It's always a good idea to find out what others are saying about a specific site. There are dozens, if not hundreds or even thousands, of sites that purport to “rate” the best online casinos, but some of these are affiliated in some way with the gambling sites they promote. When you're reading through a rating site, look for the criteria the site uses in determining a gambling site's ranking. Independent sites typically will base their ratings on the casino's payout percentage, customer support services, ease of use, and other factors. Many of these sites also have message boards where you can find out what players think about a given site.

Ideally, you want an online casino that is free of player complaints. You will likely find complaints from people who are unhappy that they lost money gambling and want to blame the casino site for their bad luck, poor gambling skills, or faulty strategies. Read such complaints carefully, and look for patterns in the types of complaints. Are players having a hard time cashing in their winnings? Are there unreasonable delays in receiving winnings or promised bonuses? You can make allowances for the occasional disgruntled losing player, but if a particular gripe shows up again and again, and from more than one player, that should make you wary about joining that gambling site.