How We Sampled California: Random and Snowball Sampling Across the State
A score is only as honest as the people behind it. We stratified our sample to mirror California itself, then used random and snowball sampling to reach players other surveys miss.
By Chloe MarshMay 21, 2026
Testing for Significance: T-Tests, Variance and Confidence Behind the CAC Score
An average can lie. We ran the California survey data through SPSS with t-tests, variance analysis and confidence intervals so that every number in the score earns its place.
By Derek LoomisMay 28, 2026
The CAC team weighs in
The analysts behind the study talk through what this chapter means for a California player.
The player survey is 20% because what players actually experience should weigh the most. The math starts from them, not from us.
Payout sits at 15% because banking is the thing that most often breaks the experience — a slow cash-out poisons everything else.
Bonuses are 14% — big, but deliberately not the biggest. The fairness of the terms matters more than a flashy headline offer.
Trust and licensing at 18% captures operating history and dispute resolution — the floor a casino has to clear.
And because the weights are published, you can reproduce every score yourself. Ignition's 98 isn't our opinion — it's the formula on the player data.
Keep reading
Our full 67-page methodology and dataset: a stratified survey of 4,217 verified California players aged 21+, the eight-pillar weighting model, complete data tables and statistical analysis behind every score on this site.
Download the full study (PDF, 67pp) →