Anisha Mehrotra was born in Phoenix to Indian immigrant parents who ran a small IT consulting firm from their garage before scaling it into a proper business. She was always the math kid — won her school’s science fair twice, captain of the debate team, and graduated summa cum laude in statistics from Arizona State University.
She spent three years as a data analyst at a fintech startup in Tempe before pivoting to freelance writing, combining her love for numbers with a knack for explaining things clearly. The transition wasn’t planned — a colleague asked her to proofread a blog post about credit card rewards, she rewrote the entire thing with actual math, and the editor asked her to write more.
She got hooked on online casinos after a friend introduced her to blackjack strategy charts — the combination of probability, bankroll management, and risk assessment spoke directly to her analytical brain. What started as a weekend hobby turned into a professional focus when she realized most casino review sites were publishing opinions without data.
She treats every casino review like a case study, tracking RTPs, bonus math, and withdrawal speeds in spreadsheets before forming an opinion. A casino might have flashy marketing and a generous welcome bonus, but if the wagering requirements make that bonus mathematically worthless, she’ll say so. Every number on The Encore List has been verified against primary sources — not copied from another review site.
When she’s not testing sites, she’s hiking Camelback Mountain, experimenting with her sourdough starter, or dominating her family’s weekly game night. She doesn’t believe in gut feelings when it comes to gambling recommendations — everything goes through the data first.