Ranking Methodology
You are here to understand how we rank online casinos to know which ones to recommend and if they pay. We truly test them, but you probably want to know the details to be sure that we are making a proper recommendation. On this page, you will learn why to trust our reviews and how we rank casinos based on the following:
- License and security.
- Terms and conditions.
- Payment methods.
- Game catalog.
- User experience and responsiveness.
- Bonuses and promotions.
- History and reputation.
- Support channels.
Why Trust LuckyStars?
LuckyStars.ph exists to be a reliable source of information on online casinos and other forms of gambling in the Philippines. We aim to bring updated guides and reviews with a due explanation of how we reached certain conclusions. Comparing it to most other websites out there will clearly show some of our advantages.
| LuckyStars | Other Websites |
|---|---|
| Monthly or weekly updated reviews and information on websites, bonuses, and payments. | Outdated articles with information that is no longer true on online casinos that you register in. |
| 100% unbiased information with a clear definition of our reviewing process and why something is advantageous to a player. | Not hard to find websites promoting shady online casinos or bonuses that clearly do not have fair terms and conditions. |
| Team composed of experienced gamblers who know exactly what they are writing about and are worried about the quality as much as you are. | Freelancers with no clue about how online casinos work, sometimes not even from the Philippines, create content that makes no sense. |
| Everything about the pros and cons of a website. If there is anything wrong or to be cautious about, we will let you know. | Focus only on the advantages and no word about hidden problems that you do not realize until it is too late. |
You do not need to simply trust our word or the feedback of other readers. Instead, we want to explain how we rank online casinos in the Philippines step by step.
How Do We Rank Online Casinos?
The review and ranking of an online casino consist of a few steps, each one analyzing a different aspect. They are all important in defining whether an online casino is reliable and of good quality, but failing in any of them is enough to not even add it to our row of recommended casinos.
License and Security
The most important initial parameter to be analyzed when it comes to online casinos in the Philippines is the license. Every casino website must be licensed. Also, to be in accordance with the gambling laws in the Philippines, the headquarters must be in another country.
Just like the license, offering security to players is a minimum requirement that every casino must observe to be trustworthy. That can be achieved through the guarantee of the following:
- SSL certificate applied to every page.
- Secured payments both ways.
- No crashing pages or games.
As they are excluding parameters, there is no specific rank for license and security. Instead, their absence simply means that the casino brand cannot be trusted.
Terms and Conditions
One of the most subjective parameters to rank online casinos in the Philippines is the evaluation of terms and conditions. The way they are written and specific rules may vary from one website to another, which is why previous knowledge and expertise are more than welcome. In general, we summarize the most important points of the terms and conditions of a reviewed site.
Among the details on which we often draw a blank when it comes to terms and conditions, we analyze if there are any unfair rules regarding:
- Maximum bet.
- Gambling style, such as modifying stakes between games.
- Withdrawal time.
- Maximum monthly withdrawal.
- Reasons to close the account.
Although the terms and conditions say most of what we need to know about any legal casino website, it is rare to find users interested or with time to read them. Therefore, it is our duty to approve such terms and highlight their pros and cons in our reviews.
Deposits & Withdrawals
Starting the qualitative parameters to rank online casinos available in the Philippines, the payment methods are an essential evaluation factor. In order to establish an order of priority and select the best websites from dozens of options, we verify the following:
- Availability of familiar payment methods, including our local banks.
- Possibility of keeping the money balance in Philippine Pesos.
- Total waiting time for the deposits and withdrawals.
- The minimum value established for deposits and withdrawals.
The number of payment methods is really important as long as they can all be used in an efficient way in the Philippines. That includes local banks, e-wallets, valid cards, and even payment systems used locally, such as GCash and PayMaya.
While not available everywhere, keeping PHP currency can make a website quickly improve its position in our ranking. After all, having to convert deposits and withdrawals to and from USD or EUR usually takes some of our money in fees. Also, the accessibility through fast payments and affordable minimum deposits count a lot.
Game Quality and Variety
The whole point of registering and depositing on any casino website is to actually enjoy the games. Therefore, it makes sense to turn the best offer of casino games in terms of variety and quality into an important ranking factor. In general, we separate the chaff from the wheat with the following considerations:
- The total number of games.
- Providers of the game software and their quality.
- Availability of demo gameplay.
- Variety of games, such as table games, slots, and instant games.
In general, the providers with which the casinos decide to partner up define the rest of the ranking parameters. We truly dive into the catalog to verify the pros and cons.
User Experience & Mobile
The comfort and flexibility of playing casino games online are an obvious part of choosing to gamble that way. All the operators must be willing to offer a complete and satisfactory user experience, and we rank websites based on the following:
- How fluid it is to navigate on the website.
- Level of difficulty to find games.
- Resources such as adding games to favorites or extra filters.
- Mobile responsiveness.
In general, it is possible to find all levels of user experience among legal and safe casino websites. Not rarely will it be the parameter that influences our ranking the most, as characteristics such as games, payment methods, and even terms and conditions tend to flow in the same direction.
Bonuses and Promotions
One of the main advantages of choosing to play casino games online is the possibility of having bonuses added to the account and participating in tournaments and sweepstakes. It is almost impossible to find reliable and legal casinos with no bonus, but there are parameters that must be compared to rank them accordingly:
- The total value of the bonus.
- Wagering requirements applied to the offer.
- Minimum and maximum allowed bets.
- Deadline to complete the requirements.
- Maximum withdrawable winnings.
Unlike other ranking factors, casino bonuses tend to follow a certain metric that helps even new players to identify opportunities. For example, wagering requirements around 30x the bonus or less are a good average, and at least 30 days to complete them are ideal. Also, the more games contribute 100% of the bets to them, the better.
History and Feedback
Most of the time, we will avoid any new casinos with no history or feedback and a brand-new company behind them. Having a license and offering quality navigation is the minimum, and sometimes we must be cautious with brands that can fail to pay their players. In general, answering the following questions help us determine the viability of that casino:
- How long has the casino operator been in the business?
- Who is behind the casino?
- How is the feedback by real users?
- Are there any complaints with a good foundation?
- Does it have sister sites?
In general, those suffice to have a good scope of the casino and determine whether it is worth reviewing or not. It is our goal to verify every website, but only if it is really a good alternative. There can be dozens of new casinos every year, and we prefer to select a few good ones among the best for our readers.
Support Channels
Among the top casino sites, we will have selected brands that will rarely offer any trouble to an experienced player and quickly resolve the questions of a new player. In general, having good support channels and availability is an important characteristic to be considered a valuable online casino.
While emails work well, the presence of a live chat with instant messages is relevant and almost mandatory these days. Therefore, we evaluate the availability, the number of channels, and the efficiency of the casino support.
How Do We Rank Online Lotteries?
Since we also evaluate online lotteries, it is important to have a specific process to check if they are trustworthy. Aside from parameters that are equal to online casinos, such as license, payment methods, and reputation, we need to verify the following:
- Availability of lotteries.
- Type of lottery play.
- Reliability of the tickets, if applicable.
- Proof of payment to lottery winners.
- Discounts, bundles, and other offers.
As you may tell, the availability of lotteries follows the same principle of checking for games on casino websites, just like discounts are comparable to casino bonuses. The most different parameter is the type of online lottery, which may be a lottery agent or betting site, and each one has its particularities and rules that must be checked.
FAQ
Yes, but only if they are headquartered and licensed outside of the country. Otherwise, they need a local license and cannot be played by locals.
The ranking process was created by the entire team. Jason Anque, Joshua Castro, and Crystal Onn work together to make sure that every review is accurate and updated.
Without a doubt, the legality and security of a website is the most important factor and comes before anything else.
