James Okafor
Data & UX LeadThe builder. James keeps the site fast, available and easy to use. He monitors payout speeds at all casinos we review and is the mind behind the scoring system that turns our comparisons into real value.
How He Got Here
About 3 years ago I was working as a front-end developer alongside data analysts. Before the agency I worked at hired me they were looking for a developer to make one of their analysts' concepts into reality. This data visualisation was going to be a pretty average spend comparison tool. The way it was meant to be used though was where things started to sound interesting, they were planning to pass this tool on to clients in the financial services sector for them to use as part of their investment advice to customers. That concept stuck in my head and when they came back asking me to work on a new project that included more data than just a list of spends I couldn't help but ask if we could make the previous idea into a real decision aid.
James didn't come from the gambling industry, but rather from the iGaming sector. The first thing he noticed was that there wasn't much information being provided by casino comparison websites. They boasted a ton of numbers, but not too much context. For example, saying that a slot has a 98% payout rate doesn't provide much information. Where is the breakdown of returns for each combination, the number of spins it is calculated over and what is the method used to compute this rate? For James, it was important to design a site where every number can be explained and validated.
When Marcus brought him in, his first assignment was to create the scoring algorithm from the ground up. You know, the 7-category framework that is used for every casino score on this site? Him.
What James Actually Does at CasinoEnjoyer
Site performance & accessibility
The entire site is built, written and maintained by James. That includes following the guidelines of the Core Web Vitals, as well as optimizing images, using lazy loading and choosing the right fonts. His goal for this site is that the entire page loads in under two seconds on a mid-range Android smartphone on average Canadian LTE. (Though he does monitor the actual speeds and adjusts the site as necessary to keep everything within his goals).
The scoring framework
We monitor over 2500 casinos and rank the ones that stand out in 7 categories: - Licensing quality - Bonus clearability - Withdrawal speed - Game selection depth - Mobile experience - Customer support - Responsible gaming tools. The weighting of the 7 categories was designed by James. Bonus clearability and withdrawal speed are heavily weighted as these are probably the most important factors when deciding which casino to play at. This weighting is reviewed every quarter to make sure it still reflects the relative importance of each category to players.
Payout speed tracking
Marcus withdraws, James records the withdrawal time of the request, time of withdrawal method chosen and the time it is received by the player. This information is kept for each casino and withdrawal method so that there is always up-to-date information available. The withdrawal times that you see in the reviews for each casino are derived directly from the actual request and transaction data, and have not been altered in any way, so it's all factual and has not been promoted or sourced from the casino itself.
Wagering comparison tools
Anything that involves structured data on this site is built by James. His rule is that any number that isn't meaningful on its own has its meaning embedded in it. A 35x casino wagering requirement isn't 35x; it's 35x the amount of your deposit and so you have to make $3,500 wagers using a $100 deposit, and at 96% RTP for slots, your expected cost to reach this requirement will be $140. He informs this view.
Mobile & accessibility standards
We are aiming to achieve WCAG 2.1 AA standards. James is doing full page audits which cover every element on every page including: Screen reader audits and testing Keyboard navigation Colour contrast Focus management It's pretty simple really. Should a blind gambler be able to play the same as you?
How the 7-Category Score Works
James worked on the core mechanics that power all casino scores on our site. Here's a bit about each metric and how they came to be.
Licensing quality
Information on which licence was awarded by which regulator, the level of scrutiny operators may have to face and the date of issuance. It is clear that MGA and UKGC impose higher standards than jurisdictions offshore.
Bonus clearability
The biggest heavy weight category of them all. The wagering formula, the game contributions, the max bet rules and the cashout cap. This is where almost all bonuses fall apart.
Withdrawal speed
Data pulled from James's logged timestamps for a bunch of real withdrawals. Not what they claim to. What really happens when you try to cash out.
Game selection
The total volume is important, but also the quality of the games. The number of operators that participate, the presence of live games and whether the requested games are available in the catalogue.
Mobile experience
Tested on real devices. Everything you want to know about mobile games on mobile: The loading speed, the layout quality, the lobby navigation and how the games themselves play out on the handheld devices. No emulators.
Customer support
Speed of response, their hours of operation and how they handle questions about promotions. Tested using our live chat platform in timed sessions.
Responsible gaming tools
Deposit limits, session limits, self-exclusion – we all know about these Responsible Gaming (RG) controls. But, often overlooked in the RG debate is the ease of accessing them, whether on mobile, tablet or computer.
Pages James Built and Maintains
The main casino page. James built the wagering math tables, comparison data, and scoring breakdowns that bring the numbers on this page to life.
Methods include 7-category scoring, withdrawal speed sourced from player reviews, and 30x bonus-only wagering requirements.
Crypto withdrawal timestamps are being logged. Mobile experience is being tested across a variety of real devices. The cost of a wager is $2.82 at 96% RTP.
Terms in package reviewed for all 4 deposit levels. A wagering cost 35x the deposit value calculated. Times to receive support responses recorded.
Got a Technical Issue?
Found a bug, a broken link or something not working right on your device? James is your guy to fix the site.