Beginners guide to online casino software

Beginners Guide – Software

This is a generalisation of casino's using these softwares in terms of what range of games each offer and what I think of them and the operators of the sites - as always, based on my own personal experience, opinion & research only! There will be minor (or major) differences from place to place - please check the T&C's of any site you're interested in before signing up.
Recommended:	These are casino’s I’ve either actually played at, or are ‘sisters’ of same. They should all give you a hassle free gaming experience.
Not Rec.:	Some I’ve played, most I have not. If you join these you are just asking for trouble & grief. You have been warned!
Others:	I will be adding more names ASAP, in the meantime if you want my opinion on any site, just ask! kk@kasinoking.co.uk

	MicroGaming (MG)	Links to the casinos websites
Overview	The market leader in terms of number of sites, with 100+ different casinos available. (Some groups operate up to 6 or even more different sites). By far the most popular & reputable brand.	\|\|
Sign-up bonuses	Great variety and generally pretty good (100% or more with reasonable WR) Most are now ‘flexible bonuses’ – all games count in WR at different %’s. Many MG casinos now offer ‘free-play – keep your winnings’ where you can play with their money & earn real bonus credits to use in the casino without having to make a deposit first! You can then turn these bonus chips into real cashable money by meeting the wagering requirements. These deals are excellent ways to try the casino ‘for real’ before depositing. For a list of places with these offers click > Free Money!
Ongoing bonuses	Generally rubbish, to be frank. I only know of 32Red (fairly high WR – but all games allowed!) and the Belle Rock group who offer 100% monthly, Spin Palace & Ruby Fortune with regular 40-100% repeat offers. The rest just seem to have useless 15-20% match (with crazy WR) at best, and/or Comp point & so-called 'tournaments' which only benefit the highest of high-rollers. For details of the monthlies see: Monthly Bonuses
Cash out	Each casino/group uses different methods and/or third party agents. Most are quite straight forward. I don't think I've ever been asked for ID by an MG casino - but this might vary depending on where you live and size of cash-out. Most places have a 'Reverse Withdrawal Period' when your funds sit in 'Pending' for 24-48hrs and remain available for you to cancel your withdrawal & put the money back into the casino. DON'T DO IT!
Good	Undoubtedly the most games & best slots visually on the net! They usually add 4 or more new games every month…. But maybe this should be in ‘Bad’ – too many already! Variable play speed & autoplay better than most other softwares. Bigger wager choice on slots that any other.
Bad	MicroGaming casinos are HUGE and take up vast chunks of your hard-drive. They don't let you chose which games to download, once you install it automatically downloads the whole package in the background. Even if you're on broadband this could take 4-5 hours, or even more! During this download some games are slow or 'jerky'. I strongly recommend that when you download a new casino you log-in & let it update over-night – saves frustration! The game logs (via PlayCheck) are crap & a pain to use if you want to calculate how much you've wagered.
Ugly	Many players hate the 'Reverse Withdrawal' feature, and the 'Coin Based' slots. Can not increase bets on some card games by 1 credit at a time - it jumps to 5, 10, etc… Roulette minimum chip size = $1 or £1 or €1 - ridiculous! New 'flash' UK style fruit machines are NOT random in the normal way USA slots are - you have been warned!
Unique Games	May 2008: MG introduced the world’s first 100 line slot! Cashapillar is so big it needs 5 rows of symbols to get all those win lines in. All reels feature stacked wilds (5-up) and you can win 15 free-spins with all wins x5. This makes enormous wins possible (though pretty unlikely), so it is very high variance. Play with care.
Recommended	See Recommend MG casinos for a full list of 54+ great casinos! At most MG’s! No USA at some – see Recommended MG’s for details.
Not Recommended.	None. They are all OK as long as you read & stick to their T&C’s.


	Rival Gaming	Links to the casinos websites
Overview	A new-ish software provider, rapidly growing with 9-10 casinos
Sign-up bonuses	Normally quite high – e.g.; 100% to $350. Typical WR is something like 28xD with no Roul, BJ, VP, Bacc, Craps. Or 30xD for Sicbo, Red-Dog, Keno, Paigow, War, Three-Card, Let-It-Ride, and Stud. Note that bonuses can vary for different countries, but if you download the casino you can always check the full terms in detail via the ‘cashier’ screen.
Ongoing bonuses	Various very generous monthly & even weekly bonuses up to100% to $100 at some places. Some repeat SUB’s. Important Note: You may only have one active bonus of any type at any one time across ALL Rival casinos.
Cash out	Very quick to Web-Wallets like Neteller, ECOcard, UseMyWallet, etc. (2-3 days max) Even American players have reported very quick pay-outs & ACH bank transfers are available for >$100. Note: Most Rivals have a weekly/monthly maximum cash-out figure. High-rollers should check before playing.
Good	Very slick software, with easy to use menus. Started introducing lots of new games from mid-2007 onward... including some really good new slot machines! You only need to download the games you want to play. On their slots, if you hit a picking feature during free-spins it is subject to the multiplier. (Most other softwares aren’t)
Bad	The older slots play too level (not enough variance), not enough big wins, means they’re not as exciting as some others, however they are fun & you get good playing time for your money. Most are good for meeting bonus WR’s without busting-out. The new slots introduced since mid-2007 are much higher variance and have the potential for very big wins – but also very big losses – please play with care!
Ugly	Getting to the end of ‘Reel Crime’ & other i-slots is a total anti-climax – no big win awaits. L If you don’t take any actions for a very short time (about 5-minutes), you get automatically logged out of the casino – this is very annoying if the phone or doorbell rings, or even if you just go to make a cup of tea!
Unique Games	i-Slots – these follow a story line as they move from level to level, with little animated scenes in between. Scary Cash; This new slot introduced late 2007 is the only one I’ve ever seen anywhere which has expanding wilds during free-spins which also act as accumulative multipliers! Mega-wins possible, but very high variance.
Recommended	Paradise 8, DaVinci’s Gold, Cocoa Casino, This is Vegas, Sloto’Cash, Simon Says, Pantasia, Mayan Fortune, Superior casino.
Not Rec.	None - they are all OK.


	WagerLogic (also known as CryptoLogic) (WL)	Links to the casinos websites
Overview	Much less popular than the other main softwares with only about 10 casinos using it, but still my personal favorite. Innovative ideas with new games being added regularly and superb easy to use software.	Intercasino $US Intercasino £UK . .
Sign-up bonuses	Usually 100% up to £100/$100 max. at some sites. Most have reasonable WR with most games allowed.
Ongoing bonuses	Nearly all Crypto's have 100% monthly match (or similar deal) with very reasonable WR.
Cash out	All except Will Hill use E-cash banking. There is no ‘reverse withdrawal’ facility & cash-outs are very quick! William Hills interface directly with their sportsbook - your funds are moved into & out of the casino each time you log in & out. Bonus credits are clearly segregated, and withdrawals are instant.
Good	Many Crypto's entry screen looks and feels like a real casino – you can even see other players at the tables. Great '3D' graphics on all the table games. The best multi-player games I've seen - play cards or roulette with up to 4 other players. Innovative games - like Bejeweled & Marvel slots. The game logs show how much you've wagered on what - easy to see if you've met WR. Best on the net! Most sites have good tournaments with high prizes that are based on skill / luck - not just who wagers the most. You only download the games you want to play, and can play in 'practice' mode without registering an account, or even being connected to the internet.
Bad	Although their older slots pay out just as well, if not better, than MG or any other ones, they are in desperate need of an upgrade. Most are slow & jerky, ridiculously have symbols spinning past that are not even on that reel, and do not allow enough different betting levels (i.e. low levels).
Ugly	Fruit Machines - worst un-random crap I've ever seen. (Just like UK pub machines!) Solitaire - was already rubbish before they lowered the pay table & withdrew the 3-card version - now it's dire! On some of their slots; during autoplay each tiny win you get is highlighted one at a time, very slowly, with no option to override this. (Drives me mad!) Roulette minimum chip size = $1 or £1 or €1 = ridiculous!
Unique Games	Bejeweled 'slot' that doesn't look like a slot! Randomly falling jewels line up to give you wins. 'Marvel Jackpot' slots combine exciting bonus rounds with 3 separate random jackpots on every spin. Daily Horoscope, Around the World and Reel Renovations are still the only online slots I have EVER seen with bonus round winnings dependant on true skill, not just luck! NEW! (Nov-06) Cubis – a 3D version of Bejeweled! Adult themed slots – naughty but nice!
Recommended	Intercasino, Intercasino £UK, William Hills, Sands, Omni, Littlewoods, VIP Casino, Playboy. at any CryptoLogic site.
Not Rec.	None - they are all OK as far as I know.


	WagerWorks (WW) - 'Flash' browser based software.	Links to the casinos websites
Overview	A small UK based provider with only 4-5 casinos listed, but is easy & fun to play.
Sign-up bonuses	Usually 100% up to £50 or £100. Most have very reasonable WR with most games allowed. Note that bonuses are usually only added to your account after you complete the WR with your own funds. (Post wager).
Ongoing bonuses	Most have very good monthlies... e.g. Paddy Power have 100% on £75 every month, WR Bx35. Virgin have TWO 100% bonuses EVERY WEEK!
Cash out	Quick, easy & fast - paid straight back to your Visa card (for the UK - I don't know about other countries). Bonus credits are usually segregated; you can view via banking screens. Don’t think any take e-wallet payments.
Good	No need to download - runs directly in your browser. This means you can log in and play on any PC that's connected to the internet. A pop-up tells you how long you've been playing (each hour). A simple bonus log tells you exactly how much more WR you need to do. Good selection of games, with low minimum bets on most (e.g. 20p on Roulette & most card games). A ‘UK style fruity’ that actually seems to be random! (Price is Right Spin & Win Fruity).
Bad	Even on Broadband, connection can sometimes be a little slow, and disconnects occur a little too often for my liking. Not enough different wager/line options on some of the slot machines.
Ugly	I can't think of anything ugly about WagerWorks sites.
Unique Games	Double Bonus Spin Roulette - this great variation gives you the chance of a 1200x bet win! Wan-Doy Pairs Poker - like a mix of Stud & PaiGow - but forget Straights & Flushes, this game is only about pairs, trips & quads, with a bonus side bet paying a maximum of 5000x bet for the top combination in your or the dealers hand!! Texas Hold’em Shoot Out Poker! Play Hold’em against two dumb-ass robots! Hot Streak Bonus Roulette; Win up to 25,000x your bet!! NEW! 50,000 Pyramid and Cleopatra slots – excellent!
Recommended	Paddy Power, Virgin Casino, Blue Square. More coming… at any WagerWorks casino.
Not Rec.	None - they are all OK as far as I know.


	PlayTech (PT)	Links to the casinos websites
Overview	The second biggest provider, with 65+ casinos to chose from. As with MG, many groups consisting of 5 or more sites. Unfortunately Playtech have quite a few rogue operators with only a handful being good enough to be recommended by the top casino watchdogs.
Sign-up bonuses	Variety of different deals. You need to check the T&C's carefully because many places offer Phantom bonuses where the bonus money is deducted from your account on 1st withdrawal. With ALL Playtech bonuses, make sure you don't play prohibited games!
Ongoing bonuses	Not many offer decent cashable bonuses. The ones with attractive % are probably phantom. Tote Sport offer a 100% on £25 every month with very reasonable WR and which is cashable!
Cash out	Again, varies a lot from place to place. The reputable sites pay quickly with no fuss, and few ask for ID. The less reputable may ask you to jump though multiple hoops and have a bad reputation for very long cash-out times.
Good	Nice graphics on all games. Pop-up window tells you the moment a bonus you've qualified for hits your account.
Bad	The game logs only record your last 30 hands/spins. So if you're going for a bonus you need to keep tabs on what you've wagered.
Ugly	Undoubtedly the worst thing about PlayTechs is the bad ethics of some of their operators. Delayed payments are common, as is the practice of letting punters who have accidentally (or on purpose!) broken T&C's to play on if they’re losing, but confiscate winnings if they win.
Unique Games	In BlackJack Switch you play two hands against the dealer, with the option to switch your top cards between the hands before starting the round. Chinese Kitchen & Vacation Station 8-line slots are different & fun! Arcade Games – Strange but fun! NEW! Pachinko (Dolphin Paradise) – the Japanese ‘all or nothing’ arcade game – win 1500 x your bet!
Recommended	Bet365, Club on the Park, Grosvenor, Tote Sport, Windows. Others coming soon….. at any Playtech casino.
Not Recommended.	Mapau, Goldengate, Miami Beach, Fortune, Grand Online, Bet Royal, BetCasino, African Palace, Indio, Grand Banks, Black Widow, Sterling House, Joyland, Royal Dice, Giant Vegas, Swiss Casino, Vegas Red, Casino Las Vegas, 50 Stars, Casino King (!!), Tropez, Del Rio, Europa, Monaco Gold.


	RealTime Gaming (RTG)	Links to the casinos websites
Overview	Certainly one of the 'big players' with 42+ casinos to chose from. Very similar to Playtech format in terms of groups of sites & unfortunately, also an equal number of rogues.