Elena Rasmussen
Reviewed by
Priya Nair
Why a checklist
Every operator review on this site begins with the same twelve checks, run before anyone on the team deposits. They are not sophisticated. Most take a minute or two, and none require specialist knowledge. We publish them because the same checks work just as well for a reader as for an editor, and because the problems they catch (a lapsed licence, a missing complaints route, a withdrawal clause that makes payout conditional on something you cannot control) are the ones that cost players real money.
The checklist below is the one we use. Print it, or keep it open in another tab, and work through it before you register anywhere. If any item fails, close the tab. There is no shortage of operators.
The twelve checks
The checklist is shown below in the order we run it, grouped into licence and ownership, money and terms, and play and protection. Items marked as critical are the ones that, on their own, should stop you depositing.
The first group, licence and ownership, establishes who you are dealing with and who regulates them. Find the licence number in the footer, look it up on the regulator’s public register, and confirm that the company name on the register matches the one in the site’s terms. Check that the regulator is one you recognise and that the licence covers the country you are playing from. Finally, check the register for sanctions or conditions attached to the licence.
- Licence number is shown in the footer and matches an active entry on the regulator’s register. Critical.
- Licensed company on the register matches the company in the terms and conditions.
- Regulator is one with a public register and covers the country you play from.
- Register entry shows no sanctions, suspensions or unusual conditions.
- Fund protection statement is present and states the level of segregation. Critical.
- Withdrawal terms set out limits, fees and any verification holds with a time limit.
- Bonus terms are readable and bonuses are not applied automatically on deposit.
- RTP is displayed in-game or in the game help file.
- Deposit limits can be set before the first deposit and increases are delayed.
- Complaints route names an independent dispute body. Critical.
- Support answers a simple question in a reasonable time at two different hours.
- Reputation search shows no recurring pattern of the same withdrawal complaint.
Money and terms
The second group covers what happens to your money. Read the fund protection statement. Under the EGC regime it must say which level applies; under the EGA it should at least confirm segregation. Find the withdrawal terms and look for three things: a maximum withdrawal per transaction or per month, a clause that lets the operator hold withdrawals pending “verification” without a time limit, and any fee for withdrawing by your intended method. Then read the bonus terms, even if you do not intend to take a bonus, because some operators apply bonus conditions automatically on deposit.
In our October 2026 review of the operators we list, every one passed the fund protection and withdrawal checks. Two had automatic bonus opt-in that we flagged in their reviews, and one, Vertex, had a €50 minimum deposit that is not a safety issue but surprised a tester who had skimmed the cashier page.
Play and protection
The third group is about the play experience and the protections around it. Confirm that games show their RTP in-game or in a help file. Check that deposit limits are available before your first deposit and that raising a limit involves a delay. Find the complaints page and confirm it names an independent dispute body. Test the support channel with a simple question and note how long a reply takes. Finally, search for the operator’s name alongside words like “withdrawal” and “complaint” and read what you find critically. Individual complaints prove little, but a pattern of the same complaint is worth taking seriously.
We run the support test at two different hours, because a desk that answers in three minutes at midday may not answer at all overnight. Altura and NovaBet answered within five minutes at both hours in our tests; Solstice answered quickly during European hours and took over forty minutes overnight, which its review notes.
The three that matter most
If you only have five minutes, run three checks: the licence register, the fund protection statement and the complaints route. Between them they tell you whether the operator is regulated, whether your money is protected if the operator fails and whether you have somewhere to go if the operator refuses to pay. Everything else on the list is about the quality of the experience; these three are about whether you can get your money back.
An operator that fails any of those three is not one we would list, however good its games or generous its bonus.
What the checklist cannot tell you
The checklist is a filter, not a guarantee. An operator can pass every item and still treat a particular player badly, change its terms next month or be sold to an owner with different standards. That is why we re-test every operator on this site at least every 90 days and publish corrections when something changes. It is also why we recommend the habits that reduce your exposure regardless of operator: keep your balance low, withdraw regularly, set limits before you play and keep records of every deposit and withdrawal.
Used that way, the checklist does most of the work of avoiding the operators that cause problems, and the habits do the rest.
Frequently asked questions
What if the licence number is missing from the footer?
Treat it as a failed check. Every regulated operator is required to display its licence details. A missing number is either an oversight or a sign the operator is not licensed.
Is a long terms document a bad sign?
Not by itself. Length is normal. What matters is whether the withdrawal and bonus clauses are clear and whether any clause gives the operator open-ended discretion to withhold funds.
Do you run these checks on every operator?
Yes, before the first deposit of every review and again at every 90-day re-test. The results are summarised in the safety section of each review.
Sources
- Example Gaming Authority licensee register (Example Gaming Authority)
- Licence conditions and codes of practice (2026 edition) (Example Gambling Commission)
Sources & references
Spotted an inaccuracy? Tell us — we publish corrections publicly.
About the author
Elena Rasmussen
Elena has spent a decade auditing online gaming operators across European jurisdictions, with a focus on licensing, payment reliability and responsible gambling practices.
