888 Casino Review

The 888 brand is one of the biggest in the world. Owned by 888 Holdings, the company encompasses the “888” sites, including 888 Sports, 888 Casino, and 888 Poker, and it also spans dozens of bingo rooms and slot sites operating under a variety of names.

one of the biggest in the world.

In terms of sheer size and market dominance, 888 Holdings is up there with the likes of Flutter Entertainment, Entain, and the Kindred Group. It is not a Bitcoin casino, not yet, but as it’s a top site that many of you have been requesting, I was keen to review it and discuss my thoughts.

If you’d prefer to sign up with a top Bitcoin site, just click the link for a full list.

Basics

888 Casino has licenses from the Malta Gaming Authority and the UK Gambling Commission and works with a huge number of developers, payment providers, and responsible gambling organisations.

It seems to have all of the necessary boxes ticked, but that’s not quite the truth. 888 Casino certainly has a lot to offer and is a site deserving of its incredible reputation, but it’s not without its issues. In this 888 Casino review, I’ll highlight some of those problems while also covering the many benefits of this top UK gambling destination.

You can access 888 Casino from major gambling regions all over the world, including the United Kingdom, where it seems to do most of its business. There is also an 888 Casino targeted toward players in the United States, but you have to be in New Jersey to make it work and there are a number of restrictions in place. The gambling industry in the US is very strict and while 888 Casino might spread to other states and potentially even become available nationwide, that’s not going to happen any time soon.

Software and Games

888 Casino is a Playtech casino first and foremost, but it’s also backed by high-quality games from the likes of NetEnt, IGT, WMS, Thunderkick, Yggdrasil, and a Quickspin, to name just a few. 888 even has some games of its own. These exclusive titles add a little variety to the mix and ensure there is always something new to play, even if you’re like me and feel like you’ve played every game out there.

The actual software on the site is very well designed and easy to use. I am not a big fan of the black background, and I have complained about it in the past, but it has been used to good effect here. The text isn’t a stark white, so it doesn’t stand out as much and won’t hurt your eyes or your head.

It’s still not quite up to the standards of bet365, though, as there are a couple of niggling issues.

The main problem that I have is that the site adopts the mobile setup, with sidebars that are hidden away using mobile menus. It’s something you don’t always see on desktop casinos and while it can look okay, it’s a little frustrating here. It’s made worse by large filter options and other menu options, all of which were clearly designed with mobile users in mind. Maybe I’m just stuck in my ways and used to the traditional setup, but these mobile menus just don’t work for me on desktop.

On the plus side, those filter options actually make things interesting as they allow you to sort the games by feature, mechanic, and provider. It’s something that a huge number of sites overlook and it is incredibly frustrating. I want to be able to focus on my favourite developers, and not simply be limited to generic categories like “Top Slots” and “New Slots”, and 888 Casino makes this possible.

888 Casino has lots of jackpot slots, as you would expect from a Playtech casino, and there are also daily jackpots exclusive to the website. These aren’t as big as the jackpots found on the biggest Playtech slots, but you can still win a few grand by playing the games you like and they make things much more interesting.

The exclusivity extends to 888 Casino’s Live Casino as well, and you’ll find tables that are branded with the company’s logo, as well as games that are exclusive to the site.

Bonuses and Promotions

The 888 Casino Welcome Bonus offers up to £100 in the form of a 100% matched deposit bonus. It’s a little on the short side when compared to the massive bonuses offered by 1xBit and similar sites, but for a casino that doesn’t accept Bitcoins and is available in the UK, the bonus is actually quite generous. There are a few other bonuses as well, and 888 Casino is one of those sites that keeps its loyal players occupied, so make sure you drop by the promotions page regularly.

You will also want to keep an eye on your VIP status, which is tracked in the 888 VIP Casino Club. It is a very generous reward scheme and is actually one of the best that I have encountered in the United Kingdom, but you need to be betting a lot of money to make this work for you.

If you do, then you’ll be able to collect bonus credits, free spins, and a variety of rewards and prizes, including weekend getaways, jewellery, gadgets, and more. It’s a true VIP scheme in every sense of the word, but you need to be a true VIP to benefit from it.

Payment Options

888 Casino has a relatively high withdrawal limit. It’s fixed at £15, and while that’s not high when compared to Bitcoin casinos like Oshi, it is when compared to other UK casinos, as they are usually around £5 to £10. Still, that only applies to a handful of the most popular payment methods (including PayPal) and not to all of them.

The site doesn’t list a maximum withdrawal limit, but that’s not unusual in the UK as many UK casinos don’t restrict you. You may still face a limitation from your chosen payment method, but this is usually very high. If you’re worried about any such limits and intend to deposit and/or withdraw in the tens of thousands, you should speak with the casino.

The pending period for most transfers is listed as one day, after which the speed of the transaction will depend on the method chosen. Take a look at the table below this 888 Casino review for more information.

Highlights

• One of the UK’s Biggest Gambling Brands
• Lots of Games to Play
• A Variety of Payment Options
• Huge Limits
• A Safe and Secure Casino
• Poker and Sports Betting Also Available

Customer Support

I have a lot of experience with major UK gambling brands like 888 Casino and while many of them are good, including the fantastic 32Red, my experiences with 888 Casino have been a little hit and miss. After reading a number of user reviews, it seems that I’m not alone in this.

As noted in previous reviews, it’s important to take a holistic look at the customer support as opposed to just describing a single experience, so that’s what I will do.

I first encountered issues with the site about 9 or 10 years ago. I was playing at 888 Poker at the time. I paid for a tournament buy-in, the site took my money, I opened the software, and it crashed. It wouldn’t let me back in and from that moment on, it never actually worked again.

I was forced to fold out of that tournament and lost about £20 as a result. Not a massive amount, but it was actually my weekly budget at the time (everyone has to start somewhere!).

When I complained, I was told that the Mac software “does that from time to time” and that was it. They didn’t offer me anything, even after I continued to complain.

Fast forward 5 years, I made a withdrawal using a credit card and the money wasn’t processed. It remained “pending” for 2 weeks and when I emailed them to ask, I didn’t get an answer. I called them, and after a long time on hold, I was eventually put through to someone who informed me that they couldn’t process withdrawals to credit cards.

If that was the case, that option shouldn’t have been made available to me and it definitely shouldn’t have accepted it, processed it, and then left me in the dark for a fortnight.

Again, no apology, no compensation, nothing.

I had a couple of other small technical issues over the following three years or so, and I found them to be just as slow and complacent throughout this time. My last involvement with them was when my account was suspended out of the blue. I didn’t have any money in there at the time, so I didn’t care. In fact, I hadn’t used the site for a few months.

I later discovered that the suspension was because my partner signed up for an account and used the same jointly owned debit card. It’s understandable, but what’s not understandable is that they never told me or my partner. And when I complained, I was just pointed to the Terms and Conditions and that was that.

As noted above, it’s an attitude that you don’t get with the best online casinos. 32Red has been nothing but brilliant the times I have contacted them, and they are also a huge site with many members. And then you have sites like Slots Palace, where a staff member actually went out of their way to log into their account, take screenshots, and go the extra mile just to answer a non-member’s question (see my review for more info).

888 Casino has a lot to answer for when it comes to customer support, but it’s likely that these things will never be changed. After all, we’re talking about one of the biggest gambling companies in the world and one that has been on an upward trajectory over the last decade or so. As long as its poor customer support doesn’t have a direct and immediate impact on its bottom line, it will remain poor.

The good news is that as long as you don’t need to contact support, you’ll be okay. And if you do, and you find that they won’t listen to you even though you’re right, you can also go straight to the UKGC and make a complaint.

FAQs

Final Thoughts

888 Casino has its flaws, but it’s still a great site. It doesn’t have the best customer service and I find the layout of the site to be very frustrating and severely lacking for desktop users, but it’s hard to ignore the site’s reputation, the size of its gaming roster, the variety of payment options, and the huge VIP scheme.

To be honest, I’d much rather put up with these relatively minor inconveniences than deal with the ridiculously low withdrawal limits on Buran Casino or the sites that only have a couple of hundred Microgaming slots and nothing else. Sure, it’s irritating when you have to deal with the customer support team, but we’re talking about an online casino here and it’s very rare that you will actually need to contact them and deal with them.

If you are in the United Kingdom, there is a good chance that you already have experience with the 888 brand and even 888 Casino in particular. If so, you might already have an account or have decided that you hate them and will never use them. For people in the latter category, I recommend giving them another go. They have improved a little over the last couple of years and you may find that you’re willing to forgive them for whatever issues you had in the past.

If you’re one of the few who has never signed up for an 888 Casino account and is completely new, then this is the perfect chance to join, collect your Welcome Bonus, and see what all the fuss is about.