‘Trustpilot fails’ – illegal casinos dominate search results around EPIS

It’s scary. Those searching on Trustpilot for casinos with or without EPIS do not always get what they expect. Gambling Club took a closer look at the platform and came across a pattern that raises questions about protection and supervision.

The trigger lies in an earlier investigation in the Netherlands. There, it was found that Trustpilot was full of illegal gambling providers that allowed players to gamble without Cruks. That system is similar to Belgium’s EPIS. Gambling Club wanted to know what the situation is like in Belgium.

An earlier signal from the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, it was already found that searches around ‘casino without Cruks’ yielded a striking number of illegal providers. Cruks is the Dutch exclusion system for players who want to protect themselves from problematic gambling behaviour.

Belgium’s EPIS works differently, but the aim is the same: to exclude players from participating in gambling when necessary. Therefore, Gambling Club decided to see what happens when Belgian players search for terms like ‘casino without EPIS’ or ‘casino with EPIS’ via Trustpilot.

What happens with the search term ‘casino without EPIS’

The results proved striking. Those who search ‘casino without EPIS’ do not automatically get a warning or explanation of risks. Instead, many promotional sites appear.

Those promotional sites, in turn, redirect to illegal offers. Sometimes this involves a website that looks like a real casino, but ends up linking to an unlicensed provider.

One example that came up was Boom Casino. That site referred to Vegas Hero, a name that has long been known as one of the more notorious illegal providers. To a player who thinks he is reading a trustworthy review on Trustpilot, the difference is barely noticeable.

At “casino with EPIS” licensed parties come later

Something was also noticeable with the search term ‘casino with EPIS’. Licensed, genuine casinos appeared later in the search results. At the top was an illegal provider, Alawin.

In concrete terms, this means that a player who does seek protection first ends up with a party operating outside the regulated framework. This runs counter to the purpose of EPIS, which is precisely to protect players from risk.

The order of results plays an important role in this. Many users click on the first names they see. When no licensed providers are listed there, confusion and possible harm ensue.

EPIS as a protection mechanism

EPIS is the Belgian exclusion system for gambling. Players registered in the system cannot participate in licensed games of chance. The system is designed to protect vulnerable players.

When search results around ‘without EPIS’ mainly lead to parties operating outside supervision, it undermines the functioning of the system. Players looking precisely for a way around EPIS are thus not stopped but rather encouraged.

The difference with the Netherlands is relevant. The Dutch study involved Cruks. That system is similar in design to EPIS, but the Belgian context is different. Nevertheless, the pattern at Trustpilot shows similarities.

The role of Trustpilot

Trustpilot presents itself as an independent review platform. Companies can be rated there by users. In theory, this helps consumers make better choices.

But when illegal providers remain visible for sensitive search terms, the question arises whether the platform filters sufficiently. These are not minor nuances, but parties operating outside the licensed framework.

That faulty parties are given a prominent place, while licensed providers appear lower, raises strong criticism. This speaks of a situation that is difficult to defend.

Promotion sites as intermediaries

Another issue that emerged from the study is the role of promotional sites. Those sites appear informative but redirect visitors to illegal casinos.

For the average player, the distinction between a genuine provider and a referring site is not always clear. Especially when that site is on Trustpilot and collects reviews there.

This creates a chain where a search term leads to a review page, which leads to a promotion site, which in turn refers to an illegal provider. The player sees no clear warning along the way.

Why this matters

This conversation is not just about search results. It touches on player protection and the reliability of online information.

When someone consciously searches for ‘casino without EPIS’, that is already a signal. The platform on which that person lands then has a responsibility. The same goes for those who actually search for a casino with EPIS.

The order and visibility of providers help determine where players bet their money. In an industry where supervision and protection are key, this is not a detail.

What Gambling Club noted

Gambling Club looked specifically at how Trustpilot shows results for search terms around EPIS. The research builds on the earlier Dutch signal around Cruks.

The results show that for ‘casino without EPIS’, many promo and referral sites appear that lead to illegal offerings. For ‘casino with EPIS’, licensed providers come up later, while an illegal party was at the top.

According to Gambling Club, this is a serious shortcoming. The platform thus provides space for providers operating outside the licensed system. In an industry where protection is key, this is hard to ignore.