Editorial Guidelines

These guidelines describe how articles on iscram2012 are researched, written and checked. They are here so every reader can see the standard each piece is held to, and so that we have something concrete to hold ourselves to when a draft starts drifting toward hype.

Sources come first

An article starts from the most direct source available: a game's rules or information screen, an operator's published terms, a sportsbook's settlement rules or a regulator's public guidance. Commentary from forums, streamers and promotional pages can point us toward a topic, but it is never the basis for a factual claim.

Numbers are earned, not borrowed

• Statistics, surveys, studies and quotations are never made up.
• A figure such as a house edge appears only when it is well established, and the conditions it depends on are named, for example the type of roulette wheel or the commission on a baccarat bet.
• Where we calculate something, such as the margin inside a pair of betting prices, the working is shown on the page so readers can repeat it.
• Examples with teams, scores or stakes are invented and labelled as such.
• If a number varies between games or operators, we say that it varies rather than picking one.

Wording rules

Gambling writing slides easily into promises. Our drafts are checked for phrases that suggest a sure win, a secret method or a "due" result, and those phrases are rewritten. We describe what a game or market is and what it costs. We do not describe it as a way to make money, because it is not one.

Every article includes a single, plainly worded note about the adult age limit and differing local laws. Its phrasing changes from piece to piece so it reads like part of the text rather than a stamp, but it is always there.

Links and mentions

Recent articles point only to pages within iscram2012. Some older articles mention or link to outside businesses. A mention describes something that exists; it is not a ranking or a recommendation, and readers should make their own checks before using any platform.

Two people on every piece

The writer of an article is never its only reader before publication. Another of us then goes through the draft with a beginner's eyes, looking for unexplained jargon, missing costs, overconfident claims and any line that might pass for a nudge to bet. Sports and esports pieces are usually written by Wenceslas and read by Ambrosine; casino pieces are usually written by Ione and read by Wenceslas.

Corrections and updates

Rules change, and mistakes happen. Each reported error is compared with the source it concerns. Confirmed errors are corrected in the article, and significant changes are reflected in the article's updated date. We do not quietly rewrite an article to change its meaning without saying so. Reports can be sent through the contact page.

What these guidelines do not cover

They describe how we write, not whether gambling is right for any particular reader. That decision belongs to each adult, within the law where they live. If it ever stops feeling like a free choice, our page on help if gambling stops being fun is the place to start. The thinking behind these rules is set out in more general terms on our approach page.