INSIDECASINO.USWhich sources do we trust most?
We rank sources in this order:
- Statutes, constitutions, regulators and Attorney General statements.
- Law firm analysis and named legal summaries.
- Gaming trade press and national news.
- Commercial guides and trackers, used only as leads or marked as such in the text.
Many gambling guides earn money from casino referrals, so we treat them with care. When we rely on one, we name it in the text but do not link to it.
How do we research casino guides?
Each guide on bonuses, payments, games, sweepstakes and offshore casinos starts from the rules that apply: state regulations, regulator bulletins and federal law. Where an operator's own help pages explain a process, such as withdrawal times, we use them and name the operator. House edges in our game guides come from Wizard of Odds. Every guide lists its sources at the foot of the page.
How do we build brand profiles?
Our licensed casino profiles show where a brand appears on official state lists, and under which license holder. We read the New Jersey and Pennsylvania lists directly. Where a regulator's page would not load, as with Michigan's, the table says how we know.
Our sweepstakes casino profiles show who runs each site and the state actions that name it, such as cease-and-desist letters, lawsuits and settlements. We use official releases where we can read them, such as Tennessee's and Connecticut's. Operator names often come from trade trackers, and the page says so. A letter or lawsuit is an allegation, not a finding.
Licensed casino profiles also carry the InsideCasino Score, from a published formula. See how we rate online casinos. Sweepstakes, poker and slots profiles are not scored.
How do our calculators work?
The tools use simple, published formulas: the wagering calculator multiplies the bonus, or bonus plus deposit, by the requirement and divides by the game's contribution rate, then applies the house edge to find the average cost. The RTP calculator multiplies your total bets by the return to player. They use only the numbers you enter, and they show an average over many bets, not what will happen in one session.
What does "Last checked" mean?
"Last checked" is the date we reviewed the sources listed on a page, and read at least one official source or law firm analysis. It does not mean a regulator has reviewed our page, and it does not mean every fact came from an official source. The text says when a fact rests on a report we have not confirmed.
What does "Not yet checked" mean?
"Not yet checked" means the page relies only on secondary sources so far. Some regulator websites blocked our automated requests, and some states have no agency with a role in online casinos. We show the sources we used, and we will update the page once we have read an official one.
What do the sweepstakes labels mean?
- Banned by state law: a state law aimed at these sites has passed.
- State action or legal risk: a regulator, Attorney General or court case treats them as unlawful, or a general law is read to cover them.
- No specific law found: we found no law or enforcement aimed at them. This is not a finding that they are legal.
What happens when sources disagree?
We say so. New York's sweepstakes ban, for example, is dated December 5 or 8, 2025 in different reports, and our page gives both. Where we can't resolve a conflict over a figure, we leave the figure out.
How can you report an error?
Use our contact page. Tell us the page, the error and a source if you have one.