Yes, we get paid. Here's exactly how

The arrangement in one paragraph

Stakes and Spades takes part in affiliate programmes run by licensed gambling operators. When you use one of our operator buttons and go on to open an account, the operator can identify that the visit came from us and may pay a commission. You are charged nothing, the terms you get are identical to arriving at that site directly, and no part of the payment comes out of your account.

Which links are tracked

The primary buttons on operator cards — the ones reading "Visit Grosvenor", "Visit 10Bet" and so on — carry a tracking parameter in the address. They are marked up as sponsored links in the page code, they open in a new tab, and they go to the operator's own domain. We do not route clicks through third-party redirect chains.

Everything else is a plain link. Our internal pages, the four safety organisations, the Gambling Commission register and any reference in body copy earn us nothing.

What commission buys

Continued publication. Server costs, the time it takes to review sites properly, and the ability to keep the whole thing free with no subscription and no display advertising.

What it does not buy

Position, wording, or the removal of criticism. The order of our comparison table comes out of the eight criteria described in the methodology section, weighted towards game range and live dealer play. Commission rates vary between operators and are not part of that calculation at any point.

Two practical consequences. Sites with poor live casino sections are published as poor, whatever they pay — Midnite finishing last on our list is not an accident of the weighting. And operators do not see reviews before publication, cannot request edits, and have no route to appeal a score other than pointing out a factual error, which we would fix for any reader who did the same.

Why the offers are worded the way they are

Welcome offers appear as a flat line of data — the type of offer, nothing more — with "Ad · 18+ · T&Cs apply" attached every time. We do not describe an offer as big, generous, unbeatable or risk-free, and we do not add urgency. British advertising rules prohibit most of that, and the rest simply isn't honest: a bonus is a set of conditions, and the conditions are the interesting part.

If an exact figure is not something we can verify, we describe the shape of the offer instead of inventing a number.

Independence, stated plainly

Stakes and Spades is not a gambling operator and holds no gambling licence. It is not a regulator and has no authority over anyone. It is not owned by, part of, or under the control of any brand it reviews, and it takes no part in gameplay, account handling or anything involving money. It reviews and compares, and that is the whole of it.

Questions about any of this are welcome at hello@stakesandspades.com.