How to run an editorial audit
Inventory every page, score a sample with the 12-check framework, review evidence, then decide keep, fix, merge or retire.
Method · Editorial Quality
The Casino Content Quality Framework
The framework scores a casino or sportsbook page on 12 checks in four groups: reader value, evidence, compliance and craft. Each check scores 0, 1 or 2, for a maximum of 24. Four checks are blocking: a page that scores 0 on any of them should not be published, whatever its total.
Why a scored framework
Most casino content reviews are a single reader's opinion. A scored checklist makes the review repeatable: two editors can score the same draft, compare where they disagree, and record why a page was held back. It also forces the questions that matter most in gambling marketing, such as whether a bonus claim is sourced and dated, before style.
The checks follow Google's own questions for helpful content. Google asks whether content provides "original information, reporting, research, or analysis", whether pages "carry a byline, where one might be expected", and warns against "changing the date of pages to make them seem fresh when the content has not substantially changed." We add the gambling-specific checks that advertising codes and regulators require, which no general SEO checklist covers.
The 12 checks
| Group | Check | What "met" looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Reader value | Audience and task | The page names its reader (for example, a casino content lead in Ontario) and the job they are trying to do. |
| Reader value | Intent answered first | The opening answers the main question for the stated intent before any promotion or background. |
| Reader value | Original contribution | The page adds something the reader cannot get from the ten pages already ranking: data, method, first-hand testing or analysis. |
| Evidence | Claims sourced (blocking) | Every rule, number and product fact links to its source, ideally a primary one. |
| Evidence | Dated and current | Rules and offers carry a "checked on" date and a next review date. |
| Evidence | Evidence graded | Each source has an evidence grade (A to E), and grade E never supports a factual claim. |
| Compliance | Market stated (blocking) | The page says which market and license it applies to, and where it does not apply. |
| Compliance | Responsible language (blocking) | No misleading "free" or "risk-free" wording, nothing aimed at minors, and safer-gambling information where the market requires it. |
| Compliance | Relationships disclosed (blocking) | Affiliate or commercial relationships are disclosed, and paid links use rel="sponsored". |
| Craft | Accountable review | A named person reviewed the page; any substantial AI assistance is disclosed. |
| Craft | Structure and access | Descriptive headings, captioned tables, alt text and plain language. |
| Craft | Search fundamentals | Unique title and description, self-canonical, sensible internal links, structured data that matches the visible page. |
Evidence grades
Check 6 asks you to grade each source. We use five grades so reviewers argue about the source, not the sentence.
| Grade | Source type | Can support |
|---|---|---|
| A | Primary official: regulator, statute, advertising code, platform documentation | Rules, requirements, dates |
| B | Primary data you collected, with a written method | Measurements, counts, test results |
| C | Reputable secondary: established news organization, law firm briefing citing the source | Context; a lead to the primary source |
| D | Interested party: vendor study, operator press release, affiliate network | Claims attributed to that party only |
| E | Unsourced assertion, forum post, AI output without a source | Nothing factual |
Score a page
Use the scorer on your own drafts. It runs in your browser and nothing is saved or sent. Download a dated record when you finish.
How to use it in a workflow
- The writer self-scores before submitting, so obvious gaps are fixed early.
- An editor scores independently, without seeing the writer's score.
- Where scores differ by more than one point on a check, the two discuss and record the reason.
- Compliance reviews checks 7 to 9 for regulated markets before release.
- Keep the record with the page. Our evidence register is the place for source details.
Sample (invented page)A welcome-offer explainer for a fictional Ontario brand scores 19: strong on craft, but check 8 scores 0 because it describes the bonus in public content. Ontario's standards prohibit public advertising of inducements, so the page is held regardless of its total. See our Ontario brief.
Limits
The scores are judgments, and two careful editors will sometimes differ. The framework does not measure demand, rankings or revenue, and passing it does not make a page compliant: the rules in your license conditions and the advertising codes apply directly. Google itself says E-E-A-T "isn't a specific ranking factor", so treat the framework as quality control, not as an SEO formula.
Questions
What score should a casino page reach before publishing?
We suggest 20 out of 24 or higher, with no blocking check at 0. Pages scoring 14 to 19 usually need targeted revision; below 14, rework the brief before editing.
Why are compliance checks blocking?
Because a strong page that breaks an advertising rule creates risk for the license holder. In Great Britain operators are responsible for their affiliates' marketing, and Ontario's standards make operators responsible for third parties, so one non-compliant page affects the whole business.
Does the scorer store my answers?
No. It runs in your browser, sends nothing and stores nothing. The record you download is created on your device.
Sources
- Google: Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content updated October 5, 2026
- Google: Using generative AI content updated October 1, 2026
- Google: Spam policies for Google web search updated August 28, 2026
- Google: Qualify your outbound links updated December 10, 2025
- Google: General structured data guidelines updated July 10, 2026
- CAP Code, section 16: Gambling
- AGCO: Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming marketing section updated May 14, 2026
Checked October 25, 2026. Rules and documentation change; the official source prevails over this summary.
Corrections. None since publication. Spotted an error? Write to hello@wagerink.online.