new here, what should an expat actually know before signing up anywhere

[careful_kareem]

Going to be the buzzkill. Before payout speed and bonuses, decide a budget you can lose and stick to it. No local protection means if it goes wrong it really goes wrong, nobody is refunding you.

Set deposit limits where the site offers them. cmq the people who get hurt here are not the unlucky ones, they are the ones with no limit who keep topping up. Slow down.