How We Rank Our Top Online Casinos for Real Money Sites Gambling
With so many options to choose from, how did we select the best ones? We made sure to be very objective during our selection process, ensuring that we only presented the options truly worthy of being on our list.
That’s why we have used the same criteria for every prospective online casino. In the following subsections, you’ll learn a little bit more about what it is exactly that we’re looking for under each factor:
Reputation, Credibility, and Trustworthiness
The terms reputation, credibility, and trustworthiness are three interlinked words that essentially answer this one question: “Is this online casino a scam or not?” Since real money is involved in the transaction, we try to rule out as many as possible options that seem untrustworthy.
To determine the score of each casino under this criterion, we ask the following questions:
- Does the site operator hold an e-gaming license?
- What is the general experience of existing players when using the site?
- How quickly can a user get their winnings?
- How long has the online casino been in Pakistan?
- How quickly does the management resolve issues?
- Are they certified or recognised by major industry institutions?
- Have they received any awards in the past?
- Do they have existing partnerships with software developers or other institutions within the online gambling industry?
Essentially, for the final criterion, we want to explore the existing relationships that the online casino has with its players and other entities within the industry.
Safety & Security
Because of the existing laws surrounding online casino gambling in Pakistan right now, security is largely defined by the adherence to standards set by international gambling regulations. This is a prerequisite for us to even consider a site for our list.
Of course, we still look into individual security features, like two-factor authentication, crypto payment and betting support, SSL encryption, passwordless signups, and more.
Bonus
For bonuses, both quantity and quality matter. Quantity simply refers to the number of promotions available. However, for quality, it’s a little more complicated. We look into:
- Fairness of the bonus terms and conditions
- Variety of the promotions
- Actual rewards that can be obtained.
The idea is for the bonuses to be both attractive and attainable to all the players using the site.
Game Variety
Game variety is important because different players like different things. Plus, it gives them room to explore as they become more familiar with online gambling. But when we talk about variety, we actually mean these two things:
- The number of game types available, such as slots, Roulette, Poker, and more.
- Featured versions of each game type, like Oasis, Hold’ Em, Triple Draw, and Omaha for Poker.
Of course, the entire gaming library would ideally be well-distributed among the various types.
Mobile-Friendly
Nowadays, people use mobile phones for basically everything. A lot of gambling activity happens on mobile as well, so it’s important that the gaming platform is mobile-optimised. But what does this really mean? Here are just some of the things that we look for:
- The user should be able to navigate the platform easily with just one hand.
- The icons and buttons are the right size so that they’re easy to tap.
- There should be no need to scroll horizontally to see the entire page.
- The pages should load quickly, even using mobile data.
- Ideally, there’ll also be an app so that players can enjoy a one-tap access to the platform.
Most importantly, the mobile version should still have all the functions and features that can be accessed from the desktop counterpart.
Deposit Options
Any casino should have a range of deposit options to allow players to use whatever is the most convenient for them. There should be a good mix of different kinds of payment methods, like bank transfers, e-wallets, payment vouchers, and cryptocurrencies.
Ideally, the minimum deposit required will be small as well. This would allow even players with a small budget to still enjoy the casino site.
Fast Payouts
For fast payouts, we looked into three things:
- Existing withdrawal methods, because some methods are faster than others
- Protocols before withdrawal, like random verifications
- Published processing times.
Essentially, the quicker that you get your money, the better!
Customer Service in Urdu or English
Ideally, an online casino will have both options to better accommodate more players. But apart from the language availability, we’re also looking into:
- Number of customer support options
- Transparency of information provided
- Expertise of agents responding to players
- Response and resolution times
Overall, customer service should respond to all potential concerns of users.
Is Online Gambling in Pakistan Legal?
Pakistan is under Sharia law, which considers the act of gambling as haram (forbidden). And since online casinos are platforms created for gambling, it is illegal in the country as well. The specific laws regulating gaming activities are the Public Gambling Act of 1867 and the Prevention of Gambling Houses Act of 1977.
Right now, anything that’s not specifically allowed by the government is illegal. However, this can only apply within the country. The Pakistani government can’t force operators outside the country to adhere to the same regulations.
However, as a player, you still need to be careful. Even though many people in the country gamble on a regular basis, it’s still highly illegal. The actual enforcement of the laws may be highly sporadic, but there’s still a real possibility of facing fines and even jail time.
History of Online Gambling in Pakistan
In the country, online gambling has always been something that’s frowned upon. As mentioned in the previous section, religion was part of it. However, that is far from the only thing that shaped the online gambling industry in the country today.
- Pre-Internet Era. Through the Public Gambling Act of 1867, Pakistan made most forms of gambling illegal. This law has been modified a few times over the years, but it still is the basic legal framework for what’s allowed and not allowed.
- Prevention of Gambling Houses Act of 1977. This law gave more power to enforcement so that the government could better regulate all gambling activities.
- The Introduction of Internet Gambling. As the internet becomes more accessible in the country, more Pakistanis engage in online gambling.
- Calls for Legalisation. Even though the country is still divided on whether or not to allow online gambling, there are calls to legalise it. They say it could help generate income and create jobs in the country.
How close is Pakistan to making gambling legal? It’s hard to say because there are powerful voices on both sides of the fence.
How to Choose the Best Online Casino in Pakistan
We’ve already provided you with a list of top casinos. Any of those options is great and is guaranteed to give you an amazing gaming experience. However, what if you want to search on your own?
The selection process will take a long time. But for every step, take the time to be truly objective. This ensures that what you choose will truly be the best fit for you. Below is our current process.
Step #1: Come Up with a List of Online Casinos to Evaluate
To do this, you’ll have to look at existing reviews, forums, social media sites, and everywhere else they may have a digital footprint. We suggest compiling a list on a service that makes it easy to manipulate data, like Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel.
But be warned: this process will take days if you really want to be thorough. Since you’re trying to find the best available online casino in the country, you’ll have to make sure that:
- You can access the site from your location; OR
- If the site is banned in the country, it allows the use of a VPN.
If you’re in a rush, we suggest starting off with the list we provided. By doing so, there’s little to no consequence in choosing the ‘wrong’ online casino.
Step #2: Finalise the Criteria That You Want to Use
This is very important because each casino should be assessed based on the same factors. So, decide which ones you want to use. If you don’t want to perform this process from scratch, you can use the same criteria we use.
Just remember, you don’t have to stick to that list as it is. To better personalise your results, you can add a few more factors. However, we don’t advise omitting anything from any criterion because all of those are necessary for a top online casino. Your overall gaming experience may suffer as a result.
At the end of the day, anything you want goes! Just know that any decision that you make at this point will have an impact on the final results.
Step #3: Assign Weights to Each Criterion
Since you’re trying to choose the best online casino for you, think about which criteria matter to you the most. That will be the focus here. Assigning weights means determining how valuable each factor is to the total score.
For example, let’s say that you only play slots. So, game variety isn’t that important for you. You can assign a 9% weight to it. It’s up to you how you’ll distribute the weight for as long as the total is 100%.
But before you move to the next step, make sure that the assigned weights make sense as a whole. For example, let’s say that security and game variety are the two most important factors for you. Does it justify, then, that the total weight for these two is 55%, leaving only 45% for the remaining factors?
Step #4: Create a Score System
Another way to create objectivity is through a score system. When you make one, make sure that it’s clear about:
- The score categories themselves. For example, the score range can be defined as Poor, Average, and Excellent. If you’re using a 100-base scoring, perhaps poor can be defined as a score from 0 to 30.
- What you’re looking for in each criterion. Essentially, just define the criterion itself. We already did this for you a few sections up, so you can start there.
- The requirements for every score category. The differences between Poor and Average, for example, must be defined. You may use both qualitative and quantitative measures as necessary.
Once done, you can use it as a guide while you’re testing. This will help keep you unbiased.
Step #5: Test and Assess All the Online Casinos
Now, we’re at the fun part! You’ll individually test and assess each online casino based on your established criteria and the scoring system that you created. Essentially, you’re going to scope out the casinos and gather information about them.
If there’s anything that you can’t find, feel free to contact their customer support. This gives you an opportunity to further assess their responsiveness and competence as well.
Step #6: Compute Their Final Scores and Identify the Highest Scorer
If you used Excel or Spreadsheets as we recommended, this part would be easy. You just need to multiply the score by the assigned weight. Then, add all the scores up for each casino.
Finally, find the casino with the highest score. Congratulations! You’ve found the best casino for you.
Summary
Choosing the best casino is no easy task. That’s why we have already included our top recommendations here as well. But if you want to do the search on your own, go for it! It can be a truly enriching experience as you explore and deepen your understanding of online gaming.
We hope that all the information here helps you in your search. Good luck!