Methodology

How we rate casinos

Five things we weigh, what the number means, and what it can't tell you.

Each casino on Gilded Reels carries an editorial score out of ten. It's our opinion, formed by reading the operator's published terms and information against the same checklist every time. It isn't a user rating, and nobody pays for a particular score.

What goes into the score
Area	Weight	What we look at
Bonus terms	30%	How much of the offer a typical £10 to £25 deposit actually gets you, time limits, max conversion caps, max bet rules, game restrictions, and whether your own deposit stays accessible.
Licence and transparency	20%	UKGC account confirmed on the public register, operator named clearly, terms easy to find and read.
Game range	20%	Breadth of the lobby as the operator publishes it, the studios named, and whether the free-spin game is a well-understood title.
Mobile use	15%	How the site and sign-up flow behave in a phone browser.
Account and safer-gambling tools	15%	How easily deposit limits, reality checks, time-outs and self-exclusion can be found, and the support channels listed.

Reading a score

9.0 and above Rare. Clear, generous terms and very little to warn you about.

8.5 to 8.9 Strong. A good fit for most players, with a caveat or two.

8.0 to 8.4 Solid. Worth it for the right player; read the cons first.

Below 8.0 We'd usually leave it off the list.

What we don't count

The size of the headline number, on its own, earns nothing. A £1,000 package that converts to £50 is scored on the £50. We also don't try to judge how likely you are to win anywhere; licensed games are independently tested, and results over a session are down to chance.

We don't publish withdrawal times, payment method lists or game counts unless the operator publishes them, because those figures change and vary by account.

The order of the list

The ranking is our decision. It's informed by these scores, and we're open about the fact that commercial arrangements with operators can also play a part in which brands we list and where. The scores themselves, and everything we say about the terms, are editorial. More on that in our affiliate disclosure.

When scores change

We rescore when an operator changes its welcome offer or terms, when rules change (the 10x wagering cap from 19 January 2026 is a recent example), or when readers point out something we missed. Current scores:

Spotted something out of date? Tell us.