Editorial standards

How we test & rate

No hype, no invented numbers. Here's exactly how our ratings are produced — and where the limits of any review honestly lie.

Testing a Plinko game

For every game we cover, we:

  • Verify the specs against the studio's own documentation and live game — RTP, max multiplier, row options, risk levels and release date. We don't copy numbers between sites.
  • Check the RTP in-game. Several Plinko titles (including BGaming's) ship with an operator-configurable RTP, so the headline figure isn't guaranteed. We open the game's info panel and record the actual value at the casino we're testing.
  • Play across Low, Normal and High risk to confirm the mechanics and get a feel for the shape of the payout distribution — how often small returns come versus the rare big hits.
  • Spot-check provably fair where supported: confirm the server-seed hash is committed before the round and that the revealed seed + client seed + nonce reproduce the result.

What hands-on play can and can't tell you

Playing a few hundred rounds shows you the distribution shape and session behaviour — it does not statistically confirm a published RTP percentage, because the variance is far too wide at that sample size. Anyone claiming to have "verified 99% RTP" over a few hundred drops is overstating it. We report what the maths and the provider state, and flag when a casino has set something different.

Rating a casino

Casino reviews run a heavier checklist:

  • Licence verification — we record the licence number and the operating company, and confirm it against the issuing register.
  • A real money run — registration, deposit, play and a withdrawal, so payout timing is measured, not guessed.
  • Bonus terms in full — wagering, max bet under bonus, and crucially how Plinko counts toward wagering (often 0%), which can quietly trap a deposit.
  • Payments, KYC and support — methods, limits, verification friction and response times.

How the score is built

Ratings are editorial and cannot be bought. We use a single 10-point scale; any 5-point star figure is simply the 10-point score halved (/10 = /5 × 2), never a separate number. Category scores are weighted toward what actually affects your money — value/RTP and fairness weigh more than cosmetics.

Affiliate disclosure

Some outbound "Play" links are commercial: if you sign up through them we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. These links are marked rel="sponsored" and are never a factor in any score or ranking. A casino cannot pay for a better rating, a higher position, or the removal of a criticism.

Corrections

If a figure is wrong or out of date, tell us at our contact page and we'll fix it. Meet the people behind the reviews on the team page.

18+ only. Gamble responsibly — see responsible gambling.