What we like / What could be better
What we like
- Every fact is labelled: our own check or the operator's word, never blended together
- The licence and GAMSTOP checks in this guide take ten minutes and don't need our reviews at all
- Wagering terms are quoted with the base (bonus, or bonus plus deposit), not just the multiplier
- We say no: gaps in our data show up as gaps on the page, not as filled-in guesses
What could be better
- Only 3 timed withdrawal tests exist so far; most payout times you'll read are the operator's stated figure, not ours
- We haven't checked landing page availability across the operators we cover
- We earn a commission on clicks through this site, which is worth knowing even though it doesn't set the ranking
What we check ourselves, and what we take on the operator's word
Every claim on SpinCompass falls into one of two buckets, and we mark which one applies. The first is something we tested or looked up directly: a licence number checked against the regulator's own list, a withdrawal timed from request to funds landing, a wagering requirement copied from the operator's current terms with a screenshot and a date. The second is something the operator states and we haven't independently confirmed: support hours, language coverage, the exact software list in the lobby on a given day.
The table below shows which is which. It isn't exhaustive, but it covers the facts that actually change whether a site is worth your time.
| What we check ourselves | What comes from the operator |
|---|---|
| Licence number, matched against the regulator's public register | Bonus copy on the casino's own promotions page |
| Payout time, when we've run a timed withdrawal test | Software provider list shown in the lobby |
| Wagering requirement and its base, screenshotted with a date | Stated support hours and languages |
| GAMSTOP listing, where we've been able to check it | Marketing claims about "fast" or "instant" payouts |
If a fact isn't in either column for a given casino, we don't publish it as fact. We say we haven't checked it.
How a SpinCompass review actually gets built
A review starts with the licence check, not the bonus. We look up the operator's licence number on the regulator's register before we open an account, because a bonus attached to an unclear operator isn't worth reading past the first paragraph.
From there we open the cashier, note the minimum deposit and the actual withdrawal method (not just what's listed under deposits), and read the wagering terms as written, not as summarised on the landing page. Where we've timed a withdrawal ourselves, the review says so with a date. Where we haven't, it says that too.
The full process, including what counts as a pass or fail on each check, sits on our methodology page. The rules for when we update a review, correct an error, or take a listing down live on the editorial policy page. Neither is decorative: readers reference both in questions under our reviews.
Six checks to run on any casino before you deposit
You don't need our review to run the basics yourself. These six take about ten minutes and catch most of the problems that show up later.
- Search the licence number on the Gambling Commission's public register, not on the casino's own about page.
- If you've self-excluded before, check the operator's name against the GAMSTOP list of participating sites.
- Open the cashier before you register. Note the minimum deposit and, separately, which methods actually process withdrawals.
- Read the wagering requirement next to the words "bonus" or "bonus plus deposit". The base changes the real target by as much as double.
- Look up the game's RTP on the provider's own info screen inside the game, not on a marketing page.
- Search the casino's name plus "withdrawal complaint" before you deposit, not after you're waiting on one.
How to tell if an online casino is legit
Legitimacy isn't a feeling, it's a short list of facts that either check out or don't. A licensed operator publishes a licence number that matches the regulator's register exactly, down to the account holder's name. A legitimate cashier lists a minimum withdrawal alongside the minimum deposit, because a site that only advertises how easy it is to pay in is telling you something by omission.
Terms that hide the wagering base ("35x" without saying on what) are a weaker signal than terms that state it plainly. So is a support line offering only live chat with no visible response time. None of this needs a review site. It needs reading the same page twice: once for the pitch, once for the numbers.
Are online slots rigged? What RNG certification means
No, not in the way the question usually means it. UK licensed slots run on a random number generator tested by an independent lab before the game goes live, and the maths behind each spin is fixed at that point, not adjusted afterwards based on how a session is going. The house edge sits in the return to player figure, not in a hidden switch.
What can go wrong sits elsewhere: a bonus with a wagering requirement so high the maths never favours you, a maximum bet during wagering that gets a payout disqualified, a withdrawal process that stalls until you give up. Those are commercial terms, not rigged reels, and they're exactly what a licence number and a set of published terms are meant to let you check.
What RTP actually guarantees, and what it doesn't
RTP is a return to player percentage calculated over millions of spins, not a promise about your session. A slot at 96% pays back £96 for every £100 wagered across its full lifetime of play, spread across every player who's ever spun it. It says nothing about the next ten minutes, and it says nothing about volatility: two slots at the same RTP can feel completely different depending on how the wins are distributed.
RTP also isn't fixed by the casino. It's set by the game studio and certified by a testing lab, and it shows on the game's own info screen, not on the casino's marketing page. If a casino states a different number to the one shown in the game, trust the game.
How casino review sites make money (and why it doesn't buy a spot on our list)
We earn a commission when you click through to a casino from SpinCompass and register. That's the entire business model, and we're not going to pretend otherwise: it pays for the accounts we open, the withdrawals we time, and the hours it takes to read a terms page properly.
What it doesn't do is set the ranking. A casino paying a higher commission doesn't get a better review, a higher score, or a pass on a wagering term we'd otherwise flag. If that sounds like something every affiliate site claims, the way to check it is to look for the cases where we say no: a site with a licence we can't match, a cashier where withdrawal isn't confirmed, a bonus term we can't verify. Those show up as gaps in the table, not as five stars anyway.
What to do if a casino refuses your withdrawal
Ask for the refusal in writing first, by email or through the chat transcript, not a phone call you can't screenshot. Most refusals cite a specific term: an unmet wagering requirement, a bonus max bet breach, or a verification document that hasn't cleared. Read the term they're citing against the terms page you agreed to, not the summary on the promotions page.
If the operator holds a UK licence, the next step is the licensed complaints procedure every UKGC operator is required to run, followed by an approved Alternative Dispute Resolution provider if the casino's own process doesn't resolve it. Keep every screenshot from the point you registered: the bonus terms as they stood then, the wagering progress shown in your account, and any message confirming the withdrawal was requested.
What we haven't measured yet
We're not going to round up a number we don't have. As it stands, we've run timed withdrawal tests on 3 occasions, and we haven't yet checked landing page availability across the operators we cover. Where a review states a payout time, it's because one of those 3 tests covered that operator. Everywhere else, the review states the operator's own claimed time, with that attribution, or says we haven't timed it.
This will grow. It's listed here because a site that quietly stops mentioning what it hasn't checked is doing the opposite of what this page is for.
What 'independent' should mean in a UK casino review
Independent doesn't mean unpaid. It means the commission structure and the review conclusion are kept separate, and a reader can see where that line sits. On SpinCompass, that line is the table earlier on this page: what we checked ourselves against what the operator told us. An independent review from anyone should let you draw that same line.
Ready to see it applied? Browse the casinos we've already checked against these same criteria, licence, cashier, and wagering terms included.
