How We Rank Using Our B.E.S.T Rating System

The internet has a seemingly endless supply of online casinos and sportsbooks. So how do you choose which one (or two or three…) you want to join? There are dozens of factors to consider, and keeping track of which sites have the features you may be looking for is complicated. That is why many people look for recommendations from review sites or rankings of sites known for specific features.

Those kinds of recommendations, rankings, and reviews are exactly what we do here at GamblingSites.com. But we certainly aren’t the only company doing it. There are many similar sites online that rank and review gambling sites, typically giving each site a score out of five stars. Have you ever wondered how they know how many stars to give each site? As far as we can tell, those star ratings are completely arbitrary and subjective. In some cases, we are pretty sure they give the highest stars to the sites that pay the most.

We want our online casino reviews to be genuinely helpful. Instead of giving you an arbitrary score, we want to give you the concrete information you need to determine which sites will be the best options for you. That is why we created our GamblingSites.com B.E.S.T rating system.

This system rates gambling sites based on all of the most important factors you need to consider: Bonuses, Entertainment, Safety, and Transactions. We use specific criteria to rate gambling sites in each of these categories so you can easily compare the most important details side-by-side.

We are dedicated to providing you with the most accurate and complete information available and acting as the most comprehensive online resource for gambling information. So let’s explore more about how you can use the B.E.S.T. rating system to compare gambling sites for yourself.

Our casino and sportsbook rating system has been created to make sure that we are recommending sites that are worry-free! We believe in transparency, both in the casinos we are looking at and when we write our reviews, to ensure that you have the most honest and up-to-date analysis.

The purpose of our ranking process is to ensure that we go through each and every aspect of gambling sites. We evaluate each site based on a 100-point system with four main categories: bonuses, entertainment, safety and transactions. Each category has specific criteria we are looking for, and we award a certain number of points for each. Here is more information about what we are looking for.

Bonuses are an incredibly important aspect of online gambling sites because they are often the deciding factor for attracting new players. If you are comparing two sites with similar casino games, you will most likely choose the one that offers a higher bonus. So, bonuses are the first part of our ranking and review process.

The first factor we consider is the match percentage for the welcome bonus. The site will receive five points if the welcome bonus offers to match your deposit at 200% or more. Sites that offer between 75% and 199% will receive three points, while sites that offer less than 75% will only receive 1 point.

After that, we consider the rollover requirement. Rollover requirements are drastically different for casino and sports bonuses, so we rank them separately. If the site has a sports bonus and a casino bonus, it can earn ten points for the casino bonus and ten points for the sports bonus. But if the site only offers a casino bonus, we will double the score for a total of twenty points. That way, the site does not lose points overall if they do not have sports betting.

The number of points a site earns for the rollover requirement depends on the multiplier the site uses to calculate the requirement. Basically, the lower the multiplier, the more points they will earn (up to ten points). But it also depends on whether the wagering requirement applies only to the bonus funds or both the deposit and bonus funds. We have different point scales for each scenario so that the score accurately reflects how reasonable the rollover requirements are.

The last thing we look for is how many additional bonus offers are available for existing customers. Often, sites will have great welcome bonuses but do not necessarily include additional offers once they have convinced you to sign up for their site. If they have a variety of additional bonuses, the site can earn up to five extra points.

So, the bonuses part of our B.E.S.T. rating system has a total of 20 possible points. We rate bonuses highly, 1/5 overall because these offers benefit players, and we want you to get the most out of your experience.

Gambling is meant to be fun, and there is no point in joining a gambling site if it doesn’t offer much entertainment value. So, this section of our gambling site rankings process focuses on the gambling features that each site offers.

If the site has both a casino and sports betting platform, then each section can earn up to 10 points. If the site is casino only, then the casino score is doubled. Either way, the entertainment category accounts for 1/5 of the overall score, with a total of twenty points possible.

If the site has a sportsbook, there are four specific criteria we look for. Overall, we are looking for exciting betting features, reasonable betting limits, a variety of betting markets available, and advantage betting options.

The sports betting features are the most important criteria for sportsbooks. They can earn up to seven points for having the features we are looking for, which is 70% of the overall sportsbook score. We look for these betting features in particular.

These specific features are pretty common, but they are all ways the site can go above and beyond to improve your experience. For example, all betting sites will have a variety of sports to bet on, but only some of them will also offer live streaming.

We don’t expect a site to offer all of these features. Instead, each sportsbook will have a different combination of them. For example, some sites have live betting and early cashout, but they don’t have live streaming. The more features the site has, the more points they get because these features will directly enhance your overall experience.

Betting limits is the next part of our sportsbook rating system. We look for the average betting limits across several different types of wagers with different odds. Overall we are looking for whether or not a site has average limits of over $500 or less. The site will earn a point if you can bet more than $500 on most wagers.

Whether or not the site has a wide variety of sports, leagues, teams and wager types is the next criterion we look at. We want to ensure that our players can bet on a wide selection of sports and leagues from both domestic and international leagues. If the site has a good variety, there is a higher likelihood that there will be wagers that interest you. Sites can earn one point for their variety.

Lastly, we look for if the site has advantage betting. This can go one of two ways. If they use dual lines with winning bettors, they don’t receive a point because we don’t think you should be punished for winning. On the other hand, if they offer early odds or arbitrage betting options, they receive a point. This factor is important because not all sites are looking for advanced gamblers. Many sites are more interested in drawing in new bettors who may not have as much experience. We think the best sites are those that welcome bettors at all skill levels.

The combination of these criteria represents all of the different parts of a sportsbook that matter to bettors. If a site has a good score in this area, you can be sure it will have all of the sports betting options you might be looking for, along with reasonable betting limits.

Casinos can be tricky to rate because it depends on what types of casino games you are interested in. Most casinos have a fantastic slots section, but it is easy to overlook table games and other options. So, our casino rating system includes five categories: slots, table games, live casino, video poker/specialty games, and software providers. Each category is worth two points, for a total of ten points altogether. The casino score will get doubled if the site doesn’t offer sports betting.

We have created a baseline for each game category that we expect all or most sites to meet. Then, we determined how the site could go above and beyond in that area. Let’s use the table games category as an example.

Most sites offer a basic collection of table games, including blackjack, casino poker, roulette, and baccarat. They will earn one point if they have those basics covered, but the site can earn two points if they have unique variants of those games.

The process is the same for all of the other casino game categories, but the baseline is based on the type of games. For example, we expect sites to have hundreds of slots but only a handful of video poker games. So we made sure the baseline for each category was based on realistic expectations for that type of game.

We also consider the software providers that a casino uses. Some sites work with one or two software providers, while others work with several. Every software developer offers different varieties, formats and graphics to their games, so we give more points to providers that work with at least three different providers.

Privacy and security are vital in your online gaming experience. You should be able to enjoy your experience with online gambling sites without worrying about compromising your private information or your financial security. That’s why safety, security, and trust is the area that pulls the most weight on our GamblingSites.com B.E.S.T. rating system. The safety criteria account for a quarter of the site’s overall score, with 25 points possible.

First, we ensure that each site is licensed to offer online gambling services. We consider which licensing authority oversees their license so we know the kinds of licensing standards the site will be held accountable for. Each site can earn up to five points based on its license status.

The company behind the casino also says a lot about the casino’s trustworthiness. For example, does it have any sister sites? If so, we consider the reputation of those sister sites as an indicator of what to expect from the site we are reviewing. How long the company has been in operation is another factor that we consider. These factors account for nine of the possible points in this category.

Next, we get into some of the more detailed aspects of safety and security, like a valid security certificate and a reasonable privacy policy. Security certificates, also known as secure sockets layer (SSL), use encryption to hide your information so hackers can’t see it. There are different levels of encryption. Online gambling sites should have bank-level encryption because they process financial transactions.

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Internet browsers make it easy for users to find this information because a padlock will be located at the beginning of the URL. As long as the padlock icon is closed, the site’s security certificate is up to date.

Privacy policies are also essential to your security when navigating a site. These policies should explain the information they collect about you and how they will use it. It can include personal information, your IP address, and how often you access the site. Each site can earn up to 3 points for its SSL certificate and privacy policy.

The last safety and trust factor that we consider is customer support. You need to be able to contact someone to get help if you have questions or if you run into issues with the site. Safe gambling sites make that process easy, while shady sites make it impossible to get real help when you need it. Sites can earn up to eight points for their customer service.

When we evaluate the customer support options, we give the site points for how many options they have available, including telephone support, live chats, and a support email address. The number of points is also affected by the quality of support options. For example, the site will get two points if the live chat connects you with a human representative. But if the live chat uses a robotic service system, they only get one point because those are never as useful as talking to a real person.

We also test the support ourselves every time we rank one of these sites because we want to see how helpful the support team is. If the support team gives us helpful information and responds quickly, they can earn extra points for a positive support experience. But they will lose those points if they give us the run-around or take too long to respond.

We know how important your safety is, and that’s why we comb through these security measures and rate them to best protect you. That is also why this category gets more points than any other in the GamblingSites.com B.E.S.T. rating system.

The last main category in our rating system is transactions. This covers all the factors that will affect your experience with depositing and making withdrawals. The first criterion we look for is whether or not the site has a variety of online casino payment methods, such as credit cards, cryptocurrency, e-wallets, vouchers, and wire transfers. Each site can earn up to 5 points for their various banking methods.

Financial transactions can be complicated for online gambling sites, especially in the US. Unfortunately, those complications lead to the sites having processing fees, transaction limits and long processing times. So, we also consider those variables as part of our ranking and review process.

The exact fees, limits and processing times vary depending on your banking method and casino choice. They are also sometimes affected by gambling laws in different locations. So, we look for averages across several banking methods and locations. For example, we look for the average maximum deposit to be $5,000 or more, while reasonable withdrawal limits are just $2,000. Based on these averages, each site can earn up to 5 points for reasonable transaction limits.

Some sites charge transaction fees on top of the fees your bank might charge. If the site has fee-free banking, they automatically get an extra five points. For the sites that do charge banking fees, we award different numbers of points based on the following variables.

Most sites only charge fees for withdrawals, but we have reviewed some that charge fees for deposits as well. Sites that charge fees on both deposits and withdrawals get 0 points.

If the site charges fees for every withdrawal, regardless of banking method, they get three points.

In most cases, the fees depend on which type of banking method you use. For example, cryptocurrency transactions are almost always free. If the site charges fees on some withdrawals but not all of them, they get 4 points.

Payout processing times can also vary from site to site and depend on the banking method. Usually, cryptocurrencies are the fastest, whereas wire or bank transfers will take longer. We want you to be able to collect your winnings as soon as possible. So, we award 5 points to the sites that can get your money to you within 24 hours and give 3 points to the sites that can get it done in 2-5 days. The sites that take six days or more get 0 points.

Keep in mind that we are looking for average payouts in usual circumstances. For example, your first withdrawal may take longer because you have to submit verification documents. Jackpot withdrawals also typically take longer to approve. We don’t consider those special circumstances when we rank payout times.

So far, we have covered the four main categories in the B.E.S.T. ranking system, including bonuses, entertainment, safety, and transactions. Those four areas are the most important to gamblers, which is why each section is worth at least twenty points. But we don’t stop there.

We added two more categories of other factors that also affect your experience with a specific site: User Interface and Mobile Gambling. These categories are not worth as many points because they aren’t quite as impactful, but they are worth noting anyway.

When evaluating the user interface, we look for whether or not the site is easy to navigate. For example, we award points to sites with a search bar or filtering categories that make it easier to find specific casino games or betting markets. We also look for helpful resources and clear terms and conditions. The user interface category is worth up to ten points.

Lastly, we evaluate the mobile gambling experience by evaluating the mobile-compatible version of their site. You should be able to access all the same betting markets, and casino games shouldn’t lag or glitch when you use a mobile device.

The mobile experience section is only worth five points of the overall score. It is worth fewer points because the sites don’t have to work very hard to meet these criteria. With modern technology, virtually every website is mobile-compatible, and the technology automatically makes mobile sites more effective. So we don’t want to reward sites with lots of extra points for doing something that is standard practice for any online industry.

It is also worth noting that we don’t consider whether or not sites have downloadable mobile apps. Some sites do offer downloadable apps in addition to their mobile browser site. But those apps don’t offer anything you can’t get on the mobile site, so we don’t see the point in offering more points for a different version of the same thing.

Our system is broken down into a total of 100 points. Each category gets a certain number of points based on how important we think those factors are for your overall experience. Here is a breakdown of the number of points dedicated to each section.

Once we have a total number of points out of 100, we can easily convert it to a 5-star system. For example, 100 points would receive 5/5 stars, 80 points would receive 4/5 stars, 60 points would receive 3/5 stars and so forth.

But what do we do with that score once we have it? First, we use the B.E.S.T. rating system to inform our rankings and recommendations. However, it is important to note that just because a site has the highest score doesn’t necessarily mean it will be our top recommendation. We use this information to compare various online gambling sites based on different criteria, and then we determine and recommend the best options for various categories.

For example, our recommendations for casino players are different from our recommendations for sports bettors. We also change our recommendations from time to time based on changes that each site makes, new games, or seasonal factors (like which sports betting site has the best markets for the football season). Here are a few examples of our rankings for different categories.

Best Online Casinos Best Sports Betting Sites Mobile Gambling Apps Real Money Gambling Sites

Our rankings also include multiple options, so you have different options to choose from based on different preferences. For example, if you are interested in exclusive slot games, we may recommend a site that uses the software provider Real Time Gaming (RTG). Because RTG has specific and unique games, sites that offer this software provider have fewer slot machines overall and would rate lower on our rating system. But that doesn’t mean that we don’t recommend that site.

So, while our B.E.S.T rating system is one tool we use to determine a site’s overall ranking, it is only one of the factors. More importantly, we designed this rating system as a tool for you. You can use scores in each category to quickly compare sites you might be interested in and determine which site is best for you based on the factors that are most important to you.

That is why we also highlight each site’s score in a comprehensive review. You can see the site’s score at a glance at the top of the review or read through the rest of the review to learn more about the specific ways that each site earned or lost points. Check out our most popular reviews here.