How We Rate Casinos

Every Curaçao casino listed on this site has been through the same rigorous, multi-stage assessment process. We do not accept operator-supplied data at face value, we do not rely on press releases, and we do not give any casino a pass based on brand recognition or marketing spend. Our ratings are built entirely on documented, first-hand research — real deposits, real withdrawals, real support interactions, and real-time licensing checks.

This page explains exactly how we evaluate each casino across our six core rating criteria, what we look for, what constitutes a pass or fail, and how the final score is calculated. We believe that transparency about our methodology is just as important as transparency about the casinos themselves — if you understand how we reach our conclusions, you can make better decisions about which operators deserve your trust and your money.

1. Licensing & Safety

Licensing is the non-negotiable first filter. A casino that cannot demonstrate a valid, current licence does not proceed to any other stage of our assessment, regardless of how attractive its bonuses or game selection may appear.

We verify every casino's licence status directly through the Curaçao Gaming Control Board (GCB). Since the 2024 regulatory reform, we specifically check that operators hold a direct GCB licence rather than relying on legacy sub-licence numbers issued under the old master licence system. We click every verification seal, confirm the external landing page matches the operator's registered entity, and cross-reference the licence holder name against the company listed in the casino's Terms and Conditions.

Beyond the licence itself, we assess the casino's broader security posture: SSL encryption implementation, data protection policies, responsible gambling tool availability, and whether the operator has any history of regulatory sanctions or warnings. A valid licence is the minimum threshold — it is not, on its own, a guarantee of quality.

2. Bonus Fairness

Headline bonus figures are marketing. The Terms and Conditions document is the real contract, and that is what we assess. We read every bonus term in full before scoring this criterion — there are no shortcuts.

Our bonus fairness assessment covers wagering requirements (both the multiplier and whether it applies to the bonus alone or bonus plus deposit), game contribution percentages across different game types, maximum bet restrictions while a bonus is active, time limits to clear wagering conditions, and maximum withdrawal caps on bonus-derived winnings. A £2,000 welcome bonus with a 50x wagering requirement, a £5 max bet per spin, and a £200 cashout cap is functionally worth very little — and we score it accordingly.

We also evaluate how prominently and clearly the casino discloses its bonus terms. Operators that bury critical restrictions in small print or use deliberately vague language around "bonus abuse" clauses receive lower scores, even if the mathematical terms are otherwise competitive. Transparency in communication is itself a marker of operational integrity.

3. Game Selection

We assess game libraries against provider quality and diversity, not just raw title count. A casino claiming 5,000 games that sources 80% of them from a single aggregator with duplicated titles across categories is not equivalent to one offering 3,000 genuinely distinct titles from 30 verified studios.

Our evaluation checks which software providers are actively integrated, whether those providers hold valid B2B licences, and whether RNG (Random Number Generator) certification is current through independent testing laboratories such as eCOGRA, iTech Labs, or BMM Testlabs. We also assess category depth across slots, table games, live dealer offerings, and specialty games — because a player who primarily plays blackjack needs different assurances than one who plays video slots.

For Curaçao casinos specifically, we evaluate whether the platform actually delivers on the wider game selection that is one of the primary reasons UK players consider offshore operators. If a casino's library looks identical to what you would find at a standard UKGC-licensed site, the trade-off of reduced regulatory protection is not earning the player anything meaningful in return.

4. Withdrawal Speed

Withdrawal processing is the single most revealing indicator of how a casino actually operates. Any operator can write clean Terms and Conditions. What matters is what happens when a player clicks "withdraw" — and whether the experience matches the published timeline.

We assess published withdrawal timeframes for each payment method, then cross-reference them against documented player experiences on major review platforms including AskGamblers, Casinomeister, and LCB. We look for patterns: consistent processing within stated windows earns high marks, while repeated reports of delays, excessive verification loops, or unexplained account freezes result in significant score reductions.

We differentiate between payment methods in our assessment. A casino that processes e-wallet withdrawals in 12 hours but takes five days for bank transfers is a fundamentally different proposition from one that takes 72 hours across the board "under review." Crypto withdrawal speeds are assessed separately, as they often represent the fastest processing channel at Curaçao-licensed operators and are a genuine differentiator for players who use cryptocurrency.

5. Customer Support

We test customer support under realistic conditions — during peak hours, with specific queries about bonus terms and withdrawal processes, and with deliberate escalation requests to assess whether senior agents are accessible when needed. A support team that performs well on a scripted "how do I reset my password" query tells you nothing about how it will handle a genuine dispute.

Our assessment covers live chat response times during evenings and weekends (peak UK gambling hours), the accuracy and specificity of responses to bonus and withdrawal queries, the availability and quality of email support for documented disputes, and whether the support team can provide clear answers about licensing, responsible gambling tools, and escalation procedures. We also note whether support is available in fluent English around the clock — a critical consideration for UK players using platforms that serve a global audience.

Support quality is weighted heavily in our overall score because it directly correlates with how the casino handles problems. An operator with excellent support during normal play but evasive responses during a withdrawal query is signalling something important about its priorities.

6. Mobile Experience

The majority of UK casino players access platforms via mobile devices, making mobile experience a critical assessment criterion rather than an afterthought. We test every casino on both iOS and Android devices, evaluating page load speeds, navigation usability, game performance, and whether the full desktop feature set — including account management, deposit and withdrawal functions, and customer support — is accessible on mobile without compromise.

We assess whether the casino offers a dedicated mobile app or relies on a responsive browser-based experience, and we evaluate both approaches on their merits. A well-optimised responsive site can outperform a poorly maintained app. What matters is that the player experience on mobile is consistent, fast, and fully functional — not a stripped-down version of the desktop platform.

How We Calculate the Final Score

Each of the six criteria above is scored individually on a scale of 1 to 10. The final rating is a weighted average that reflects the relative importance of each criterion to the UK player experience at Curaçao-licensed operators. Licensing and withdrawal speed carry the highest weighting, because they represent the areas of greatest practical risk for players operating outside the UKGC framework.

A casino must achieve a minimum threshold across all six criteria to be included in our recommendations. A single outstanding score in one area does not compensate for a failing grade in another — particularly in licensing or withdrawal processing, where a poor result is disqualifying regardless of other strengths.

Our ratings are reviewed and updated regularly as operator conditions change. A casino that earned a strong score six months ago will be reassessed if player reports, licensing changes, or our own monitoring tools indicate a shift in performance. We do not publish static reviews — our content reflects the current state of play, not a historical snapshot.