Ian Zerafa

I grew up playing chess, cards, and dominos with my grandad. Having a big extended family, some of my earliest memories are everyone being over for the holidays in my grandparents' dining room, playing Rummy for a few cents a hand. Just before I hit my teens, the online gambling industry exploded in Malta. It brought in thousands of workers from all over the world, all competing and collaborating together.

With the background I had in journalism and my endless thirst for learning, it was a match made in heaven. A truly global industry in my small island home, playing the games I grew up with. How could I do anything else? Throw in the fact that I could indulge my pedantry and help people by calling out and correcting others' misinformation, and I was sold.

Wagering requirements. Every single time. It's an obvious, basic choice, but in my opinion it's one of the simplest and most accurate litmus tests you can get at a casino. If they're easy, simple, and up-to-standard, most other things at the casino usually are too. If they're needlessly complex in ways that aren't player-friendly, it's usually a sign that the rest of the casino will be the same way.

The other great litmus test for me is customer service. I always test the live chat. There is a world of difference between a casino that invests in good people who truly know their product to help and guide their players, and ones who hire a couple of people to sit there and read off a script. Or worse, hook up their support line to ChatGPT and try to convince you it's a real person.

Certainly a tough one. I don't think I could pick just one, but if I had to narrow down to two, it's poker and blackjack. They're both strategic, and I like to feel like I'm improving when I play games. I certainly couldn't pick something purely luck-based forever. I need to feel like my knowledge of both the rules and the most effective strategies is deepening with each hand.