Yes, people should definitely do their research before depositing money at a casino. The problem is, there’s no truly reliable review site where that research can be done. Affiliate sites like AskGamblers or Casino Guru tend to rate casinos highly based on how much those casinos pay them. It usually takes an overwhelming number of player complaints—or more likely, issues with the affiliate not getting paid—before they reduce a casino’s rating.

Trustpilot is also flooded with fake reviews. You can safely assume that any casino with a rating over 3.5 is probably bolstered by fake feedback. While a low rating is a red flag, a decent rating doesn't guarantee the site is trustworthy either.

Reading the Terms of Service doesn’t help much either, since most casinos include clauses allowing them to change the terms at any time without notice. Some actually use this to avoid paying players. Others simply ignore their own terms altogether.

Even having an active ANN thread with no player complaints is no assurance. Just look at the recent case of Betkin, which went silent a month ago with my money—essentially an exit scam.

Blackjack.fun also has a somewhat active thread, yet they’ve been holding my funds hostage for months without providing any updates. Support and staff have completely ignored all of my inquiries.

Bets.io uses excessive KYC procedures to delay payments, even for relatively small amounts like a few thousand dollars. They require ID, proof of address, source of funds, and multiple video calls—often with weeks or even a month between each step.

Rakebit will pay you out as long as you lose more than you win. But the moment you win big and try to withdraw, they’ll claim a “system malfunction,” confiscate your winnings, and start ignoring you altogether.

Even BTC Gosu, which is often referred to as one of the most trustworthy review sites, gives these casinos average ratings of 3–4 out of 5—essentially implying they’re safe to play on.

What I’m saying is: no amount of due diligence will truly protect you from scams at sites like these. The only real way for a player to reduce the risk of getting scammed is by sticking to the largest and most reputable platforms.