It’s easy to be tempted by the flashy graphics or tasty bonuses of a casino, but playing at a provider without a reputable licence can be really dangerous.
Doing so can leave your financial details and any money you stake at risk, as you won’t have a licensing body to protect you.
I always make sure to do my due diligence when checking out a new casino to ensure it has a reputable licence, like that from the UKGC, which proves it takes security and responsible gambling for Mancunians seriously.
However, it can be a little time-consuming to comb through the options and check their licence number one by one, which is why affiliate sites are really handy. Just as you can’t pluck any random casino and start playing, you can’t blindly select an affiliate without doing a little research first.
What to Look Out for in a Top Affiliate Site
I recommend that you look at the following things when you’re evaluating whether or not to use an affiliate site.
- Team Expertise: The team behind an affiliate site is probably the biggest thing that determines whether or not you’ll get top recommendations. I look out for specific information in their profile like their former roles or education—which tells me about their experience in the industry.
- Range of UKGC Casinos: There needs to be a wide range of UKGC licensed casinos to choose from on the site; they should be simple to locate and clear that they have a licence from the UKGC.
- Selection Process: An affiliate site should separate the wheat from chaff to make sure players are choosing from the very best casinos out there. In order to do that, there needs to be a thorough selection process in place that looks at all of the things that matter to players.
- Player Feedback: Before I buy a product, I always check out what other users have to say about it. The same goes for affiliate sites, where it’s also important to check out reviews from other players to see what they have to say about their recommendations.
So, now that we know what to evaluate at each of the affiliate sites, let’s see how a selection of the top options compares. I gave each site a mark out of five stars, depending on how much I’d recommend using them.
So, now that we know what to evaluate at each of the affiliate sites, let’s see how a selection of the top options compares. I gave each site a mark out of five stars, depending on how much I’d recommend using them to Manchester locals.
1. CasinoTopsOnline: The Very Best, 4.9/5 Stars
CasinoTopsOnline sits at the very top of our tree, after putting in a strong performance over everything we examined. To start, it was great to see that they’re committed to only working with casinos that have a reputable licence from the likes of the UKGC. This made finding the UKGC casinos on offer as simple as can be, as all of the ones I checked out on their site have the licence I was looking for. My only niggle would be that it would be helpful if they displayed the licence badges on their toplist, just to make it easier to spot!
If you like having a lot of options to choose from, CasinoTopsOnline could be a good option for you. I was able to find over 400 UKGC licensed casinos all of which were selected by their expert team, who have over 50 years of combined experience!
The real standout of their team is Giuseppe Faraone one of the most trusted voices in the industry, thanks to his decade of experience and specialist knowledge of regulations.
Where Does CasinoTopsOnline Shine?
While most affiliate sites cover things like payment methods, bonuses, and games when reviewing and recommending casinos, CasinoTopsOnline has gone a step further in creating TopsRank. This is their unique formula that takes into account all the factors that matter to players, and it uses a delicate weighting to balance the most important.
TopsRank means that CasinoTopsOnline only selects casinos that are very strong performers overall across things like safety, games, design, bonuses, games, and more. It was also really handy that they explained ratings fluctuate as they constantly review their scores. There were lots of reviews from other players highlighting the “well-selected” casinos and that “rankings seem fair and well-researched”, so you don’t have to just take my word for it!
2. AskGamblers: Good Choice, 4.5/5 Stars
AskGamblers is another affiliate that offers Mancunians a lot of choice when it comes to UKGC-licensed casinos. I was able to find over 300 options, with an impressive variety when it came to things like payment methods and bonuses.
For those on a budget, it’s the place to go, as I was able to find quite a few different no deposit and low deposit options.
I saw a lot of reviews mentioning how helpful the team behind AskGamblers are and praising their recommendations. For example, Bikila mentioned that it has a “lively atmosphere” with “friendly staff”.
Having researched the team myself, I would have to echo this praise as they have decades of combined experience, including working at some of the top names in the industry. I thought Petar Mitrovic was the most helpful member when it came to regulation, given his five years in the industry and expertise in the rules surrounding casinos.
It was also really pleasing to see how selective AskGamblers is when it comes to choosing the casinos on their site. Similarly to CasinoTopsOnline, they have their own formula that they call ‘CasinoRank’, which allows them to consider everything that matters to players and pick only the best casinos. I do think they could take a leaf out of CasinoTopsOnline’s book and be more specific about what goes into their formula, though (as they only include general factors like ‘Casino Details’).
Why did AskGamblers Lose Half a Mark?
The only annoying thing I found about using AskGamblers is that their toplist is lacking a lot of the information that I find helpful. It simply lists the different casinos and gives their expert rating, whereas other sites include more details, such as the top bonus, licence, and payment methods. I prefer to have a more detailed toplist than the one at AskGamblers, so I can find the right casino for me at a glance.
3. Bojoko: Easy to Navigate, 4.2/5 Stars
It took me a matter of seconds to locate the UKGC licensed casinos on offer at Bojoko through their individual section under ‘Casinos by Category’. Although they don’t have quite as many options as the two other affiliates—with 207 casinos to choose from—I still think that’s more than enough for every Manchester player to find the perfect casino for them. Just like CasinoTopsOnline, Bojoko only works with reputable licensed casinos—showing how much they prioritise player safety in their casino offering.
I saw a lot of reviewers mentioning that Bojoko is a really “user-friendly” platform, which is clearly run by players who know what they’re talking about.
That certainly aligns with my experience of Bojoko, whose team has decades of industry experience. Ville Saari was one of the team members who stood out as a prominent voice in the industry, given his years of experience and background in statistics.
The thing I have the most praise for at Bojoko is their super detailed toplist, which I think the other two sites could learn from! It featured everything I needed to know like the top bonus, minimum deposit, number of games, and payment methods available at each of the casinos.
It was great to not have to read through a really lengthy review to find the right casino for me. Instead, I could pick purely based on their toplist, which shows just how handy it is!
Why is Bojoko at the Bottom of Our List?
While all that sounds great, Bojoko does fall short in some other areas specifically, their rating guidelines. To put it simply, they don’t have the same level of thoroughness or sophistication in their approach that the two other affiliates do.
They only consider five factors: bonuses, payments, games, customer support, and usability.Their guidelines don’t have a separate page with more details about what they look for. If Bojoko wants to improve its score, it’ll have to put some considerable effort into improving its selection process.
Which is the Best Site for Finding UKGC Casinos?
From my experience, I would say that CasinoTopsOnline is your best bet when it comes to finding UKGC-licensed casinos. There are loads to choose from, and it’s really reassuring to know that the expert team only works with casinos with a reputable licence!
The thing that really leaps out at you when using CasinoTopsOnline is the quality of all of the casinos included on their site and that’s down to their unique TopsRank formula and highly experienced team. When I used their site, I knew I was choosing from the very best selection of UKGC casinos out there and had all of the necessary information to make the right casino selection for me.
Featured Image Credit: Javon Swaby via Pexels
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