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32Red is an online casino run by Trafalgar Betting & Gaming Limited, a British Company based in Gibraltar. Although a relatively new company compared to the likes of old-timers Littlewoods and William Hill, it's a company headed up by a previous Managing Director of betting giants Ladbrokes, so there's no doubt that there's some heavyweight industry experience behind it. Moreover, aside from payout reports audited by über-accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers, 32Red also processes its financial transactions through Barclaycard Merchant Services, which should give players utmost confidence that this is a highly reputable operation with enviably fast payouts of winnings. But what of the 32Red casino site and its games? Step this way . . .
Initial impressions of the website are good - there's a nice clear layout and, my goodness, it isn't half red! The use of graphics is attractive and sufficiently restrained that even on a wheezy, old dial-up connection, the site loads without too much delay. Locating information was a breeze with well thought out navigation, although we did find that the drop down menus could sometimes go a bit awry when viewed on a Mac - but that's us just being a bit picky. Turning to the subject of European-player friendly options at 32Red, there aren’t the discrete multi-lingual options some rival sites offer, so newcomers to online casino gaming without a good grasp of English will find 32Red less accessible than some of its rivals that also offer betting with Euros.
click here to play at 32Red now
One of the unique features of 32Red (although we note no longer actively promoted on the homepage as it once was) is the use of actress Patsy Kensit as the mellifluous voice of the dealer used in their games. Quite what influence this might have on your decision to play here we can only guess at, but if you're a casino-loving Emmerdale fan then perhaps 32Red is the ideal venue for your online gaming! (We suspect that Liam Gallagher won't be so keen though . . .)
What we particularly like about 32Red is that it offers both download and non-download games to its members, which gives great flexibility and, better still, allows non-Windows PC users to play the casino too. If you do have a Windows PC the download games require picking up a 6Mb file (which is hardly demanding even on arthritic 56K modem connection) and we had no problems installing this on our XP test machine. The software isn't available on a free CD, an alternative offered by some of 32Red's competitors, but as already mentioned, the download isn't too hefty a wad of code and the wait is very worthwhile, as the presentation of 32Red’s Microgaming-powered games is lovely.
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With the table games sporting an attractive red baize (what else?), the look and feel is very pleasant and, personally, we did rather enjoy having Patsy as our croupier. Gameplay was straightforward and smooth, with nice use of crisp, authentic sound effects to complement the virtual casino ambience. For sociable players the added feature of MSN-style instant chat while playing was also a definite hit with us - we also must commend 32Red's use of this feature as another option for swift contact with their very efficient support services. This is a very good facility.
Setting up a player account is a straightforward process with options to play as either a Guest (playing for free) or a Real Player (playing for money). However we feel we must mention that once playing as a Real Player we couldn't find an option to access 'for fun' games from that account. This is a shame, as we prefer having an option to be able to practice games for free without needing to register, and switch between, two different accounts to do so. Do also be aware that Euro players do have a more restricted set of payment options for winnings as only UK Mastercards and some European Visa cards can be refunded with profits of your successful sessions online!
Despite the couple of quibbles above, we really like 32Red's offering, with its vast selection of games - including non-download versions for those who want to go gaming without Bill Gates - attractive presentation, good gameplay and excellent support options. As for the Patsy Kensit factor? Well, perhaps it's rather fitting to have Ms. Kensit as croupier in an online casino that's already got bags of appeal for the Absolute Beginners . . .
click here to play at 32Red now |
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