Casino Affiliate Sites

On the homepage of Top Choice Casinos I alluded to the fact that when you search for sites with information designed to help you make a choice of casino, you will find sites by affiliates. Affiliates can be one of 2 things: marketers or players. I've been playing online since 2004 - I've played well over 100 casinos now and I would only ever use a player-run site for recommendations: thankfully, spotting the difference for me takes no more than a few seconds. This page is designed to help you tell the difference between a site with genuinely useful information and one that's misleading.

Player Sites vs. Marketing Sites - The Telltale Signs

Whenever I see a casino site recommending brands like 888, Titan, Windows Casino, Spin Palace, Ladbrokes, Europa, Ace Kingdon, Casino Tropez, William Hill Casino Club (which is not run by Will Hill!) among others, I am immediately wary of that site's intentions. I've played all of these and it's true that some, like Ladbrokes for example, used to be very good. But while they all have good games and could be considered "safe", these are far, far removed from casinos like 32Red, BetVictor, Bet365, Genting and some of the others I have reviewed on this site. I know from experience that the latter casinos are very good. But not everyone will know that. So how can you tell?

1) The first sign is when a site majors on Signup Bonuses and offers. Especially too-good-to-be-true offers and promises of "free" money. Seasoned players know only too well that most of these are worthless traps, heavily weighed down by huge wagering and cash-out restrictions. A few could be termed "acceptable" but these will invariably be the lowball offers - under £100. All these huge bonuses are more of a hindrence than a help to a player looking to win and mor eimportantly, cash out!

2) The second sign is quite easy to spot too: in every casino review on a marketing site you will see how "great", "fantastic" or "amazing" it is! You'll never see a marketing bod say a casino is crap at something and even if they do try to hoodwink you, it will be something that 99% of players don't care about! A player's casino reviews will usually show a more balanced opinion!

3) The third sign is the constant use of the plural "we". "We think this" or "We recommend that". Players don't play in pairs - they play alone! Marketers work in teams, in businesses or for companies. These are the "we's" of this world!

The Information On Offer
A player will also impart information that you just won't ever get from a marketing bod. Cashout times, the ID (KYC) process, reverse withdrawal times explained (most don't even know what "reverse withdrawal" means yet it is one of the most important things for many players<. Check out the casino glossary for an explanation/em>). Even fundamental problems encountered while playing at a casino.

If you look at my Sky Vegas review for example, you'll see I hit a major problem with a big win that destroyed my trust in the casino and I haven't played since. You'd never see this on a marketing site!

More Recommended Player-Run Resources
If you can't quite find what you want here at Top Choice Casinos then I know some good player sites out there that you may find very useful, depending on what games you want. If you are a Slots fan, then Online Vegas Slots UK has to be the best site, although it does use terminology that more experienced players will appreciate. UK Players should head over to Online Casino UK which has reviews from me and another regular player on UK-focused casinos only.