How We Review Bookmakers

Every bookmaker on reviews.bet is scored on the same six categories. The weights reflect what matters most to bettors in South Asia and Africa: fair prices and being able to get your money out come first, a flashy bonus comes last.

• Odds & Markets25 points

  Margins on football and cricket match odds, depth of markets, live betting coverage and how often limits are imposed on winning players.

• Payments & Withdrawals20 points

  Local methods in our markets (UPI, bKash, M-Pesa, Opay and others), minimum amounts, fees and how long a withdrawal really takes.

• Safety & Licensing20 points

  Who holds the licence, where the company is registered, complaint history and whether player funds are protected.

• Mobile App15 points

  Speed and stability of the app and mobile site, how easy it is to install in each country, and whether every feature works on a phone.

• Bonuses & Promotions10 points

  The real value of the welcome offer once wagering, minimum odds and time limits are applied. A big headline number with harsh terms scores low.

• Customer Support10 points

  Live chat availability, response time, languages and whether support can actually solve an account or payment problem.

The total out of 100 becomes the star rating you see on every card: 100 points is 5.0 stars, 90 points is 4.5 stars. The full breakdown is shown on each review page so you can weigh the categories your own way.

A score is only as good as the test behind it. For each bookmaker we:

1. Open a real account from one of our target countries and complete identity verification, noting every document requested and how long approval took.
2. Deposit with at least two local payment methods and record the minimum amount, any fee and how fast the money appeared.
3. Place bets across football, cricket and one niche sport, comparing the odds on the same events with three other bookmakers on the same day.
4. Request a withdrawal to the same method we deposited with and time it from request to money received.
5. Install the Android app (and the iOS app where it exists), test live betting, cash out and streaming on a mid-range phone on mobile data.
6. Contact support with a real account question through live chat and email, and time the reply.

We also read the full bonus terms, the licence register entry and public complaint threads before a word of the review is written.

Most bookmakers available in our markets hold an offshore licence, usually from Curaçao, Anjouan or Kahnawake. These licences offer far less protection than a UK or Maltese licence, and our safety score says so. We check the operating company on the regulator's public register, note when a licence changed hands, and record court cases, regulator fines and unpaid-winnings complaints.

Where a bookmaker also holds a national licence in a country we cover, for example in Nigeria or Kenya, the review says which entity is licensed and what that means for a local player.

Facts we could not verify against an official source are marked as unverified in our data and are re-checked at the next review.

reviews.bet earns a commission when a reader opens an account through one of our links. That is how the site is funded, and it does not change what we write. Our rules:

• A bookmaker cannot buy a score, a position in a ranking or the removal of a criticism.
• Rankings are ordered by score. Two bookmakers with the same score are ordered by the date of their last test.
• Bookmakers that have no affiliate programme are reviewed with exactly the same method and can rank first.
• The editor who tests a bookmaker is not involved in commercial discussions with it.
• Every outbound link is marked as sponsored and goes through our own server, so we can count clicks without changing the bookmaker's link.

If you believe a review is wrong, tell us. Corrections are made in the review with a note of what changed.

Bookmakers change their offers, payment methods and even their licences without notice. Each review shows the date it was last tested. We re-test every bookmaker at least twice a year and immediately after any of these events:

• a change of licence or operating company
• a new welcome offer or a change to its terms
• a local payment method being added or withdrawn
• a pattern of new complaints about withdrawals
• a change in the law of one of the countries we cover

Can a bookmaker pay for a better score?

No. Commercial deals never change a score, the order of a ranking or the wording of a review. Editors who write a review do not negotiate affiliate terms.

Why do you review bookmakers that are not licensed in my country?

Many of our readers already use offshore bookmakers. We think an honest account of the risks, the licence and the payment reality is more useful than silence, and every country page states the local legal position.

How is the star rating calculated?

The six category scores add up to a total out of 100, which is divided by 20 to give a rating out of 5. A 4.5 star bookmaker scored 90 or more points.

How often is a review updated?

Every review carries a last-tested date. We re-test at least every six months, and sooner when a bookmaker changes its licence, its welcome offer or its payment methods.