Reviews open up a world of possibilities as they help customers make informed choices about the service or product they consider purchasing. After all, what is needed when purchasing online is simple, relevant guidance, not a long-winded dialogue about why you should choose one service over another. 

But with so many new products and services appearing on our pages daily, how do you know which reviews to read and trust? For instance, if you read reviews of pokies games to find a site that treats you fairly, how do you know the one you read is trustworthy? 

Well, luckily, there are some tips you should look out for when reading reviews, and this advice relates to any online site you might be considering spending some time at.

What Should Be Contained in an Online Casino Review

Online casino reviews should cover certain aspects of the game or site being reviewed. 

• There should be a direct link to the site or game being reviewed so you can check out all the information to verify its honesty. 
• All relevant gambling links should be at the bottom of the reviewed online casino site’s home page. There should not be any hidden small print; all information should be written jargon-free.
• An online casino review should tell you if the site is regulated and licensed by an appropriate Gambling Commission and Gaming Authority. Only a fake review would endorse a gambling site that does not have a gambling license.
• All gambling reviews should have certification (a clickable link) to gambling-aware sites, the auditors they use to test the RNG (random number generator used), and other safety and security measures the site uses to keep customer confidentiality.
• An honest online casino review will also check out the banking options available to customers to ensure enough options suit all tastes.
• An online casino review should also name the software providers that provide the games for the site. Only the top names in the industry would use a good online casino for platforming their games.
• Games variety will be checked out and mentioned in a real online casino review. 
• Bonuses and promotions will be checked to ensure they are generous and fair and that returning customers will be offered continuing promotional offers. 

Tips on How to Spot a Fake Review

First, you must know that fake reviews are more complex to spot, which is why some fake reviews get through on websites that host customer reviews. The fakers have a range of ways to manipulate prospective customers. Still, with some due diligence, you can soon learn how to spot the fakes over genuine reviews. 

• Always check the date of the review, as any business that invests in fake reviews will load them to hit our pages at the same time as their product, as it helps them elevate that business in terms of SEO (Search Engine Optimisation).
• Much research has been done on fake product reviews, highlighting the words’ Me’, ‘I’ and other verbs to get people to trust the reviewer. 
• Make sure you avoid ‘scene setting’ reviews, as many fakes will set a scene before going into their review. Of course, some people might start by describing a place or event they went to for their vacation or anniversary. Still, they will often focus more on specific issues such as the quality of meals, checkout speed and price. 
• Try to check the reviewer’s name, as these can be mass-generated to be used in fake reviews. Fake reviewers rarely have a profile picture, and some only have a string of letters and numbers as their display name.
• Suppose you have the time to check out other reviews made by the same reviewer, as they will often repeat the same phrases repeatedly. This is because they have been asked to incorporate certain phrases rather than because they are copy-pasting. 
• Beware that the reviewer who gives all the products they review has a five-star rating, as this points directly to a fake reviewer if practically every review they have ever written has five stars. 
• Check the spelling and grammar, as many fake reviews are written by people from lower-income countries where English is not their first language. These ‘content farms’ are commonly used for companies that want hundreds of false reviews completed in a few hours. This type of fake review will contain common grammar and spelling mistakes, and some sound ‘off’ when read, not quite making sense.
• Not everyone loves or hates something 100%, but fake reviews use black-and-white reasoning, telling you that the product or service is the best since sliced bread. 
• Some business pay to have its name spread about on the pages of its competitors. This means the fake reviewer will write a negative review on a product or service, mentioning how much they loved a different product or service.