Last updated: May 2026 — James Thornton, Felixvillas
At Felixvillas, every review you read is the result of a structured, hands-on evaluation process carried out by James Thornton. Before a single word is written, James personally registers an account, makes real deposits, tests the platform across multiple devices, and interacts with customer support teams. Nothing is copy-pasted from operator press releases. Every score is earned.
This page explains exactly how we assess new betting sites launching in 2026, what criteria we use, how much weight each carries, and how we arrive at our final ratings. Transparency is not a buzzword here — it is the foundation of everything we publish on felixvillas.co.uk.
James Thornton is the sole author and owner of Felixvillas. He has spent years following the UK online betting landscape, tracking regulatory changes, studying bonus structures, and monitoring how new operators enter the GB market. James holds no commercial relationships with any betting operator. He is not paid by casinos or sportsbooks to produce favourable reviews. His income comes entirely from clearly disclosed affiliate commissions, which are earned regardless of the score a site receives. A site that scores 4 out of 10 carries the same disclosure as one that scores 9 out of 10.
Before James spends a single minute testing a platform, he confirms that the operator holds a valid licence issued by the UK Gambling Commission. Any site without a current, active UKGC licence is immediately excluded from the Felixvillas review catalogue. There are no exceptions.
James completes the full sign-up process as a standard UK customer would. He documents how long verification takes, what documents are requested, and whether the Know Your Customer process is straightforward or unnecessarily obstructive.
James makes genuine deposits using common UK payment methods and, where possible, completes a withdrawal to verify that payout speeds and processes match what the operator advertises.
The site is tested on desktop browsers and on mobile devices, both through native apps (where available) and mobile browsers, to produce an accurate mobile experience score.
James contacts the support team via live chat, email, or telephone — whichever channels are offered — and records response times, quality of answers, and overall helpfulness.
Once all data is gathered, James applies the weighted scoring criteria below and writes the final review based entirely on his direct experience.
Each new betting site is scored out of 10 in six categories. The final overall score is a weighted average calculated using the percentages shown below.
| Criteria | Weighting | What We Assess |
|---|---|---|
| Licensing and Safety | 25% | UKGC licence status, responsible gambling tools, SSL encryption, data protection compliance, and fair terms and conditions |
| Bonuses and Promotions | 20% | Welcome offer value, wagering requirements, time limits, game restrictions, and ongoing promotions for existing customers |
| Game and Betting Selection | 20% | Range of sports markets, betting types, live betting availability, casino game variety, software providers, and RTP transparency |
| Payment Methods | 15% | Deposit and withdrawal options, processing times, minimum and maximum limits, and any fees charged |
| Customer Support | 10% | Availability hours, number of contact channels, response speed, and quality of assistance provided |
| Mobile Experience | 10% | App availability, mobile browser performance, loading speeds, navigation ease, and feature parity with desktop |
Every site receives a final score between 1 and 10, calculated from the weighted criteria above. Here is what each range means:
Independence is the most important principle at Felixvillas. James Thornton does not accept payments, free credits, or gifts from operators in exchange for reviews. Operators are never shown a draft review before publication and have no ability to request changes to scores or written content.
Where Felixvillas earns affiliate commission from an operator, this is clearly disclosed on every relevant page. Crucially, commission arrangements have no influence on scores. Negative reviews are published in full even when an affiliate relationship exists. James believes that a review website which only publishes favourable content is not a review website — it is an advertisement.
Ratings are reviewed and updated periodically. If a betting site changes its terms, withdraws a licence, or significantly improves its offering, the score is revised to reflect the current reality. Dates of last review are displayed on each individual review page so readers always know how recent the information is.
If you have questions about how a specific site was rated, or if you believe important information has been missed, James welcomes direct contact through the Felixvillas contact page. Reader feedback has contributed to score updates on multiple occasions, and that input is always taken seriously.