How we rate betting sites
Six weighted criteria, a score out of 5 and a strict rule: no licence notice, no ranking.
Every bookmaker on SlotsReviews gets a score out of 5 built from six criteria. Each criterion is marked from 0 to 10 using the operator's own published documents, the marks are weighted, and the weighted mean is halved to give one decimal out of 5. The same method applies to every operator, whether or not it has an affiliate agreement with the site.
The six criteria and their weights
| Criterion | Weight | What is checked |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | 25% | A provincial board licence named in the footer, with a number that can be matched to the board or the National Gambling Board register |
| Player protection | 20% | 18+ notices, the National Responsible Gambling Programme line, deposit limits, cooling-off and self-exclusion tools |
| Bonus terms | 15% | Whether rollover, minimum odds, expiry and eligible games are written down clearly |
| Payments | 15% | The range of local methods such as EFT, Ozow and vouchers, and whether payout times are published |
| Offer | 15% | Sports and racing markets, live betting, apps and the game lobby |
| Transparency | 10% | Company name, registration number, complete terms and reachable support |
What the score words mean
- 4.5 to 5.0: Excellent
- 4.0 to 4.4: Very good
- 3.3 to 3.9: Good
- 2.5 to 3.2: Fair
- below 2.5: Weak
A lower score does not always mean a worse bookmaker. Often it means the operator publishes less: if the terms that were read do not state payout times or bonus rules, the matching criterion cannot earn full marks.
Sources: documents, not test accounts
Scores come from what an operator publishes and what regulators list: terms and conditions, bonus rules, help centre pages, app store pages, footer licence notices, provincial board lists and the National Gambling Board register. The editors do not open accounts, deposit or play. That keeps every mark checkable by a reader who opens the same pages.
Unverified operators
A brand whose pages show no licence notice that can be matched to a provincial board is marked unverified. Its score is capped at 2.0, it never appears in a ranking and it never gets a button. If it has a review, the review says plainly that no licence notice was found. Offshore casino sites are not reviewed at all, because online casinos cannot be licensed in South Africa.
When scores change
Terms, bonuses and payment lists change often. When a document changes, the criterion is re-marked and the score recalculated. The date on each page shows when it was last checked.
Gambling is for people aged 18 and over. Help is on the responsible gambling page, and the full list of scored operators is in the reviews section and the licensed betting sites ranking.
Questions and answers
Why is licence weighted highest?
Because betting is legal online in South Africa only with a provincially licensed bookmaker. Everything else matters less if that is missing.
Can an operator ask for a higher score?
It can send corrected documents. A score moves only when a published document supports the change.
Are bonus sizes part of the score?
Not the size. The bonus terms criterion rewards clear, complete rules, not big headline numbers.