How We Rate Casinos?

We review offshore casinos that accept Australians and rate each one on the same six criteria: licence and operator, payout speed, payment methods, bonus value, games and responsible gambling. Every score is based on what the casino's own terms and payments pages say, and we mark clearly when a figure comes from a third party.

Casino Owls » How We Rate Online Casinos

Written By: Dan James Facts Checked By: Charlie Morin

Contents on this page

At Casino Owls, we want you to know exactly how a casino earned its score. Every review follows the same process, and the same rules decide where a casino ranks on our lists. We never accept money from a casino for a listing or a position on a list. We make money through affiliate links, but that never changes a score.

What will you learn on this page?

How our review process works
The six criteria we score
How we rank casinos on our lists
The red flags we look for
Who reviews the casinos

Who is behind our casino reviews?

Casino Owls is run by people who have worked in online gambling for years, at casino operators, payment companies and affiliate sites. All of our content is written for Australian players.

Dan James

Senior Content Manager

Dan has worked in the online gambling industry since 2015, after seven years as a professional poker player. He leads our Australian content and checks every review against the casino’s terms before it is published. Leeds fan.

George Fletcher

Content Manager

An ex-croupier, George worked for years in land-based casinos before moving online. He writes our guides to withdrawals, bonuses and responsible gambling for Australian players, and he plays poker and tennis in his free time.

William Patel

Content Manager

William has worked in the online casino business since 2014. Originally from Auckland, he covers payment methods and withdrawal times for our Australian guides. He loves rugby and spending time with his family.

More about the people behind the site can be found on our About Us page.

1

Check that the casino accepts Australians

We check whether the casino shows AUD, whether its terms list Australia as an excluded country and whether any of its domains are on ACMA’s list of blocked gambling websites.
2

Read the terms

We read the general terms, bonus terms and payment rules: withdrawal processing times, daily and monthly limits, verification rules, fees and any clauses that let the casino hold or confiscate winnings.
3

Check the payment methods

We look at the payments page and cashier for the methods Australians can use, including PayID, cards, e-wallets, vouchers and crypto, and note which of them work for withdrawals.
4

Check the operator and licence

We look for the company behind the casino, its licence number and regulator, and whether the casino names a body you can complain to if a payout is refused.
5

Compare with other sources

When a casino’s own pages are blocked from our location or leave something out, we use third-party reports and say so in the review.
6

Score and publish

We score the casino on six criteria from 1 to 5, list its pros and cons and publish the review with its ACMA status.

Which criteria do we score?

Each review has a score table with six criteria, each rated from 1 to 5:

Criterion	What we check
Licence and operator	Whether the casino names its company and licence, how much protection the regulator offers and whether the casino is blocked by ACMA
Payout speed	Processing time in the terms, the fastest method after approval, withdrawal limits and rules that hold back payouts
Payment methods	AUD support, PayID, e-wallets, cards and crypto, and which methods work for withdrawals
Bonus value	Wagering requirements, time limits, maximum bets and caps on bonus winnings
Games	The size of the library, the studios behind it and whether major studios are available to Australians
Responsible gambling	Deposit, loss and session limits, self-exclusion and links to Australian support services

Each review ends with an overall score and a verdict on who the casino suits, and who should avoid it.

How do we rank casinos on our lists?

On pages such as our list of fast payout casinos in Australia, we rank casinos by the criterion that matters most for that page, such as payout speed or verification time. At the same score, a casino that is not blocked by ACMA comes first.

Do we review casinos that are blocked by ACMA?

Yes, but we say so clearly. Many offshore casinos that accept Australians are on ACMA’s list of blocked gambling websites. We review them because Australians search for them, and every review states the block. We do not recommend using a mirror site or a VPN to get around a block. Our guide on whether online gambling is legal in Australia explains the law.

How often do we update our reviews?

Terms, bonuses and payment methods change often. We re-check a casino’s ACMA status and key terms when we update a review or a list. If you notice something that has changed, please contact us.

What licences do we look for?

No online casino can be licensed in Australia to offer casino games, so every casino that accepts Australians is offshore. Many hold light offshore licences, such as those from Anjouan or the Tobique Gaming Commission, and some name no licence at all. We score that under licence and operator and explain what it means for you, for example who you can turn to if a payout is refused.

What red flags do we look for?

No company or licence named on the site
Terms that let the casino confiscate winnings for vague reasons
Low withdrawal limits or long processing times
Rules that every deposit must be wagered before you can withdraw it
Australia listed as an excluded country while the casino still accepts Australians
Domains on ACMA’s list of blocked gambling websites

Can casinos pay to be listed?

No. Casinos cannot buy a review, a score or a position. We earn affiliate commission when a reader signs up through some of our links, and that never changes how we rate a casino. If you run a casino that accepts Australians and want us to review it, contact us; we will review it the same way as every other casino.

Disclaimer: All information on Casino Owls is for information purposes only. We are an independent website and do not accept wagers. We do our best to keep every page accurate, but terms change, and we cannot be held responsible for errors or for losses while gambling online. If gambling stops being fun, contact Gambling Help Online on 1800 858 858.