How We Review Australian Online Casinos: The Pokies.bet Process
Pokies.bet exists solely to assist players in their gambling ventures. Our team consists of a small group of individuals, who are passionate about online casinos and we strive to share this passion with Aussie players.
It is important to state outright that we do not motivate players to spend their money at online casinos; rather, we try to guide those who want to play casino games, so that they have a satisfying and safe gambling experience.
The gist of this page is the outline of our review process, for transparency purposes, so that everyone knows how we assign ratings and approach each casino we feature. We will also discuss other resources you can find on our site, how we work, and the aspects driving Pokies.bet forward.
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Pokies.bet is a hub of casino players and journalists with expertise in the Australian gambling landscape. We understand the legal and risk implications of gambling online and we strive to keep players safe.
Since there is no official iGaming market, thousands of operators pose as legal Australian online casinos to rob players of their money. We don’t pretend to have an alternative to overseas online casinos. However, we test every casino using a rigorous process and ensure they stick to their promises. Our reviews provide a clear overview of casinos that fall within our radar, with a list of pros and cons to help make up your mind.
We never put profit over your safety. If an online casino delivers an experience we enjoy and think you will too, then we will compare it against the best online casinos in Australia and match it with selected guides and bonus pages. Ultimately, we try to cater to our readers by offering a holistic and honest assessment of Aussie online casinos.
Our Online Casino Rating Process
The most important task that we have burdened ourselves with is reviewing Aussie online casinos. We take our job very seriously, as we want to alert or reassure players about sites that they are considering investing their money into. Below, you can see the main areas we evaluate for each online casino we review.
Disclaimer: We cannot stress the importance of consulting our casino reviews before playing at an online casino Down Under. The Australian Government has yet to assign an official iGaming body for regulating Aussie gambling sites, so you must align yourself with casino experts who put your interest first.
License
The most important aspect that we look for in a casino is its license. Unlicensed casinos are not subject to any independent authorities, so they can manipulate their edge over the players or refuse to pay out winnings. Only after crosschecking their license ID and whether it is active, we flag the site as licensed.
Unfortunately, Aussie online casinos cannot apply for or acquire local iGaming licenses since such services are considered illegal. The best operators still accepting Australians tend to be licensed by Curacao, whose iGaming authority permits operations Down Under.
Still, since this iGaming license isn’t equal to UKGC or MGA permits, we review additional areas to evaluate a casino’s legitimacy. These include their owner, track record, user reports, years of operations, revenue, and manufacturer partnerships.
Payment Methods
The second area we review at casinos is the banking department. The casino must ensure transactions are safe, secure, straightforward, and cost/time effective to receive a good rating from us. Further, the payment options offered should cover various types of players to receive a 10/10 rating.
PayID, Neosurf, Mastercard, Bank Transfers, MiFinity, eZeeWallet, and Crypto are some of the most popular options supported at AUD online casinos. If each of those is featured and underpinned by flexible payment limits and quick processing times, then we assign an excellent mark!
Customer Support
Until recently, online casinos responded to players’ questions through email. Nowadays, for a casino to receive a good customer service rating, it must provide 24/7 live chat support with professional agents and a multi-lingual phone service.
Players are investing their money in online casinos, so they should be treated as customers, with respect.
A few other aspects that add to the user experience include a comprehensive FAQ section, social media links, educational videos, and speedy email responses.
Welcome Offers & Promotions
After the initial aspects related to customer experience and safety, we evaluate the welcome offers and promotions provided to players.
This is important, as most of our readers search for a new online casino – and almost all operators feature a competitive welcome package. Nonetheless, returning players promotions and loyalty bonuses are also reported in detail since most Aussie players join a casino and stick with it.
The welcome bonus should provide at least a 100% match rate to be considered. Extra free spins and subsequent deposit bonuses are solid additions to motivate players to stick with them.
No deposit bonuses aren’t our primary concern, but we actively search for online casinos featuring freebies since some of our users appreciate them.
All bonuses and promotions must come with clear, reasonable terms or the casino won’t get our approval. It doesn’t matter if it offers a 500% bonus when the funds are not cashable or the wagering requirement is set at 60x or higher.
Bonus Terms & Conditions
Although none reads the Terms & Conditions in the digital world, we do. Casino Ts&Cs should be treated with care since they define all the following aspects:
1. Conditions required to be able to withdraw winnings.
2. Requirements and limitations of the bonuses and deposited funds.
3. Limits to deposits and withdrawals.
4. Legal rights and expectations in the casino/players relationship.
The above are the rules we always explore carefully to protect players from any fine print that might result in loss of deposit due to unreasonable or sneaky promo requirements.
Questionable casinos misuse their terms and conditions to cheat players of their bonus winnings, which is why we never neglect this area during our reviews.
Casino Games
Players have unique preferences when it comes to casino games although online pokies are a must for any Aussie online casino.
Some users prefer a huge variety of casino games from a range of developers, while others might be looking for a few solid options in terms of payout rate. Therefore, we include all the info linked to casino games, so that every reader can make an informed decision.
The highest ratings are usually assigned to online casinos with 2,000+ games from at least 20 casino vendors. Categories we actively search for include pokies machines, virtual table games, specialty titles, and live casino games.
Extras like provably fair games, proprietary titles, arcades, sportsbooks, etc. are taken into account and promoted to some niche audiences.
Usability
Each review walks the reader through the different features of the casino – from the registration to the KYC procedure and from the cashier to the gaming lobby navigation.
If the casino site is hard to walk through or not optimal in terms of user experience, we will let you know in advance. We do not tolerate gambling sites with amateurish designs that look like your grandma made them.
Compatibility
Almost every online casino is optimized for mobile devices nowadays, with a few offering dedicated mobile casino apps.
Besides providing this info for each site, we also run tests across devices to ensure they are satisfying in terms of usability, design, game selection, and overall experience.
Aussie punters gamble through different means, and mostly their smartphones, so we strive to present all relevant information through hands-on tests.
Design
This is a less significant factor compared to the above aspects we review, but we still enjoy sharing our personal take on the theme and design of every brand.
Then, it is up to you to decide whether you agree/disagree with us and if the casino feels right.
Reputation
Lastly, we take into account individual player reports shared on Pokies.bet or forums. These help verify our findings and whether the casino sticks to their promises. Since we have vast experience in the field, something that might appear trivial to us might pose significant challenges to users.
Although most user reports are fake, false, or driven by a bad beat, some come from a good place. We review each carefully, while cross-checking the claims to see if they should be reported as part of our dedicated review.
The Next Steps
Ratings, exclusive deals, and a flag showcasing our overarching thoughts (recommended or blacklisted) on each casino ensure you can quickly digest the information without spending hours reading through the finer detail.
We also welcome your comments and address your points, concerns, or problems. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you need our help to resolve problems with a casino we recommend. In some cases we might even be able to secure exclusive deals for our audience, available only when users register via our links and enter any highlighted promo codes.
Lastly, we display all the recommended casinos under the categories that would describe them best; for instance, if a casino site has a native app and a perfectly optimized website for all devices – we would list it under our ‘Mobile Pokies Apps’ and ‘Mobile Casinos’ guides. This saves you the time you would otherwise need to read through various individual reviews to find what you are after.
Additional Information We Verify
Although we do everything I discussed so far, our team takes extra measures to ensure a safe journey for our readers. Each operator has to feature or meet the following to satisfy our criteria:
- Responsible gambling page, links, and resources for players
- Privacy policy page indicating how it uses customer information
- List of restricted countries to ensure the casino cannot come up with excuses to deny your winnings down the line
- Blacklists of other review sites to cross-check our findings
- Security features to protect the information and details of its customers from outside parties
Then, a member of our team verifies all info monthly to ensure our reviews are not outdated. Any offer changes, new games, and findings are incorporated into our reviews to always source the latest information for our audience.
Why We Review Aussie Online Casinos
Pokies.bet was born thanks to the owners’ passion for online gambling. The Australian gambling market has slowly evolved and players really struggle to find a good online casino these days, so this project has become more important than ever.
Every team member is passionate about online casino games and has a background in marketing or journalism. We take pride in sourcing readers with accurate information that will make their lives easier.
To be 100% transparent, we do profit through affiliate links we position on certain reviews and pages. How it works is a player uses our link to register at a casino, and if they proceed with a real money deposit we take a commission. This business model is 100% legit and explains how we have been able to operate for so many years.
It is important to note that we are not affiliated with any particular casino and we profit similarly from all brands that work with us. We consciously choose to partner with only legit operators who respect and treat players fairly. As such, you can rest assured that every review that you read is 100% accurate, at least based on the best of our knowledge.
Gambling Resources at Pokies.bet
Our ultimate goal is to become a hub for all casino lovers in Australia. To achieve that, we have established various categories that will be useful to all types of players.
Pokies and Casino Guides
Our primary section provides tips and guides on how to play pokies and casino games, find the right casino according to your personal needs, and safely conduct your transactions online.
Bonuses
Aussie players tend to choose online casinos based on the bonuses they offer, which is why we have established a separate bonus section. There, you can find information on all casino bonus types, how they work, and aspects you should consider before redeeming them.
This is where you will also spot online casino brands with the best promo codes for your gameplay.
Casino & Pokies Reviews
This part is the largest section of our site. You can read over 250 different online pokies reviews or play the games instantly online for free. Each review contains information on the gameplay, math model, and theme of the pokies machine + the best casinos to access them for real money.
The casino reviews section is ever-expanding, including detailed and honest reviews of established and new brands that launch in Oz. We haven’t yet reviewed every casino under the Australian sun since we are following a very strict review process – which takes time and research, as this page indicates.
Pokies 101
The Pokies 101 tab includes topics that can help you increase your winning chances at casino games while offering insights into the best online pokies. Guides regarding the use of VPN, taxation, and legality are some other topics we have extensively covered for beginners.
Blog
Everything else goes under our blog. This is the place to be for gambling news, new online casino and game releases, as well as light-hearted stories related to gambling. In the future, we are aiming to provide you with gambling news stories to keep you updated with the latest trends and happenings in the Australian gambling market.
