Reading reviews on review sites is not that bad as it can be used as additional information, usually I do not look at the good things but I prefer to look at the negative opinions then I do do more exploration on other review sites or I check it myself on the casino.
I really like that you said that you prefer to look at the negative opinions.
Those people who give negative reviews in my estimation are the real deal. There are honest negative reviews that is borne out of a need for the casino to improve based on the user experience and there is the one that is borne of hatred meant to bring the casino down. The last one is not good. The first one is like the review which if a casino looks at they can improve on their services.
I also trust what people say on forums more than reading reviews on review websites. Well, the reason is sometimes we don't know if the review is true or just a paid post. Not all review websites are like that but for me the assessment of people on forums is more reliable even though it is subjective. We can read posts from reputable members or members who only gamble. I still won't trust 100% with any review even if it is a post on a forum. But so far the assessment from the forum is quite accurate.
Yes, I think that the forum is better than most of those review sites. I think that the presence of the reps from those casinos makes it even more legit. And there are so many people here who you can trust are not bots that are giving reviews unlike on those review sites.