How I Create Online Casino Reviews

Reliability is the first thing I check when writing a casino review as 

a) I don’t want to lose my money; 

b) I don’t want you to lose your money. 

If you make bets in an unsafe casino, it can lead to frauds, data leaks, or just poor gambling experience — and that’s not what we come here for, don’t we? So, this is what I check to make sure the casino is safe: 

• The license. The casino should have a valid license issued by MGA or Curaçao eGaming. Not all the UKGC-licensed casinos are available in New Zealand, but that would be the best choice. When composing a review, I do thorough research and not just look for the licensing body logo on the casino’s website but also make sure that the license is real. 
• Testing certificates. eCOGRA, iTech Labs, GLI, Technical System Testing — everything would work. The lack of such certificates is not always the sign that something is wrong with the casino, but I still prefer the websites that can prove their fairness with such a document. 
• Reputation. You can fake the docs, but you can’t fake the reputation. I always try to do a little background check of the casino owners and see which casinos they owned before and how well they were at it. Reviews from other players can also be helpful in this case. 

The next step for me is to try to make a deposit and see how it goes. In my reviews, you’ll find the list of all the payment methods available for players from New Zealand so that you can save your time and don’t sign up to a casino that has nothing to offer you. If my gaming session was successful (and it usually is), I will also try to withdraw my winning as this is when most of the problems can occur. 

Bad online casinos are nice and helpful when they want you to deposit the money, but they can turn your life into a nightmare once you decide to withdraw the winnings. Overly-thorough KYC procedure, unreasonable pending time, slow payments — this is not even the full list of what can happen to a player in a shady casino, and if something of these happens to me, I’ll clearly describe it in the review. 

You need to play something to win, so our next stop on a review-writing journey is the list of the games. 

Game choice 

When it comes to the casino games, the rule is simple: the more — the better. Providing all the games are fair and licensed, of course. In my reviews, I’ll try to give you the clear numbers: how many games there are in a casino, how many of them are pokies/table games/other gambling products. I’ll also devote a separate passage to the live dealer games as I’m a big fan of them and think that it’s tasteless for a modern casino not to have a good choice of them. 

Providers

I not only pay attention to the games themselves, but also to those who make them. While small independent game developers can sometimes create amazing products, I prefer online casinos that serve the games made by internationally-renowned brands. First of all, it guarantees me the highest quality of games, and, secondly, it guarantees me the 100% fairness of the casino as Microgaming or Evolution Gaming would never let their products be used by scammers. 

Bonuses! This is when a casino can stand out from the crowd and offer you something that you just can’t refuse. But are those bonuses really worth claiming? That’s what I investigate in my casino reviews. 

Welcome pack 

As a new player, you’ll be welcomed by a casino with a special gift. While it varies from one casino to another, the basic set consists of a deposit match (100%/200%/300%, depending on how generous a casino is) and a pack of free spins. The first wish is always to hit the “claim the bonus” button, but before doing it, I always check the bonus terms and describe them in my review. Here is what I pay attention to: 

• Wagering requirements;
• Max bet/withdrawal limits;
• How long the bonus is valid. 

If I don’t like at least one of these points — I won’t claim the bonus and will honestly tell you about it. 

Other promotions

Even if I don’t like the welcome bonus and decide not to claim it, I still look through the Promotions page and if there is something worthy of your time, I’ll add it to my review. It can be: 

• A VIP/loyalty program; 
• No-deposit bonuses; 
• Cashbacks, etc. 

As a rule, I do all the testing using my iPhone as it allows me to check how good the mobile version is while comfortably chilling on my bed. Of course, I also check the desktop version to look for any differences, but most of the job is done on mobile. That’s why a special section of my casino reviews is devoted to the casino’s mobile compatibility and covers the following aspects: 

• Does the casino provide a secure connection? 
• Does everything work fast and smooth? 
• Is the casino easy to navigate on a smaller screen? 
• Are there any crashes or freezes?
• Are all the features and games available in a mobile version? 

I always end my casino testing with a small chat — with customer support, of course. Even when I don’t have any issues with the casino, I’ll try to ask them a simple question about the casino’s withdrawal limits, bonus terms or something like that just to see how fast and helpful they are going to be. 

When reviewing this part, I’ll let you know which means of communication are available in a casino (phone, live chat, email), how fast the questions are answered, and how helpful the customer support members are.