Reviews, especially ones from people who know more about the subject than anyone else, can influence almost any reader. Unfortunately, there are biased reviews used by poorly-managed casinos and certain criminals to attract unsuspecting readers onto their sites.
Are online gambling site reviews unbiased? Are there ones that offer genuine feedback on casinos? This article will answer those questions.
Can Online Gambling Sites be Biased
There are two main reasons why online gambling site reviews are biased. One of these reasons is how reviewers are under the payroll of a company or operator of casinos. Certain operators or individuals can afford to create a site that generates betting reviews for their benefit. On the other hand, criminals create fake online casinos, sportsbooks, or bingo reviews that direct the reader to a dangerous website.
Another reason for betting site reviews to be biased is the affiliate program of a casino, sports betting, poker cardroom, or bingo site. Affiliate programs are where an online gambling review site receives a part of the profit when its audience becomes a paying customer of a casino.
It is important to note that there are still legitimate reviewers who are not owned by any casino operators or are being paid to draw paying customers. These review sites tend to be protective of their image by having an "unbiased" view when it comes to criticizing poor online casinos and giving credit to trusted operators. Finding an unbiased review is one method of spotting safe online casinos.
Signs of an Unbiased Reviewer
While there is an incredible number of online gambling review sites, you can spot biased ones based on the following factors.
Mostly Positive Wording
One of the noticeable traits of a biased review is the lack of criticism of an online casino or sportsbook. Granted, there are nearly perfect UK betting sites and US online gambling sites with very few flaws. However, biased online gambling site reviews will give nearly any operator a perfect score.
You can spot biased gambling reviews' "blind praises" by looking up the ones they are being positive about, such as a casino's library of games. If their idea of a top gambling site has only 20 slots or 5 table games, you are likely reading a bogus review.
Lack of Important Details
In the case of various online gambling reviews, what they do not say makes them biased. Apart from their praises of a "large selection of sports betting markets" or "Free-roll poker tournaments, each weekend" is omissions of information that would affect your experience.
One important detail a biased reviewer will not cover is the deposit and withdrawal options. A sign of a safe online casino is the option to use credit cards, e-wallets, or another payment service that has fraud protection. You will see how biased a casino review is when there is no mention of the operator not offering those secure deposit and withdrawal methods.
Making the Review Personal
Keep a close eye on how a reviewer describes various parts of an online gambling site. If you often see personal phrases such as "the design of the website looks amazing that I made it my wallpaper" or "I love betting on my favorite NBA matches here because there are so many kinds of wagers," this is likely a biased review.
When a reviewer puts themselves into their writing, you can see that they are heavily invested in convincing readers to spend money on a specific gambling site.
No Comment Section
Feedback from readers or previous customers is kryptonite for biased reviewers. They have no control over what other people say about their online gambling site reviewers or the casino/sportsbook site they are writing about. Chances are high that several genuine comments will call out a reviewer's biases.
It is always good to see a review site that lets its readers leave comments or feedback. Readers will often give you unbiased feedback based on their experience with a gambling site.
What an Unbiased Review Covers
Biased casinos tend to avoid mentioning key details. Two of which below are what straight-forward reviewers usually cover.
Customer Service
There is a good chance that an average reader will not think about an online casino's customer service. After all, they are not looking forward to chatting with support staff and would rather see if there are interesting games or bets on the website. While casino titles or sports betting markets are the main reason to visit a site, customer services are an important factor in any legitimate review.
The support staff is there to correct these issues when there is a dispute on your charges or if you cannot access your account with your password. Biased reviews tend to avoid discussing customer service because some sites do not have them or are barely functional.
iGaming Platform
When talking about iGaming platforms, it covers the entirety of a gambling site. A platform is an online casino software that contains slots, blackjack tables, video poker, and live dealer games. There are also software and apps that support sports betting, poker rooms, and bingo room. iGaming platforms also contain different payment support, customer support, and security. Legitimate online gambling reviews often bring up the platform an operator uses. Trusted online casinos, sportsbooks, bingo rooms, and poker cardrooms will utilize recognizable platforms from the likes of , , , and .
You will less likely know about the iGaming platform of an online gambling site from a biased reviewer. Sites are using its proprietary platform that is not cleared or approved by gaming regulators, resulting in unfair gaming. Other online casinos or gambling sites may not even have a platform and are phishing sites for unsuspecting victims.
Are online gambling site reviews unbiased? As long as they have a solid reputation for providing a balanced review, they will have useful feedback on finding trusted online gambling sites. Otherwise, be wary of the various signs of a biased review to avoid bogus online casinos.
This article was published on July 20, 2022, and last updated on July 16, 2022.