The Inside Scoop: How Pokerfuse Rates Online Casinos
Learn about how pokerfuse rates online casinos, providing comprehensive reviews for US players, covering licensing, bonuses, loyalty programs, and more.
Last updated: July 05, 2023
Gambling is all about putting something of value on the line, and when it comes to where the roulette ball will stop or how slots will turn out, you have very little influence over the results. However, you have full control over what online casino you will play at, and choosing a site that’s just right for you is of the utmost importance.
Since there are so many casinos available to US players, it would take a lot of time (and money) to try them all on your own. So, like many players, you rely on the knowledge and expertise of pokerfuse to guide you to the best online casinos in the US.
It is nice to have this information to shorten your search and allow you to move to the fun part quicker. But even better is knowing that these casino apps have been thoroughly vetted and are safe, secure, rewarding, and fun to play at.
Please keep reading to learn everything there is to know about how we come up with our ratings and the process we go through when reviewing casinos.
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Licensing, Safety, and General Considerations
Here at pokerfuse, we only deal with fully licensed and regulated online casinos, so we first look into the licensing. The licensing information is readily available on every casino site, or at least on those that care about their reputation.
If we have any doubts, we will cross-reference that information with what is available on the actual regulator’s site to try and confirm the license is authentic and valid.
After this initial step, we will usually do some digging to see what level of safety and security the operator can offer. In today’s environment, online casinos must utilize the latest encryption protocols that safeguard your sensitive information, ensuring it never gets into the wrong hands.
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Assessing Generosity — Bonuses & Promotions
Provided we are satisfied the operator is safe, legal, and licensed, we move on to the next step of our casino review process, looking into what the site offers regarding bonuses and promotions.
A lot happens during this step, as we do not just look at advertised numbers and assess based on the number of zeroes on the screen. Our expert team digs below the surface to find the actual value of any and all bonuses.
We pay special attention to the casinos’ welcome bonuses, usually the biggest and most generous offers new players can claim. When rating a welcome bonus, we look into things such as:
- The minimum required deposit
- The maximum value of the bonus
- Wagering requirements (how many times you must wager the bonus amount before it becomes withdrawable cash)
- Gaming restrictions (allowed games, maximum stake)
- Withdrawal rules and requirements
All of these aspects have a vital role in determining the actual value of the bonus, and, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, the maximum dollar amount you can get is often not near the top of the list. A bonus with a maximum of $250 can sometimes be much more valuable than the one with a $1000 max.
Welcome bonuses are just for new players, but we also look into casino promos available to existing customers. The frequency of the promos and the average value of these help us define how good of an experience you can get for your money and how much an online casino cares about keeping their players happy.
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- BetRivers Has the Best Online Casino Deposit Bonus in the US
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Rating the Loyalty Program
Tying right into the promotions is the casino’s VIP or loyalty rewards program. Unlike promotions, which do not last too long and change frequently, most loyalty programs are set in place for a long time and designed to reward players for spending their time (and money) playing with the casino.
The motivation for these is quite transparent — an online casino would rather have you come back to their site instead of going over to the competition.
Assessing the quality of a VIP program takes some time and digging, and we are happy to do this for you. The only way to know is to first go through all the rules and explanations on the site and then spend some time playing and seeing the loyalty program in action.
A part of it will always remain subjective as different players look for different things — particularly in terms of the perks and prizes —. Still, we try our best to look at these different reward schemes from every angle and develop a fair rating that considers all these various aspects.
Learn More:
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Variety Is Spice of Life — Games on Offer
When it comes to picking games to play, tastes differ widely. Different players are after different things; some like classic slots, others want to chase jackpots, some want to play live roulette, and the list goes on and on.
Given that all licensed US casinos only work with top-tier game suppliers, we mainly look at the platform’s number and variety of games. The general rule of thumb here is that more is better.
This is not to say that some casinos with smaller gaming libraries are not a great pick. You do not have to worry too much about this aspect if they have the games you like and want to play.
However, suppose our casino rating for this category is lower. In that case, the selection may not be as versatile as what you might find with other casinos, so it is better to check first to see if their gaming library meets your expectations.
Money Talks — Banking Options & Withdrawals
The ability to easily fund your casino account using a safe and convenient method is just as important (and perhaps even more critical) as the other aspects discussed in this guide.
There are a few differences regarding available payment options at US casinos, but some exist. Some of them accept a more comprehensive range of credit cards than others. A few sites accept Skrill, and some of them allow you to use PayPal or Apple Pay, etc.
These are entirely safe methods, so there is nothing to worry about from that perspective. However, we give higher ratings to those casinos offering those extra few options, as they make it much more convenient for the players to enjoy their gaming.
Another essential thing in this category is the withdrawal process. The most significant factor here is how long it takes for the money to reach the player once they request to be paid. However, we also look at other aspects and rules connected to withdrawals.
The more straightforward the process and the shorter the time it takes to get paid, the higher the rating we give. Players must get paid promptly and with as little hassle as possible.
Learn More:
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- How to Deposit and Withdraw at Online Casinos in the US
Software & Mobile App
While testing all the other aspects, we can extensively use both the desktop platform and the app/mobile site. This allows us to get an excellent feel for the overall gaming experience and navigation and notice any problems or glitches in the system.
We also test any special features included in the software/app to see how this help improve the time spent gaming and if any of them make the operator stand out from the rest.
Given our team’s extensive experience with a wide range of casino operators, we know what things to pay special attention to and how to test different things to get actionable info that we can use in our rating process.
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Summary
This guide gives you an extensive overview of how we rate online casinos, what aspects we look at during the review process, and how it all comes together.
Hopefully, this knowledge will help further boost your trust in our extensive casino reviews. There is a lot of detailed work behind the scenes, all with one goal — to recommend the best, safest, and most generous online casinos out there!
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