SELECTING THE BEST UK ONLINE CASINOS OF 2019

Whenever the New Year starts, we take it upon ourselves to list the best UK online casinos of the year. This effort is to ensure that our UK players know which casinos are up to par when choosing which platform they’ll be dedicating time to.

One of the factors that we pride ourselves on is just how thorough and precise our research is every year. We hope to improve our own standards by raising our own casino reviewing bar. We are of course under no illusion that different players are interested in different things when selecting their casino of choice.

However, being in this industry for quite some time, we are also aware that there are factors that really help to differentiate quality casinos from subpar casinos. We know, standard is standard, and that is something we cannot ignore.

Before we show you the list of slots that made the cut this year, we’d like to take you through our selective process. Why did each casino make the cut? What did we look at?

CHOOSING THE BEST UK ONLINE CASINOS: OUR PROCESS

The casinos that made this year’s list really had to impress us. Considering the number of industry newcomers that have joined the UK online casino world in the past 8 months alone made this a difficult screening process.

One thing that we did notice however is that newer casinos are in it to win it. It seems they have studied the old and tested model of older casinos and at the same time created new and creative elements to their online gambling offering. Which of course is always something to be in awe of.

Our process had the following elements which we believe helped us to form critical, first hand and informed observations of the different UK online casinos we examined:

Creating test accounts and real accounts – something that we believe allows us to be as informed as we spent time actually testing out each platform. We are gambling enthusiasts ourselves – otherwise we wouldn’t write about it – as such “having a go at it” allowed us to get to know each shortlisted casino.

Claiming and comparing welcome bonuses – its no secret that welcome bonuses are truly a factor that can help a casino rise above the rest. What we did is compare the different welcome bonuses offered to UK players, essentially we were looking at the type of bonus (free spins, cash bonuses and welcome bonuses). We also examined the differences in the process of claiming the bonuses and what the wagering requirements are.

Testing the platform and its functionality – a factor that we can all appreciate is a gambling site that works and works well. Gone are the times of messy and unstructured platforms. Today, aesthetics, design and operational functionalities with sleek and modern interfaces are all the hype, and we reckon casinos need to check this box too.

It doesn’t have to be modern; however, it does have to be impressive! We did deduct points for sites that had dead-end links or incomplete webpages on specific links. We did give extra points for convenience and user-friendly functionalities.

For us to recommend the UK online casinos on our list to UK players they had to meet the following selection criterion points:

Regulations and Protocols

To maintain a standard that has been proven for about 12 years. Every casino on our list had to be licensed with the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC). We know from experience that casinos that are regulated with this kind of license guarantee UK players financial security and also privacy protection.

Unbeaten Customer Service

Casinos should know how to provide exceptional customer service; this is mainly because they are dealing with a sensitive and serious issue of people’s money and finances. As such having a customer service team that is informed and extremely hands on was a criterion that each casino had to meet.

And us being “hands on” ourselves we did put them to the test. Each casino had to have some sort of messaging customer support service either live chat or Email support or support bots. We did prefer casinos who offer real human interaction as this ensures that players don’t have to explain themselves multiple times.

Response times of each casino were also considered as well as the quality and value of the assistance provided. One call or one message query resolutions were looked upon favorably.

Gaming assortment

We know that the best online gambling experiences are heavily linked to gaming assortment. No one wants to play the same old games over and over without access to variety.

Therefore, an important selection criterion was the number of games available as well as the variety in the types of games on offer. We wanted players to have access to it all and not feel like they are missing out on games.

Banking options

The modern times we live in allows online casino banking options to be quite varied. Casinos can’t just rely on bank wire transfers anymore, a combination of ewallets, debit and credit cards and online cards are needed. These also had to be friendly towards UK players.

Withdrawal turnaround times and limits

Not only are banking options important but turnaround times of these options are also important. In the “instant satisfaction” arena we now live in, casinos can no longer expect players to wait a week for withdrawals and cashouts to take place, the world doesn’t have that kind of patience anymore.

A distinguishing factor is how quick a casino can process win payouts and also what withdrawal limits are to be imposed.

Mobile gaming option

Considering the times we are living in, this one is kind of a given. Online casinos need to have a mobile offering in order to sufficiently compete in their industry. With younger Brits taking a liking to an interest in casino gaming, this becomes an essential criterion.

We looked at whether the sites on our shortlist had a mobile offering, whether it had to be downloaded through an app or as software, or if players could switch between desktop and mobile friendly options on the casino’s site through their browser. Of course, each has its benefits, and those were considered too.

Points were deducted for large apps and downloadable software that take too much phone storage, for games on mobile offerings with lower RTPs and also for missing games on mobile versions. We gave points for a full deck of games offered on mobile platforms and also for functional high-quality mobile offerings.

TOP CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BEST UK ONLINE CASINOS

Playing at a UK online casino as a UK player has its benefits and advantages. First, you need to be sure you are playing with a brand that is recognized and approved through the gambling commission. This is simply for your safety and protection.

Secondly, you need to make sure the UK online casino you are playing at gives you access to 1000’s of games, offered up by a variety of developers and software providers.

Thirdly, you should make sure the currency options are ON POINT. Make sure you can get your money out, when you want it, and finally make sure the bonuses, rewards, and promotions are up to your standards.