Editorial Policy

This policy sets out how Arcade Spot decides what to publish, how we test games, how we keep commercial interests out of editorial judgement, and what we do when we get something wrong. It applies to every page on arcadespot.com — game pages, reviews, guides and category hubs. It is maintained by ArcadeSpot LLC and reviewed at least once a year.

Who is accountable

Arcade Spot is owned and operated by ArcadeSpot LLC, registered in the US, publishing since 2011. ArcadeSpot LLC is the publisher of record and is accountable for everything on this site.

Editorial work is carried out by our games editors, Mason Reed and Tyler Hayes. Final editorial authority rests with the editorial team; no one outside it — including advertisers, game distributors and business partners — has sign-off on published content.

What we publish

Game pages — a playable game plus a description, controls, platform and category information, and a rating.
Reviews — a scored editorial assessment of a game, written after playing it.
Guides and how-tos — instructions, tips and explanations for specific games or genres.
Category and collection pages — curated lists such as “best retro games” or “free slots”, ordered by editorial judgement and player data, never by payment.

How we choose what to cover

We add a game when it meets all of the following:

It runs in a current browser without a plugin, installer or download.
We have the right to publish it — a distributor licence, a direct grant from the developer, or ownership.
It is free to play in full, with no paywall and no purchase required to continue.
It contains no malware, no forced redirects, no deceptive advertising and no adult content.
An editor has played it and confirmed it works as described.

We decline games that fail any of these, and we remove published games that later start failing them. Popularity is a factor in what we prioritise; it is never a substitute for the checks above.

How we test games

Every game we publish is played by a named editor before it goes live — on desktop and, where the game claims mobile support, on a phone. We check that it loads, that controls respond, that performance is acceptable, and that our description matches what actually happens on screen.

Ratings are assigned against fixed criteria — gameplay, controls, performance, replay value and presentation — applied identically to every title regardless of its source or what it earns us. The scoring method, the meaning of each band, and who assigns scores are set out in full on How We Rate.

Accuracy, sourcing and credit

Factual claims on our pages — developer, release year, platform, controls, game mechanics — are taken from the game itself, the developer, or the licensing distributor. Where we rely on an external source, we link to it. Where we are uncertain, we say so rather than guessing.

Credit stays with the creator. We do not claim authorship of games we did not make. Developer and publisher credits are shown on the game page, and we do not strip, alter or obscure in-game branding. If you are a rights holder and your game is credited incorrectly, tell us and we will fix it, or remove the game, at your request. Our takedown process is described on our Copyright & DMCA page.

Bylines, dates and updates

Every review and guide carries the name of the editor who wrote it and the date it was last reviewed. A “last updated” date means a person re-checked the content on that date — we do not refresh dates to make pages look current.

Game pages are re-verified on a weekly cycle. Reviews are revisited when a game receives a significant update, when its source changes, or at least every 24 months.

Editorial independence

Arcade Spot is funded by advertising and by revenue share from the distributors whose games we license, and by affiliate commissions on some outbound links — see our Affiliate Disclosure.

Those commercial relationships have no bearing on editorial output. Specifically:

Scores, rankings and inclusion in collections cannot be bought, and are not influenced by what a game earns us.
No advertiser, distributor or partner sees content before publication or has any right of approval.
We do not remove or soften criticism at a partner’s request.
Any content that is paid for, sponsored or produced in partnership is labelled as such at the top of the page, in plain language, before the content begins. We do not publish undisclosed sponsored content.
Editors do not accept payment, gifts or personal benefits from developers or distributors in exchange for coverage or a score.

Advertising standards

We set limits on what may run on this site. We do not permit ads that block or interrupt gameplay, ads disguised as play or download buttons, forced downloads, malvertising or adult content. If you encounter an ad that breaches this, report it with a screenshot and we will remove the creative and, where necessary, the network.

Standards for casino and slot content

Arcade Spot publishes free casino games — roulette, baccarat, poker, blackjack and slots — played entirely with play-money credits that have no cash value and cannot be redeemed. Additional rules apply to this category:

We do not publish content framed as a way to win money, and we do not present strategies, systems or odds claims as a route to real-world winnings.
Every casino game page states clearly that play is for entertainment only, with no cash prizes and no purchases.
The category is labelled 18+ and is kept separate from our general and family-facing collections.
Every casino page links to Responsible Gaming, including free, confidential help services.

Use of AI

We use AI tools for support tasks — research, drafting assistance, formatting, catalog maintenance and technical checks. We do not publish AI-generated reviews or ratings.

No page goes live without a named editor reviewing it, and no game is scored without a person having played it. The editor named on a page is responsible for its accuracy regardless of which tools were used to produce it. We do not publish AI-generated images presented as screenshots or gameplay footage.

Player contributions and comments

Comments and ratings submitted by players are their own opinions, not ours. We moderate for spam, abuse, personal information, illegal content and links to pirated or malicious material. We do not delete comments for being critical of a game or of Arcade Spot. Player ratings are shown separately from editorial ratings and are never merged into an editorial score.

Corrections

We correct errors openly. When we get something wrong, we fix it and we say that we fixed it.

Substantive corrections — a wrong fact, a wrong credit, a wrong score — are noted at the foot of the page, with the date and what changed. We do not silently edit and move on.
Minor fixes — typos, formatting, broken links — are made without a note.
Broken games are treated as defects. Reports are queued, reviewed by an editor, and the game is repaired, replaced or retired. Where a game cannot be restored, we say so on the page.

To request a correction, use our contact form with the page URL and what is wrong. We aim to respond within [X business days]. If you are not satisfied with the outcome, reply and ask for it to be escalated to the editorial lead, who will review it personally.

Changes to this policy

This policy is reviewed at least annually and updated whenever our practices change. Material changes are noted below.

Date	Change
7 August 2026	First published.

Policy owner: ArcadeSpot LLC editorial team. Last reviewed 07 August 2026 by Mason Reed, Games Editor.