◆ Methodology

Methodology

This page explains how Pawsawayboardingkennels decides which online casinos enter our comparison of 9 brands, and why some never make it. Australian players face a confusing market. Real-money online casino services are not licensed domestically under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, and many sites aimed at Australians operate from overseas. Before we recommend anything, we check who runs the site, which regulator oversees it, how bonuses really work, how withdrawals behave in practice, and which tools help players keep their play under control. Publishing the method lets readers judge our conclusions for themselves.

The six areas we score

Our step-by-step review process

1. Confirm the operator's identity. We start by finding the legal entity behind the brand, its registered address and its licence details. If we cannot match the brand to a named company and a verifiable licence, the review stops at this step.
2. Read every policy document. We read the general terms, bonus terms, privacy policy and responsible gambling page in full. We flag clauses that let the operator void winnings on broad grounds, change terms without notice, or charge dormant account fees.
3. We review each site's terms, licences, payment methods and public reviews before it is listed or re-scored. A team member registers as an ordinary player would, using genuine details. We note how long sign-up takes, what information is requested, and whether marketing consent boxes are pre-ticked or easy to decline.
4. Complete identity verification. We go through the KYC process and record which documents are requested, how they are uploaded and how long approval takes. Clear, early verification is better than surprise requests that appear only when a withdrawal is pending.
5. Deposit with local methods. We make small deposits using methods relevant to Australian players and check for fees, currency conversion and processing time. We confirm that the amount credited matches the amount sent and that the cashier explains its limits plainly.
6. Play across game types. We spend time on pokies, table games and live dealer tables, checking load times, stability and whether game rules and RTP information are easy to find. We stake small amounts and treat this as testing, not as an attempt to win.
7. Test a bonus honestly. Where it makes sense, we claim a welcome or reload offer and track wagering progress against the stated terms. We note whether the progress tracker is accurate and whether the restrictions match what the promotion page promised.
8. Request a withdrawal. We cash out through the available methods and log each stage with dates. Delays, unexplained reversals and new document demands all go into the review. A site that pays slowly but communicates clearly is treated differently from one that goes silent.
9. Question customer support. We ask support specific questions about bonuses, limits, verification and self-exclusion, then compare the answers with the written terms. Friendly but wrong answers count against a site, because players rely on them when making decisions.
10. Editorial review and sign-off. Rebecca Lawson writes up the findings. One of our editors, James Whitfield, Sophie Nguyen or Daniel O'Connor, then checks each claim against the evidence and screenshots. Only after that review is a brand placed or moved within our comparison of 9 brands.

What we pay special attention to

• We measure withdrawal times from the moment of the request to the moment funds arrive, not by the times a casino advertises.
• We look closely for clauses that cap winnings or allow an operator to confiscate a balance on vague grounds.
• We check maximum bet rules during wagering, because they are easy to break by accident and are often used to void bonus winnings.
• We confirm that responsible gambling tools are available before the first deposit and that players can set them without contacting support.
• We compare what support agents tell us with what the written terms actually say, and we record any differences.

A casino scores lower if we find

• A licence that cannot be verified on the regulator's public register lowers a score immediately and can remove a brand from consideration.
• Undisclosed fees on withdrawals, currency conversion or inactive accounts lead to a lower rating.
• Bonus terms that are hidden, unclear or changed after a player has claimed the offer count heavily against a site.
• Repeated document requests that appear designed to delay payouts lower a score even when the money eventually arrives.
• The lack of a clear self-exclusion route, or promotional pressure on players who have set limits, results in a lower rating.

How reviews get updated

Online casinos change their terms, payment options and ownership more often than most players realise. We revisit each of the 9 brands on a regular schedule, and also whenever something significant happens, such as a licence change, new bonus terms, a shift in withdrawal behaviour or a pattern of reader reports. Each review shows the date it was last checked. When a re-test changes our view, we update the score and the text together and explain what changed, rather than quietly adjusting the ranking.

Corrections & updates → · Rebecca Lawson →