How we rate betting operators: 9 checks, no star scores

Why not stars

A 4.5 out of 5 hides more than it shows. It does not tell you whether the 0.5 is missing because withdrawals are slow or because nobody looked. A count of verified checks keeps that difference visible: "3 of 9 verified" means six things are still open, and the page lists which ones.

The 9 checks

The four statuses

• Verified - we saw a primary source and cite it on the page, with the date we read it.
• Partial - part of the answer is confirmed. For example, the payment terms are published but the deposit has not been made yet.
• Pending - the check needs our own account, or the only source sits on an operator site that blocks our location. Nothing is assumed.
• Fail - a primary source shows a problem, such as a licensee name that does not match the register or an app withdrawn from the Irish store.

Own account test protocol

Several checks can only be answered by opening an account the way a reader would. The protocol is the same for every operator:

1. Registration - open an account from Ireland, note every field and document requested and the time from start to a usable account.
2. Deposit - deposit with an Irish method (an Irish-issued debit card or a transfer from an Irish bank account) and record fees and the time until the balance shows.
3. Withdrawal - request a withdrawal and time it from request to money received, noting any pending period or reversal option.
4. Verification - list the KYC documents asked for and at which step: photo ID, proof of address, source of funds.
5. Support - send one written question and time the first useful human reply.

We plan to re-check every operator page every 3 months, and sooner if the register changes. A licence that is surrendered, suspended or expires turns the licence check to fail on the next update.

Source hierarchy

When sources disagree, the higher one wins:

1. GRAI register - licence number, holder, activity and dates.
2. Operator terms and help centre - commission, limits, payment rules, where we can read them. Operator sites that block our location are marked "not confirmed by us yet".
3. Apple App Store data for the Irish storefront - app seller, version, update date, rating.
4. News and reference - RTE, The Irish Times, Racing Post, SBC News and iGaming Business for context and dates; Great British Racing for racing rules such as place terms. None of them overrules the register.

Affiliate sites are not a source. If a number appears only there, it does not appear here.

Disagreements are reported, not smoothed over. The Matchbook iOS app lists Xanadu Consultancy Limited as seller, while the GRAI licence is held by Triplebet Limited. Both names are printed on our page; we do not guess how the two companies relate.

Customer reviews. Until our own account test is done, review pages also show what customers report: we take the 200 most recent Trustpilot reviews of a brand and count stars, countries and the topics of complaints and praise. Reviews sit below every other source: they show where problems cluster, but they never move a check to verified or to fail.