No Demo Accounts, No Shortcuts
We register as regular players, deposit real money, and test everything a normal UK player would experience. No casino-provided "test accounts," no special treatment, no affiliate bias affecting our ratings.
Our Testing Process
Every casino we review goes through a 3-week minimum testing period. Here's exactly what we do:
Week 1: Registration & Verification
Create account, verify email, upload ID documents (passport or driving license + proof of address). We time how long verification takes and test support responsiveness during this process.
Week 1-2: Deposits & Bonus Testing
Make initial deposit (£50-£200), claim welcome bonus, test wagering requirements. Track every spin, document bonus terms compliance, and monitor how the casino handles active bonuses.
Week 2: Gameplay Testing
Play 15-20 different slots (1,000+ total spins), test 3-5 live casino tables, document RTPs, hit frequencies, and any suspicious patterns. Test on desktop and mobile.
Week 2-3: Withdrawal Testing
Request withdrawals via multiple payment methods (PayPal, debit card, bank transfer). Time how long each takes from request to funds received. Test if they honor advertised processing times.
Week 3: Support & Final Tests
Contact live chat, email, and phone support (if available) with real questions. Test response times at different hours. Make additional deposits to test ongoing promotions.
Deposit Amounts We Use
We invest real money to get real results. Here's what we typically deposit during testing:
Initial Test: £50-£100
First deposit to claim welcome bonus and test the registration/verification process. Allows us to test wagering requirements without excessive risk.
Additional Tests: £100-£150
Spread across 2-3 more deposits to test reload bonuses, cashback offers, and verify withdrawal processing works consistently.
Total Per Casino: £200-£300
Enough to thoroughly test all features, payment methods, and support quality. We're not high rollers, but we're realistic players.
How We Calculate Ratings
Our overall rating (out of 10) is weighted across 6 key categories. Here's the exact breakdown:
| Category | Weight | What We Test |
|---|---|---|
| Game Selection | 20% | Total game count (manually verified), provider variety, RTP transparency, game quality. We count every game in the lobby ourselves. |
| Bonuses & Promotions | 15% | Welcome bonus value, wagering requirements, max bet limits, ongoing promotions. We test if bonuses actually work as advertised. |
| Withdrawal Speed | 25% | Actual withdrawal times (not advertised times). We test PayPal, debit cards, and bank transfers with real money and timestamp everything. |
| Customer Support | 15% | Live chat response time, email response quality, phone support availability. We ask real questions and rate helpfulness. |
| Mobile Experience | 10% | Mobile site/app performance, game selection on mobile, loading speeds on 4G/5G. Tested on iPhone and Android devices. |
| Security & Licensing | 15% | UKGC license verification (we check the official register), Trustpilot score, complaint history, SSL security, responsible gambling tools. |
Scoring Breakdown
- 9.0-10.0: Exceptional. Best-in-class across all categories. Very rare.
- 8.0-8.9: Excellent. Minor flaws but highly recommended.
- 7.0-7.9: Good. Solid choice with some room for improvement.
- 6.0-6.9: Average. Meets basic standards but nothing special.
- Below 6.0: Poor. Significant issues we'd recommend avoiding.
Spinsino Specific Testing Results
For our Spinsino review (7.8/10), here's exactly what we tested:
💰 Total Deposited
£200 across 4 deposits over 3 weeks in December 2024 - January 2025
💳 Withdrawals Tested
3 methods: PayPal (£150), debit card (£50), bank transfer (£80)
🎰 Games Played
1,200+ spins across 15 different slots, 6 live dealer sessions
💬 Support Tests
5 live chats, 3 emails sent at different times of day
📱 Devices Used
iPhone 13, Samsung S23, MacBook Pro, Windows 11 PC
⏱️ Testing Duration
3 weeks of active testing plus 2 weeks monitoring for updates
Verification Process Details
We document every step of the verification process because it's where many casinos fail players:
Documents We Upload
- Photo ID: UK passport or driving license (both sides)
- Proof of Address: Utility bill or bank statement from last 3 months
- Payment Method: Screenshot of PayPal account or photo of debit card (last 4 digits only)
What We Measure
- Upload Process: Is it clear what's needed? Can you upload from mobile?
- Response Time: How long until approval? (Spinsino took 4 hours)
- Communication: Do they email you when documents are approved/rejected?
- Rejection Handling: If documents are rejected, is the reason clear?
RTP & Game Testing
We don't just play a few spins and call it a day. Here's our rigorous game testing protocol:
Slot Testing (Per Game)
- Minimum Spins: 100 spins at £1 per spin (£100 wagered per slot)
- What We Track: Hit frequency, feature trigger rate, max win, base game RTP
- RTP Verification: We check published RTP vs. actual results over 1,000+ spins
- Volatility Check: Document dead spin streaks, win patterns, variance
Live Casino Testing
- Tables Tested: Live blackjack, live roulette (European), live baccarat
- Stream Quality: HD testing on 4G and WiFi, lag/buffering issues
- Dealer Interaction: Chat functionality, dealer responsiveness
- Bet Limits: Minimum and maximum stakes on each table
Why 1,000+ Spins?
Short sessions (under 100 spins) are too volatile to judge a slot's real performance. We play enough to get past variance and see if the RTP matches what's advertised. At Spinsino, our tracked RTP over 1,200 spins matched published figures within 2-3%, which is normal variance.
Withdrawal Testing Protocol
This is where we see casinos' true colors. We test every withdrawal method available to UK players:
Our Testing Process
- Request withdrawal immediately after wagering is complete
- Screenshot the request time and pending status
- Check account status every 4 hours during UK business hours
- Note when status changes from "pending" to "processing" to "approved"
- Check bank/PayPal account every 2 hours until funds arrive
- Calculate total time from request to funds received
Spinsino Withdrawal Results
- PayPal: Requested 11:30am Friday, received 11:45pm Friday = 12h 15min
- Debit Card: Requested 2:15pm Monday, received 8:20am Tuesday = 18h 05min
- Bank Transfer: Requested 10:00am Wednesday, received 10:15pm Thursday = 36h 15min
Support Quality Assessment
We don't ask "Do you have bonuses?" We ask real questions that actual players need answered:
Questions We Ask
- "My withdrawal is pending for 24 hours, when will it be processed?"
- "Can I play live blackjack with bonus funds? How much does it contribute?"
- "I accidentally bet £6 during wagering, will my bonus be voided?"
- "How do I opt-in to the Friday reload bonus?"
- "Can I set a daily deposit limit?"
What We Measure
- Response Time: From opening chat to first agent response
- Resolution Quality: Did they actually answer the question?
- Agent Knowledge: Did they know the answer or need to escalate?
- Follow-up: Did they check if the issue was resolved?
Why Our Reviews Are Different
Most casino review sites are glorified affiliate link farms. Here's how we're different:
✓ Real Money Testing
We deposit £200-£300 per casino. Others use demo accounts or "test" accounts provided by casinos.
✓ Verified Data
We screenshot everything: withdrawal times, game counts, bonus terms. No guessing, no copying from casino websites.
✓ UK-Specific
We test payment methods UK players use (PayPal, debit cards). We verify UKGC licenses. We test during UK hours.
✓ Independent Ratings
Affiliate commission doesn't affect our scores. Spinsino scored 7.8/10 – not perfect, because it isn't.
✓ Updated Regularly
We re-test casinos every 1-2 months. When Spinsino lowered wagering from x40 to x35, we updated within 48 hours.
✓ Transparent Process
This page explains everything we do. No secrets, no hidden criteria. If we test it, we document it.
How to Use Our Reviews
Our ratings are comprehensive, but you might prioritize different things:
- If speed matters most: Focus on our withdrawal speed ratings (we test real times, not advertised)
- If you want variety: Check game selection scores and our manually verified game counts
- If you're bonus-focused: Read our bonus breakdowns – we test every term and condition
- If support is critical: Check our support scores and actual response time data
Questions About Our Methodology?
We're happy to share more details about our testing process. Contact us if you have specific questions about how we tested something or want clarification on our ratings.