Example walkthrough
Here is how a Slotornado review page gets its final number, step by step.
1. The editor opens an account under her legal name, deposits 300 CAD through Interac e-Transfer, claims the welcome match and 100 free spins and plays the free spins first (they usually have the heaviest wagering a dollar).
2. Over the following week, bonus turnover is played on medium-volatility slots (RTP 95-96 percent) at stakes between 1 and 2 CAD a spin. Session timings, support chats and any provider-switching restrictions are logged.
3. Once wagering is cleared, a withdrawal of the surviving balance is requested back through Interac. The timestamp of the request and the timestamp of funds arriving in the Canadian bank account are the two numbers that drive the "payout" criterion score.
4. A second review cycle is run on an iPhone and a budget Android to score the mobile experience separately.
5. The five criterion scores (next section) are combined with the weightings below. The result is rounded to one decimal, written at the top of the review, and justified in prose underneath.
Limitations
The method has three honest weaknesses. First, a single bankroll on a single week is a snapshot; a brand that paid out in four hours in March can push a withdrawal to three days in June if its liquidity shifts. We mitigate by re-testing quarterly, but between re-tests the score is a forecast, not a guarantee. Second, we test from Canada with Canadian payment rails — a reader in Quebec with French language settings, or a reader using a provider we did not test, will see a slightly different Slotornado. Third, the "support" criterion is scored on two contacts each cycle, which is enough to tell a 2-minute desk from a 20-minute desk but not enough to catch rare but severe failures. Where we have readers reporting different experiences, we add a sentence to the review inviting more reports.
Scoring
Each criterion is scored on a 0-10 scale against written reference points — a 7 for payout means Interac arrived under two hours, a 5 means same-day but after four hours, a 3 means next working day. The composite score is a weighted average, rounded to one decimal, with these weights:
| Criterion | Weight |
| Bonus value and fairness of terms | 25% |
| Payouts (speed, methods, reliability) | 25% |
| Game library (breadth, provider mix, mobile parity) | 20% |
| Support (speed, competence, language coverage) | 15% |
| Licensing and dispute track record | 15% |
A composite below 5.5 does not get a recommendation; between 5.5 and 7.5 is cautious yes with named caveats; above 7.5 is a clear recommendation. Below 4.5 the review carries an explicit "avoid" verdict in the first paragraph.
Criteria
Bonus value and fairness of terms (25%). Advertised amount matters less than the wagering multiple, the maximum bet during wagering, the game weightings and the time window. A 300 percent match at x50 wagering with 1 CAD maximum bet is worth less than a 100 percent match at x25.
Payouts (25%). First withdrawal timing on Interac and card, documented limits each transaction, friction with KYC on cashouts below 2,000 CAD.
Game library (20%). Count of providers in the lobby, presence of the big six (NetEnt, Pragmatic, Play'n GO, Microgaming, Hacksaw, Nolimit City), live-dealer rooms, mobile parity (every slot playable on a 390px screen).
Support (15%). Average response time on live chat weekday morning and weekend evening, French-language coverage for Canada, whether the first agent could answer a scripted terms question without escalation.
Licensing and dispute track record (15%). Current licence verified on the regulator's register, published complaints statistics where available, independent dispute mediator (ADR) listed in the terms.