How We Audit a Canadian Online Casino — The Maple Bonus Methodology

The nine dimensions

Each operator gets scored 1–10 on each of nine dimensions. Weights below sum to 100%. The aggregate score is published on the operator's review page; per-dimension breakdown is one click away on every entry under our operator reviews hub.

1. Regulatory status (20%)

AGCO Ontario, Loto-Québec, BC PlayNow, Kahnawake, Curaçao, Malta, Gibraltar — each licence carries different practical protection. AGCO licensing means a real provincial dispute mechanism with statutory response times. Curaçao means operator-internal recourse only. We score the regulator stack explicitly on every operator entry.

2. Payment methods (15%)

Interac e-Transfer is essential for the Canadian market. Visa Direct, Mastercard, e-wallets (Skrill, Neteller, MuchBetter), and crypto (BTC, ETH, USDC) are scored separately. Interac coverage matters most because it is the dominant Canadian rail. Interac payment-method coverage.

3. Withdrawal speed (12%)

Measured against the operator's own 90-day average per method. Our standards: 24–72h Interac, 1–3 days e-wallets, 5–10 days cards. Operators outside this band lose points proportionally.

4. Bonus terms and wagering (10%)

Expected value after wagering, not nominal bonus amount. We assume slots-only at 96% RTP and conservative compliance with max-bet rules. Per-bonus EV is annotated under our bonuses hub.

5. Game catalogue (10%)

Title count, providers (Microgaming, NetEnt, Pragmatic Play, Evolution), variety (slots, table, live dealer, jackpot). Catalogue depth alone is not enough — provider mix indicates whether players have access to verified-fair games.

6. Mobile UX (10%)

Native iOS or Android app vs mobile web. Touch-target sizes (48px minimum per AGCO guidance), biometric auth, deposit funnel depth, RG tools accessibility from any logged-in screen.

7. Customer support (8%)

Hours, languages (English minimum, French for Quebec coverage), channels (live chat, email, phone), response time. We measure response time by submitting test queries on three consecutive days at different hours.

8. Responsible gambling tools (8%)

Deposit limits, self-exclusion, session alerts, addiction help links. Mandatory under AGCO; recommended elsewhere. We score implementation quality, not just presence.

9. Reputation and history (7%)

Complaints filed (AGCO public register, BBB, ThePogg, AskGamblers). Days since the last unresolved complaint. We are explicit about the count and the recency.

How updates happen

Each operator is re-audited at least every 90 days, plus immediately on a triggering event: licence change, AGCO complaint, public legal action, structured complaint on a specialised forum. Every operator review page on Maple Bonus shows a last-checked timestamp. If you see a review with a timestamp older than 90 days, we are behind on that file and you should flag it.

What we do NOT score

Subjective "feel" of graphics or music. Limited-time promotions (they change weekly). Opaque VIP programs that prevent like-for-like comparison. We focus on dimensions that can be verified and updated.

Per-province filtering

Scores apply per operator, but legality and protection apply per province. The same operator can be AGCO-registered in Ontario and grey-market in Alberta. Our

Source disclosure

Operator data is scraped continuously from public sources: regulator registries (AGCO, KGC, Curaçao GCB), operator websites, payment-method documentation, and complaint databases. We do not accept operator-provided data sheets — every figure is independently verified.

If you find a discrepancy between our published score and your own observation, please report it via the contact link in the footer. We log every flag and document any score change publicly.