How we rate online casinos

Every casino in our database is scored with the same formula. The formula is public so that you can check any score yourself and see where a casino gained or lost points. Commercial relationships never change a score; they can only change the position of a casino in a list, and paid positions are always labelled “Ad”.

The score at a glance

Criterion	Weight	What we check
Licence and safety	30%	Regulator, licence number and holder verified in the official register; strength of the regulator; complaint and dispute routes; regulatory sanctions.
Fairness of terms	20%	General terms, bonus terms, wagering, maximum bet and cashout rules, dormant account fees, clauses that allow winnings to be voided.
Payments and withdrawals	20%	Processing times, withdrawal limits, fees, number and type of payment methods, identity check procedure.
Games	10%	Number and quality of licensed providers, live casino, published RTP information.
Support	10%	Channels, opening hours, languages, quality of written answers to our test questions.
Player protection	10%	Deposit, loss and session limits, reality checks, cooling-off and self-exclusion, links to help organisations.

Each criterion receives a sub-score from 0 to 10. The overall score is the weighted average, rounded to one decimal. A casino without a licence we can verify does not receive a score; it goes on the blacklist instead.

Sub-scores in detail

Licence and safety (30%)

We start at the regulator’s public register, never at the seal in the casino footer. We record the licence number, the licence holder and the domains covered, and the date of the check. National regulators with enforced player protection and an independent dispute procedure score higher than light-touch offshore licences. Recent fines or licence suspensions reduce the sub-score.

Fairness of terms (20%)

We read the general terms and the bonus terms in full. Points are deducted for wagering above 35 times, low maximum cashout caps on deposit bonuses, maximum bet rules that are hard to follow, vague clauses that let the casino void winnings at its discretion, and fees on inactive accounts.

Payments and withdrawals (20%)

We record the processing time stated in the terms and, where we tested the casino ourselves, the time we measured. Every time on our pages shows its source. Withdrawal fees, low monthly withdrawal limits and slow identity checks reduce the sub-score.

Games, support and player protection (30% together)

We list the providers a casino discloses and check whether RTP information is available in the games. Support is assessed with written questions about withdrawals and account closure. For player protection we check which limits a player can set without contacting support and how quickly self-exclusion takes effect.

How the sub-scores are calculated

Sub-scores are derived from the data recorded for each casino, so two casinos with the same data always get the same score:

Sub-score	Rule
Licence	Strongest licence held: tier 1 regulator 9, tier 2 regulator 7, tier 3 regulator 5; plus 0.5 when the licence was found in the official register. Regulator tiers are shown on each licence page.
Terms	Bonus wagering up to 10x: 9; up to 25x: 8; up to 35x: 6.5; up to 45x: 5; above 45x: 3.5; no bonus: 7. Minus 1 for a cashout cap on a deposit bonus.
Payments	Stated withdrawal processing time up to 24 hours: 9; up to 3 days: 7; up to 5 days: 5.5; slower: 4; not stated: 5. Plus 0.5 for eight or more payment methods and 0.5 for cryptocurrency support.
Games	Disclosed providers: 40 or more 9.5; 20 or more 8.5; 10 or more 7; fewer 5.5; not disclosed 5. Plus 0.5 for a live casino.
Support	Live chat around the clock 9; live chat with limited hours 8; e-mail only 5.5; unclear 5.
Player protection	Number of tools a player can use: deposit limit, loss limit, session limit, reality check, cooling-off, self-exclusion. Six tools 10, five 9, four 8, three 6.5, two 5, one 4, none found 3.

Three kinds of experience, never mixed

• Review: desk research from the licence register, the casino terms, the game and payment pages and public complaints. This is the standard for every casino.
• Tested: we opened an account, deposited, played, withdrew and contacted support. Only then do we show the label “Tested”, the test date and the measured withdrawal time, with the evidence kept in our test log.
• Player experience: reports from players, submitted through a moderated form with e-mail confirmation. They are published separately and are not part of the score.

Updates and corrections

Every review shows the date of the last check. We re-check licences and key terms regularly and immediately when a regulator announces sanctions. If you find an error, write to info@media-echo.de; corrections are made promptly and noted on the page.