usjros70
NewbieNewbie
Joined: 9 May 2010
Posts: 4
9 May 2010 - 5:18am

Casino ratings and blacklist

5 replies • Last post

I try to read and git some info before making a deposit. However Ill find a casino with great marks. Even rated #1. Then go to different site and its low rated or blacklisted. Who does the rating? Are these sites set up by particular casinos so they favor there casino?

usjros70
NewbieNewbie
Joined: 9 May 2010
Posts: 4
9 May 2010 - 5:19am
#1

I git spelling lessons one day too. If I can quit gambling long enough.

auCL-Ed
StaffStaff
CL-Ed's picture
Location: Sydney
Joined: 7 Sep 2007
Posts: 10400
Thanks given: 6286
Thanks received: 5350
9 May 2010 - 6:50am
#2

Hi jros70 and welcome to our forum.

Here is our casino blacklist and there are plenty of casinos listed there. We certainly do not rate all casinos highly and we often receive complaints from the casinos about our reviews, even when we give them a good one and then mention some small negative point about them! When reviewing them, we have someone check out the casino, make a deposit, play for a while, withdraw and see how it goes before we rate them.

Our player makes a recommendation about how to rate it, but ultimately I make the final decision, and to be honest I do check out other sites from time to time to see what other players are saying.

Here are the current stats about the casinos we have reviewed:

Unrated: 72 (either brand new or we haven't gotten round to entering a rating on an old review yet).
< 1 Star: 23
1 Star: 8
1.5 Stars: 3
2 Stars: 1
2.5 Stars: 2
3 Stars: 9
3.5 Stars: 22
4 Stars: 50
4.5 Stars: 51
5 Stars: 13
Total reviewed: 254
Total in our database: 395 (yes this means we have another 140-odd that we have to add to the site!)

When you say we rank a casino #1, I think you may be referring to our list of bonuses. In those cases the rating we give the casino is taken into account along with heaps of other things like the wagering requirements, bonus % and lots more. But it means that the good casinos are far more likely to be at the top. Because its no use having an awesome bonus at a dodgy place that will take 6 weeks to pay you, if at all.

Most other review sites list a very small selection of casinos that they recommend to players, and as long as they are good casinos that is not a bad thing. But a lot of them believe that putting up any information about a bad casino is free publicity or something. I disagree strongly with that point of view, the more information people have the better informed they are and the better decisions they make. Its no use hiding the fact that there are bad casinos out there - there are, they are in the minority yes, but its better that players are aware of them so they don't get caught out.

Lastly, if you have any questions about any specific casinos that you say we rate highly but another site doesn't then by all means let me know.

Always play it safe! Consult our list of rogue casinos and warnings before depositing at a new casino.
Post in our forums to earn CLchips which can be used to buy real prizes in our CLchips shop.

usjros70
NewbieNewbie
Joined: 9 May 2010
Posts: 4
9 May 2010 - 8:43am
#3

The reason I bring this up is I went on a site today that claims a listing top 10 US casinos #1 was Silver Oak so I deposited there. Tonight was first time here. (Have deleted other casino sites from favorites list already) Obviously you would not even deposit at Silver Oaks much less say its #1.

auCL-Ed
StaffStaff
CL-Ed's picture
Location: Sydney
Joined: 7 Sep 2007
Posts: 10400
Thanks given: 6286
Thanks received: 5350
9 May 2010 - 11:30am
#4

Yes Silver Oak is an old casino that used to be owned by a guy called Warren Cloud who made millions ripping off players via his Crystal Palace group of casinos. Sadly the poor fellow died of a heart attack in in his 30s. We believe these old casinos were acquired, renamed and relaunched by another of the dodgiest casino groups in operation today (Virtual Casino group).

This sort of stuff can be hard to conclusively confirm though as the owners try very hard to hide their interests and cover their trails. Regardless, if you can't easily find out who owns or operates a casino then don't deposit your money there.

That's not to say you will definitely be ripped off by playing at Silver Oak. But the chances are high that if you have a decent win, you'll be made to wait for weeks or even months to be paid, or they will find a technicality to deny your winnings. We've sadly seen it happen so many times before with this group of casinos.

As to why casinos like that get listed in #1 positions by other sites... its always about the money.

Always play it safe! Consult our list of rogue casinos and warnings before depositing at a new casino.
Post in our forums to earn CLchips which can be used to buy real prizes in our CLchips shop.

usUsne
Jackpot Winner!Jackpot Winner!
Usne's picture
Joined: 19 Mar 2010
Posts: 725
Thanks given: 57
Thanks received: 83
9 May 2010 - 1:49pm
#5

Hiya jros,

Ed, makes a very good point, rogue casinos that are listed in the top are all about the Almighty Dollar. It is a good indicator of what forums are reliable and can be trusted and what forums aren't.

Actually there needs to be a blacklist for forums that highlight these rogue casinos, steering new players in the wrong direction. You have come to right place for good honest reviews.

I am sorry to hear you got steered in the wrong direction. It happens to alot of new players.

Good luck to you in the future!
Usne