How We Rate

Player safety, trust and security

Player safety is of utmost importance. Which is why we prioritize online casinos that have licenses from international gambling authorities, strong security measures and are able to protect their players from cyber attacks and fraud. To ensure a casino is up to standards, we check the following:

1. License from authorities

We will always advise you to only play at licensed casinos. Casinos that have a particular license, operate legally in their markets. They have to uphold strict standards regarding player safety, fair gaming practices, financial stability and transparency.

Examples of trusted gaming authorities are the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) and the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority (GRA).

2. Independently regulated

Licensed casinos must present verifiable evidence of regulation for security and fairness by respected authorities such as the abovementioned gambling authorities or an organization like eCOGRA. This is an independent regulator that audits the casino on the basis of certain certifications such as ISO and ISMS.

3. Effective SSL encryption

An SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption ensures that the transmission between your browser and the casino’s server remains confidential and cannot be intercepted by people or organizations with malicious intent. It’s important the casino has this type of encryption so your privacy and security is enhanced.

4. Transparency

Casinos should be able to demonstrate financial stability and transparency in their operation. This includes maintaining financial reserves to cover player winnings and liabilities, as well as reporting financial information to regulatory authorities.

Games and software

Games are the essence of every casino, without games there would be no casino. This is why we want our readers to be able to play the best titles from the best software providers in the market. To ensure this is exactly what you’re getting, we check the following:

1. Large variety of games

No player wants to make the effort to register to a casino, only to find out the game selection is limited. Which is why casinos should offer a large variety of games to ensure customer satisfaction. A variety in slots, table games, live casino games and game shows is key. The average casino has around 300 - 500 games, however, the top ranking casinos will have at least 700 games. A casino can get bonus points if they also offer sports betting.

2. Availability of progressive jackpots

Progressive jackpots belong to one of the most profitable casino games out there. 

Some of our favorites include Mega Moolah, Hall of Gods and the Jackpot King series. Besides a large variety in games, we would expect a casino to offer an array of jackpots with some serious prize money involved.

3. Free to play demo options

Free games give you the opportunity to try out new games, practice a certain strategy, get to know the rules and mechanisms, all without spending a single penny. To make sure you have the chance to try out games you are unfamiliar with, we check whether demos are available.

4. Game software from leading developers

A casino can stand out by offering games from all the best software developers. Not only because their games are popular among international players, but also because prominent game developers get all their games checked by either one of the many gambling authorities or an independent organization such as eCOGRA.

They do this to show you that the games have not been tampered with and are thus safe to play. Some of these trusted software companies are NetEnt, Playtech, Microgaming, Play’n Go and many more. Usually, a casino should offer games from at least 20+ different providers

5. Downloadable software

Most people will stray away from downloadable software as it can pose a risk to your computer or smartphone. Rest assured, if a casino offers a downloadable application for your phone in the App Store or Google Play store, it has already gone through a screening process. It’s easy to test whether a software is easy to install and isn’t harmful to your device. 

The casino needs to demonstrate that their downloadable software offers the same fun experience as on the non-downloadable version.

6. A smooth in-browser experience

For anyone who isn’t keen on downloading any applications or software onto their devices, it’s crucial the casino also offers a well-functioning online casino in a regular mobile or PC browser. This can be checked by looking at the website interface and UX. As long as the website runs smoothly without any notable errors, the casino will pass the test.

Bonuses and promotions

Let’s be honest, every single casino player loves a good bonus. Which is exactly why our experts will hunt down the internet for the best possible deals. Bonuses are compared and assessed against each other to find the ultimate promotion for you. Casinos with the best bonuses will comply with the following:

1. Welcome bonus

A welcome bonus can come in many forms, such as a deposit match, free spins, cashback or even a no-deposit bonus. The welcome bonus is the quintessential casino bonus across the world. We would advise you to only play at generous casinos that offer you a high-value welcome bonus. This shows some goodwill from the casino, and can help deliver you a fantastic player experience.

We will figure out whether a bonus is profitable by running it through some basic calculations. This helps us see if an offered bonus will actually make you money, or not…

2. Fair terms & conditions

This is key for any bonus. Bonuses with ridiculous terms and conditions will never be recommended by us. Bonus terms and conditions are checked and judged based on their fairness, unnecessary jargon and any additional rules like a ridiculously high wagering requirement. This will ensure you don’t get lost in the fine print and get all the information in one place.

3. Bonus diversification

We believe that bonuses shouldn’t be just for new players. Luckily, casinos don’t think this either - as they want to create brand loyalty and tie their players to their brand. It’s important the casino offers multiple different bonuses for both new- and existing players.

It’s also worth noting that Habibibet keeps an eye out for any changes of the bonuses, and whether a casino often publishes new types of promotions.

4. VIP & loyalty rewards

Besides sick bonuses, a proper casino will also have some type of VIP- or loyalty program. These kinds of programs will help you get extra ‘points’ that can build up to a bonus or other perks. Besides earning credit, some casinos might offer special high roller bonuses for players that deposit a lot of money.

We can check what layers the VIP-program has and if these are attainable for regular players.

Payment methods, banking and money

It’s all about the money! You want to be able to withdraw your winnings easily without any obstacles in the way. Which is exactly why it’s important to do your research beforehand. Casinos that have their business in order will be able to offer you 10 or more payment methods, and should always provide the most popular payment methods such as credit cards and PayPal. We will rate tested casinos based on whether they tick the following boxes:

1. Easy deposit process

As part of the review process, we check whether a casino is offering enough different payment methods and if they’re easy to use. We are mainly alert on accessibility to local payment methods, accepted currencies, the presence of any customer complaints relating to deposits and if there is a minimum deposit requirement.

2. Security levels

Securing and encrypting online payments should be part of a casino's standard practice. All payments should be made via trusted and secure partners such as Visa, Mastercard and Paypal. This should go hand-in-hand with a high level of encryption and the casino shouldn’t ask for more personal details than necessary. 

3. Fast withdrawals

Every casino should strive for fast or even direct withdrawals. To ensure casinos really live up to their promises we do an actual withdrawal with several payment methods, and time how quick the process actually is.

4. Speedy processing

Fast withdrawals are not only dependent on the withdrawal method you are using. It also depends on how fast a casino processes your winnings for release and how fast the casino approves your withdrawal. We like to see casinos that stay true to their word and have exceptional processing.

5. A fair RTP

The casino should offer a reasonable payout rate by checking the average RTP of all games. We know that the RTP for table games is lower than slots, so these are tested in their own categories to avoid unequal comparisons. You should be able to find the return to the player for any game without any issues. If you cannot find this, the casino isn’t being honest and transparent with you, and we’d recommend not playing there.

Customer care

Customer care is one of the most vital parts of a casino, and this is also how a casino can get in our good books. Whilst reviewing a casino, we are happy to see the availability of several support channels that are accessible 24/7. A casino can pass our test if they comply with the following:

1. Data protection

Any chats, phone calls or emails should be encrypted and cannot fall into the wrong hands. Prioritize casinos that have an SSL certificate and take serious data protection measures to ensure your data and money is safe with them.

2. Safety and wellbeing

It is important that a casino has your best interests in mind. This also means offering any support when problematic playing behavior is being observed. The casino should promote responsible gambling and implement general wellbeing features to offer genuine help to anyone who needs it. If you or someone you know show signs of problem gambling, we urge you to seek help immediately.

3. Easy access to support

24/7 access via several support channels is our preference. We find the best casinos offer support via email, phone, live chat and an extensive FAQ. Some other rare forms of support would include text messaging or social media. Customer support should be able to resolve your problem within 24 hours.

4. Speedy and informed solutions

Having multiple support channels doesn’t equal fast responses. Which is exactly why we will test how quick we get a solution to our problem via the several support channels. Not only should they be able to solve your problem, they should be able to do it in your own language.

Mobile

According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), there were more than 8.58 billion mobile subscriptions worldwide. Due to the importance of mobile devices, Habibibet will examine the casino via an Android and an iOS device to ensure usability and a pleasant user experience on both major operating systems.

5. Optimization for the smaller screen

Habibibet can test the quality of playing on mobile devices differing in screen size and resolution. We want to observe a smooth website or app that gives the same experience as playing on a PC would. We’ll keep an extra eye out for any special bonuses reserved for mobile players.

6. Solid app experience

Bigger players in the casino industry will have downloadable software in the form of a mobile application available. The app will be investigated with the same vigor as the PC-version would be. Features we focus on are speed, lay-out and the game portfolio.

Localization

The casino industry is a worldwide industry and you will be able to play at an enormous amount of different casinos. Especially for our readers on Habibibet, localization should deserve some emphasis. Localization means that the content of the casino is adapted to you! We write for readers from North-African and the Middle-Eastern countries, meaning this is more relevant than ever.

To accurately assess each casino in terms of localization, our team consists of people from different countries and language backgrounds.

Top-tier casinos prioritize delivering personalized user experiences, catering to customers regardless of their location. This entails casinos offering their services and games in multiple languages of which one should be Arabic, currencies and adhere to local legislation where applicable. This should help players to navigate the platform comfortably.

How we analyze the data

After gathering all the data, we need to quantify the information to be able to bring you a final score. We do this by using several methods:

Coding

To be able to draw any conclusions, we need to quantify the qualitative data we’ve gathered by doing basic research. The easiest way to do this is by ‘coding’ the data in an excel sheet. This simply involves breaking down the data into discrete parts and labelling these parts with codes. Consequently, we can group these into categories, themes and or patterns. When this is done, we can generate quantifiable information by merely counting the frequency of each code.

Now we can see what positive and negative things we’ve found about the casino and with what frequency, so we know exactly how much weight we should give it in our scoring system.

Wilson Score Interval

The Wilson Score Interval is a statistical method that helps us identify the amount of positive reviews compared to negative ones. With only a limited number of reviews available, this method allows us to provide a more accurate representation and show an overall accepted rating by a larger demographic - all based on data!

Bayesian Averages

Let’s say you want to rate a movie. You ask your friends to rate it out of 10. But here is the problem: you don’t trust all your friends to give the most accurate ratings. Some might be way too harsh, while others might always give super high scores.

This is where Bayesian Averages come in. This method helps us combine all the different ratings in a smarter way, giving more weight to the ones we trust more (and vice versa). This way we can give much more accurate ratings of the casinos we examine.

Item Response Theory

IRT involves a bunch of mathematics that we will not bore you with, however, this is a useful method to understand how players interact with a game. 

Item response theory helps us figure out how skilled players are in a game by taking into account how easy or difficult a certain game is. IRT doesn’t just look at whether you win or lose, it also looks at how you overcome certain challenges in the game. This in turn helps us to understand if the game is fair or if certain parts need tweaking.

Cluster Analysis

This simply involves us grouping similar casinos and sportsbooks together to be able to recommend certain casinos to a group of players. This is how we organize our listings on Habibibet based on different casino features.

Predictive Modeling

Predictive modeling is a process that is used to - as you might guess - to predict future outcomes. At Habibibet we use this to figure out how successful a new online casino might be among our readers. This in turn will help us give the casino a more accurate rating based on how the user experience can fluctuate over time.

How we give scores

Score	What it actually means
4.8 to 5	The casino surpassed all our expectations and was outstanding in every aspect possible. We would recommend playing at this casino.
4.1 to 4.7	This casino exceeded our expectations and performed exceptionally well.
3.5 to 4.0	The casino meets our expectations adequately. It’s a good casino, but we have seen better as well.
3.0 to 3.4	The casino was mediocre. It had some redeeming qualities, but also had some noticeable limitations. We do not recommend playing here, unless you have no other choices available to you.
3.0 and below	The casino fell significantly short of expectations. It has some serious flaws and/or is of poor quality. We do not recommend playing here.

What happens when a casino doesn’t meet our rating guidelines?

If a casino is not able to meet our expectations, it will be reflected in their rating. If a casino is extremely poor, we might consider putting it on a blacklist, solely with casinos we do not recommend.

Casinos that are on this blacklist have the following features in common:

• Unjustified closing of account and/or withholding of funds/winnings.

• Unresponsive or poor customer service.

• Slow processing of winnings and withdrawals.

• Lack of site security.

• Difficulties claiming and receiving bonuses.

How to play safely at online casinos for Arab players

1. Use a VPN

VPNs will protect your personal identity and browsing activity. Meaning it is impossible to track the player in the online casino. Our personal favorites are ExpressVPN, NordVPN and CyberGhost VPN.

2. Check site security

We’ve mentioned this before, but please make sure you play on sites that have proper security in place. This includes - but is not limited to - SSL certificate, security policies are in place including encryption protocols and data protection measures.

3. Gamble responsibly

To avoid reckless playing behavior, hold yourself to a set of rules:

1. Set a playing time and certain loss limits before you start playing;

2. Play with money you can afford to lose;

3. Don’t chase your losses;

4. Play for fun;

5. Don’t gamble under the influence of substances;

6. Don’t chase rewards given out by level.

How to get listed on Habibibet?

Do you want more players to visit your site? If you are a casino but you haven’t seen your brand on our site yet? We’re always looking for new casino’s to join the Habibibet-crew to give our readers the best and newest casino options.

As soon as we’ve been contacted by a casino, the first step of our partnership is to fill out a form with key information about the brand and how they operate. We will check licenses and thoroughly review the general terms and conditions and all other policy documents. This way we can set-up a comprehensive review and establish a solid partnership.

Contact Us

If you have questions about our reviews, games or content, or just want to leave some feedback, the Habibibet team would love to hear it from you. 

You can contact us any time by email (hello@habibibet.com)  or filling up the form found at our Contact Us page and we will get back to you within 48 hours.