Every Trust Score on GamblingCompass is calculated from real, verifiable data using a published formula. This page explains exactly how we do it — nothing is hidden.
GamblingCompass earns zero revenue from operators. No operator can pay to improve their score, buy a higher ranking, or remove negative signals. The Trust Score is a purely data-driven analysis. Claiming or verifying a listing contributes only to the Transparency component — and only marginally.
The Trust Score is a number from 0–100, calculated from four components. Each component is weighted differently depending on whether the operator has enough community votes to be statistically meaningful.
Community votes carry less weight when there aren't enough of them to be statistically meaningful. A single upvote shouldn't make an operator look better than a well-licensed one with strong public sentiment.
The raw democratic signal. Registered GamblingCompass players cast one vote per operator — upvote or downvote. The component score is simply:
Minimum 5 votes required for this component to carry its full 40% weight. Below that threshold, the formula rebalances to rely more on license quality and public sentiment. Players can see the raw vote count on every operator card.
Gambling licenses are issued by regulators with different standards. We score each license body based on the strictness of their player protection requirements, financial security obligations, and enforcement history.
Operators holding multiple strong licenses receive a small bonus. An operator with both UKGC and MGA scores slightly higher than one with UKGC alone. License numbers are verified against public regulator registers where available.
We use AI to analyze publicly available player discussions about each operator. Sources include Reddit (r/gambling, r/onlinegambling, r/casinoreview, r/sportsbook), gambling forums, and news coverage.
The AI identifies positive signals (fast withdrawals, responsive support, fair bonus terms) and negative signals (withdrawal delays, account closures, KYC complaints, bonus abuse accusations) and produces a sentiment score from 0–100.
Important: Sentiment analysis is clearly labeled on operator pages with source counts and a summary of what was found. We do not claim this data is exhaustive — it reflects what is publicly discussable at the time of analysis. Scores are updated periodically.
Operators who are transparent about their business get a higher score. This component rewards completeness and engagement, not size or prestige.
Strong licenses, positive community sentiment, few complaints. Generally considered safe.
Solid fundamentals with some mixed signals. Worth researching before depositing.
Notable negative signals — weaker licensing, complaints, or poor sentiment. Proceed carefully.
Significant red flags. Poor license or unlicensed, negative player sentiment, complaint patterns.
Trust Scores are recalculated when new community votes are cast and periodically refreshed to update public sentiment analysis. The date of last update is shown on each operator page. Scores are not updated in real-time — they reflect a snapshot of available data at the time of analysis.
Have a question about the methodology, spotted an error, or want to suggest an improvement?
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