers other games apart from slots, if there are live dealer games, and if specialty games are available.
In addition to diversity, the quality of the casino game selection is essential to us. We need to know if the games offer extra features like bonus rounds and if they are compatible with mobile devices. The presence of industry-leading providers such as NetEnt, Microgaming (now Apricot), Playtech, and Evolution Gaming almost always indicates quality.
Bonuses and Promotions
Although casino bonuses and promotions are always optional to claim, we believe that they potentially add value to your gambling journey. Generally, we look for welcome bonuses, free spins offers, cashbacks, no-deposit bonuses, and VIP or loyalty programs. This ensures that you have something to look forward to even after you sign up.
One thing we never forget to do is check the terms and conditions to make sure they are fair. The wagering requirements must be industry standard (between 1x and 40x). We ensure these requirements can be completed comfortably within the expiration date. Also, we check the games eligible for the promotion and how they contribute to the overall wagering.
Payment Methods and Payout Speed
The best payout casinos must offer a nice range of secure payment methods to pass our review process. Some include VISA, MasterCard, bank transfers, Skrill, Neteller, and cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Litecoin. The minimum deposit and withdrawal amounts are important to us, as we need to make sure that players with all sorts of budgets can play comfortably.
Our rigorous checks extend themselves to the speed of transactions. Generally, deposits are instant. So, we prioritise casinos with fast payouts and no/low fees.
Customer Support and User Experience
Unfortunately, there is no perfect casino, so we only recommend casinos with responsive customer support teams. With New Zealand’s different time zones, we prioritise casinos with 24/7 access to customer support. In addition, we consider the casino’s support channels (email, live chat, phone), accessibility, and response times.
As avid players, how you experience the casino site matters to us. Since many players gamble from mobile phones, we only recommend casinos with mobile compatible sites or dedicated mobile apps.
Fair Play, RTP and Responsible Gambling
A casino’s Return to Player (RTP) percentage represents how much of a return you will get over time. The industry average is 96%, so we do not recommend casinos with RTP rates below that. Independent auditors like QUINEL and eCOGRA determine these rates. These auditors also ensure that the random number generator (RNG) algorithms work correctly, providing players with fair games and unpredictable outcomes.
Finally, we ensure casinos have robust responsible gambling policies, allowing players to set limits and take breaks.
Our Testing Process - Step by Step
After we review casinos, we try them out to give you firsthand information. Find our step-by-step process below.
Account Registration and Verification
The first step is to create an account. We judge this based on how quick the sign-up process is and if it includes too many steps. After creating an account, we complete the KYC checks. We prefer casinos with smooth KYC checks that take not up to three business days. If the checks take longer, we expect a responsive customer support team to follow up.
Deposits, Gameplay and Withdrawals
After signing up, we choose a payment method and make a deposit. We judge this process based on how quickly the funds appear in our account. We also prefer to recommend NZD casinos to save the hassle of currency conversions. The next step is to start playing. Generally, we prefer casinos that let us first try out games in demo mode. If this mode is unavailable, we play for real money, testing the functionalities and ensuring there are no glitches. If we are lucky enough to win, we initiate a withdrawal. We prefer casinos that process withdrawals in no more than 48 hours.
Customer Service and Player Support Testing
Whether we run into issues or not, we contact the customer support team through all channels. This ensures that the response and availability times match whatever is on their page. In addition, we compare the agents’ answers to our own experience to determine the accuracy of these answers.
Why You Can Trust Our Casino Review and Ratings
Every expert at GLMShows is an avid player. We have years of combined experience playing and reviewing online casinos that match our high standards.
Also, our rating process is foolproof, evident in the unbiased nature of our casino guides and reviews.
Finally, we are an independent casino review site. So, the reviews on our website are not backed by paid promotions.
Further Recommendations
Before you start playing at any casino, even the ones we recommend, always make sure to use your own judgement to ensure it's the right site for you, whether that may be a new casino or a big-name classic. Finally, always gamble responsibly and use the dedicated tools at a casino's site at your disposal.
