The fake casino checklist
Twelve yes-or-no checks, about ten minutes, no special tools. Run them top to bottom on any casino you have not played at before. Written against the tricks players reported to us through August 2026. Every no is a point against the site. Two or more, walk away.
License, five minutes
- The site names a specific regulator and shows a license number, not just the word licensed.
- That license number appears in the regulator's own register, checked on the regulator's site, not through the casino's seal. Our verification guide lists the registers.
- The register entry lists this exact domain. A real license for casino-example.com does not cover casino-example.vip.
- The company name in the site's terms matches the company name in the register entry.
Domain and site, three minutes
- You typed the address yourself or used your own bookmark, not a sent link.
- The domain reads clean. No swapped letters, no added words like official, win or app bolted onto a known brand name.
- Deep pages work. Responsible gambling page, complaints page and full terms all load and belong to this site, not to some other casino.
- Promotions carry current dates. A front page pushing a tournament that ended months ago means the site was copied, not maintained.
Games and money, two minutes
- Game tiles open real games from named providers, not screenshots that jump straight to the deposit page.
- Withdrawal rules are published with concrete timeframes and limits, and no clause mentions any fee to release winnings.
- Deposit methods include regulated options, not a lone crypto wallet address.
- Support answers a specific question, such as which company operates this site, with a specific answer.
Scoring honestly
The checklist works only if a no counts as a no. The most common way players talk themselves into a scam is by explaining away a failed check because the bonus is generous or a friend vouched for the site. Copied sites pass the eye test, that is their whole trade. They fail registers, deep pages and dates, which is exactly what these twelve questions probe.
A site that passes all twelve can still disappoint you. It is real though, regulated and answerable to someone. What to do when a check fails, and where each register lives, is covered in where to verify a casino.