Rating casinos provides a simple mechanism for players to compare online casinos without getting involved in the details. In order to ensure that the Australia Online Casinos rating system is useful, all online casinos are measured against the same set of benchmarks. This page explains to how this is done.
Many different factors determine whether or not an online casino is top rated or not. All the factors are not equally important and therefore Australia Online Casinos assigns a weight to each factor. Then each factor is rated by our experts on a fixed scale and the weighted average determined. This gives the rating for the online casino. Some important factors that are considered for the rating by Australia Online Casinos are given below.
1. Licensing jurisdiction: The most comprehensive due diligence of the online casino is undertaken by the designated authority of the licensing jurisdiction. Some jurisdictions have published detailed guidelines for the licensing and the periodic regulation and are known to enforce their writ on their licensees. Online casinos from these jurisdictions are rated highly.
2. Software provider: The software provider is the key to the quantity, quality and the spread of the games and also the administrative systems incorporated by the online casino. The software provider has the highest weight amongst the factors.
3. Independent testing: The operations of online casinos need to be audited periodically by an independent expert agency, like eCOGRA or Technical Systems Testing. The highest ratings are given to online casinos that publish the reports from these agencies on their websites.
4. Payout percentages: Payout percentage are the amounts returned to the player per unit wagered, but expressed as a percentage. A payout percent of 98% would mean that for every $100 wagered, the players on an average won back $98 and the casino retained $2. Some online casinos report the payout percentages on a monthly basis across all games. Other online casinos also report payout percentages across individual game categories like slots, table games and video poker. Online casinos that report payout percentages in greater detail receive higher ratings.
5. Banking options: There are different types of banking options available like credit cards, e-wallets and prepaid cards. Within each type there are a number of service providers. The first thing Australia Online Casinos does is checks that the banking options offered are safe. Online casinos that offer a greater diversity of banking options are given higher rating.
6. Bonuses and promotions: Bonuses and promotions have become an integral part of online casino wagering. Australia Online Casinos evaluates the bonuses on three counts, which are the attractiveness of the benefits offered, the terms and conditions attached to the bonuses and the completeness with which these terms are explained.
7. Customer support: Live chat customer support is a must and the top rated Australia Online Casinos online casinos would offer this feature.
8. Responsible gambling: Online casino wagering should primarily be a source of entertainment. Online casinos that are certified by responsible gambling agencies like GamCare, those that offer advice on how to gamble responsibly and those that offer self exclusion facilities are preferred.