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First off we think we need to be absolutely clear which VIP Casino is under the microscope here since, confusingly, there are two that could be under our scrutiny at the time of this review. The online casino we’re focused on is ‘VIP Casino’ and not ‘VIP Casino Club’ – confused? You should be! However to be unequivocal, this is the online casino you’ll find at the end of www.vipcasino.com, with a red dressed hostess greeting you at the velvet rope on the home page. Got it? Good; we shall now proceed . . .
VIP Casino is a spin-off, premium product from the hugely successful InterCasino, which gives it a tremendous head start in the wildly competitive market for online casino gaming. For those readers very new to online casino gaming, InterCasino is one of the granddaddies of this internet phenomenon, taking its first real money casino bets online way back in 1996, a time we can consider pretty much the dawn of the World Wide Web in the form we now recognize it. InterCasino has gone on to become one of the most popular and well-respected online gaming operators (winning numerous industry awards along the way) and so VIP Casino comes with a tremendous pedigree.
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Like its parent casino, VIP Casino is built around Cryptologic’s gaming software and so players can expect some of the most authentic and immersive casino simulations to be found online. The choice of games is as lush as the visual presentation - there are currently over 180 options to play - and replete with the multi-player and live chat features that are a particular strength of Cryptologic’s software. A downside? Well this casino’s games are download only and just compatible with Windows machines, so Mac users won’t be getting the VIP treatment we’re afraid. If your games not down with Bill Gates, you’re not coming in!
The VIP casino website itself is well designed with a ‘Vegas’ style, and very easy to navigate. Getting the feel of the place is easy and the process of downloading the software and signing up to play is a smooth operation. We’re a bit undecided about the hostess pictured on the front page as it looks kind of tacky to us (is she looking ‘come hither’ or ‘damn, those Marguerita’s are strong’?), but we appreciate this is just being picky about the set dressing and not a deal-breaker. While we’re covering the website content it’s a thumbs up to VIP for the clear, upfront publication of its payout rates, but a thumbs down for the out-of-date ‘Latest Winners’ table – the most recent entry was nearly two months old when we visited, and from the VIP payout rates we can’t believe no-one’s had a big win since.
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Other than the odd website niggles mentioned above, so far so good. But also so far so very like InterCasino. Why play here instead of there? What is the VIP USP? Well, VIP Casino is aimed at a higher-rolling player with incentives and table limits geared towards big betters. The ‘Ultimate Cash Reward Casino’ is how this casino positions itself, and at the core of this philosophy is VIP’s Premium Club. Membership of the VIP Premium Club has five levels from Bronze to the extremely elite Platinum Black, of which the top three tiers are by invitation only. With membership comes privileges, the most interesting of which is the Bank Roll Return. This unusual incentive pays a player a percentage of their total winnings or losses back every month, starting at 1% for Bronze Club Members rising to 6% if you make it to Platinum status. Entry to the lowest tier of the Premium Club does require a minimum player deposit of $500 per month, so VIP isn’t going to suit the casual player but if you are playing through sums like this and higher every month at other online casinos it could be worth your while investigating a switch to some VIP treatment. As already mentioned, table limits are higher at VIP than InterCasino but we must note that other good quality, Cryptologic-powered casinos such as William Hill Casino can best VIP in this respect, so if you need to ‘go large’ VIP is not the only game in town.
Aside for the VIP Premium Club incentives there is a reasonable, though not startling, Welcome Bonus offered to entice new players, and it appears that VIP have responded to earlier criticisms of its wagering requirements for bonuses too. This used to be 70 times the bonus (!) but, at the date of this review, it’s now down to 25 times, which is in line with most of its online casino peers.
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Customer service is of the high standard we’ve come to expect from the InterCasino group, including freephone support for Brits who want to play the VIP way in spite of this casino not offering currency options beyond US Dollars. The absence of regional customization at VIP won’t concern too many players, but it is a feature of InterCasino’s site that we think would be nice to see mirrored here. Perhaps nations outside the US don’t make very good VIPs!
VIP is undoubtedly a VGC (Very Good Casino), but we would suggest it’s a better bet for players who are looking for a serious relationship with an online casino. The true rewards of membership at VIP come with a decent commitment of time and dollars so if online casino gaming is a big deal to you, there’s a great deal to recommend VIP Casino as a haven for high-rolling action.
Click here to play at VIP Casino now |
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