The dramatic shift to online gambling in the post-COVID world gave birth to gazillions of ‘new and promising’ platforms and at the same time has become an insurmountable challenge even for gambling aficionados, let alone aspiring players, who are no longer capable of separating the wheat from the chaff.

Indeed, the ever-changing online gambling landscape is hard to keep up with, but the good news is that it’s still possible to distinguish between credible and untrustworthy online casinos by doing simple research on the licenses, casino online ranking, and wagering requirements. But before we elaborate on that, let’s just mention that you can only play at an online casino if online gambling is legal in your country; if it’s not, all your further efforts on assessing the credibility of your casino would be in vain.

Licenses: the More, the Better

The more licenses the casino has, the better, as clearing the requirement of different jurisdictions is harder than fitting just one, but at least one strong license is an absolute must. The strength of this or that license is subjective, but there are nevertheless several licensers believed to be on the top of the game: the UK Gambling Commission, the Malta Gaming Authority, the Curaçao Gaming Control Board, and the Kahnawake Gaming Commission.

At best, licenses guarantee honesty and transparency of your casino – for example, here’s what one of the chapters on the UK Gambling Commission’s website says; in reality, they cut off the most untrustworthy, lazy businesses that want to make a quick buck without bothering to legalize what they’re doing. To check if your casino is licensed – as well as for tons of other suggestive info – visit its ‘Terms & Conditions’ section.

Feedback: the Voice of Fellow Gamblers

The flip side of licenses is feedback, as it’s the voice of the gamblers of different levels and preferences who have had a real first-hand experience with the casino. As raw as it could be, feedback might tell you lots of unpleasant truths, putting the casino in a different light than you’ve expected when you saw its license(s).

However, in the era of internet marketing, it’s important to distinguish between real human feedback and automated one – which you can do by applying common sense to what you read. Ignore ungrounded, short, overemotional replies in favor of long, all-encompassing reviews left by long-term profiles. Do not pay attention to reviews on affiliate sites as those might not be objective.

Wagering Requirements: Your Bonus Cash Might be Farther Away than You Think

There’s no such thing as a free lunch, but some casinos try to claim the opposite, offering you heaps of cash for topping up your account with real money. But what these sneaky venues hide is that you must complete the so-called wagering requirements – which usually boils down to wagering a predefined amount of money on casino games – before you can withdraw your bonus.

For example, to understand if the‘100% up to $300; 50x wagering applies’ bonus would be worth it, you would have to analyze the following:

  • Whether a 100% bonus capped to $300 is what you want.
  • Whether the 50x wagering applies to the bonus money only or BOTH the bonus money and the deposit.
  • Whether any other limitations apply (geographical, banking, games eligible for wagering, etc.)

Only after you’ve thoroughly analyzed the wagering requirements, including the fine print that still takes place with some casinos, you can take action. Leave ‘Veni, vidi, vici’ for other areas of your life.

Is It THAT Simple?

Now that you know the cornerstones of a trustworthy gambling platform – credible licenses, positive feedback, and decent wagering requirements – you might think that spotting a decent one is not hard at all. While there’s some truth to it, the one crucial ingredient would still be missing: the first-hand experience with the casino. And since it cannot be replaced with anything else, the only logical move would be to give your potential gambling destination a try. Luckily, most casinos will allow you to play for free after the registration, which will likely help you to understand whether the particular casino resonates with you.