Overview
“Made in Germany” has long been a phrase associated with security, quality, and precision. The MERKUR SLOTS online casino, powered by German land-based casino operator MERKUR, just reached the shores of the UK in 2021. Our team of expert casino reviewers at Playright.co.uk set out to see if MERKUR SLOTS lives up to the German reputation. Owned by the Gauselmann Group, the site looks to bring the excitement and thrill that the MERKUR brand guarantees in Europe to a new market.
The site itself is operated by Eyas Gaming Limited, a company based in Malta. The iGaming technology lets you jump into playing your favourite slots on this site that promises to keep growing. There may be some growing pains, but being backed by one of the largest land-based casino providers in Europe means we are sure these will be ironed out quickly. In the meantime, you still get a fun online casino with lots of exciting gambling opportunities.
The MERKUR SLOTS online casino is an extension of the successful land-based MERKUR Casino that won the title of Germany’s “favourite arcade” in 2016. Can MERKUR SLOTS keep up with this reputation for excellence? Read our review to find out!
Safety and Trustworthiness
MERKUR SLOTS isn’t just your average new online casino that pops up every now and then. This site is backed by one of the European gambling powerhouses and is looking to challenge some more prominent industry players. You better get used to the smiling sun of the MERKUR brand. If 60 years of industry experience that the Gauselmann Group brings isn’t enough to convince you of a brand’s credibility, we don’t know what will.
The online casino has a license from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), one of the world’s most well respected regulatory bodies. Getting this license is no easy task, and online casinos must pass through a series of stringent tests of customer security, payment security, and more. Unlike with other gambling licenses, earning a UKGC license is genuinely impressive.
MERKUR SLOTS is looking to tackle the UK market wholeheartedly, and that’s why the only license it holds is from the UKGC. The Gauselmann Group is introducing its new online casino to other areas, and those sites will have different licenses.
As part of its licensing requirements, the MERKUR SLOTS website complies with the highest standards of encryption, security, data protection protocols and customer privacy policies. So you can be sure that your personal and financial data is never exposed.
Deposits & Withdrawals
Most people in the UK use debit cards in their day to day lives, and online gambling is no different. MERKUR SLOTS has you covered by offering the two of the most prominent card providers in the world, Mastercard and Visa.
One of the most exciting payment methods offered on MERKUR SLOTS is Trustly. This innovative open-banking payment method allows you to pay directly from your bank account without providing any payment details to the casino. You can either create a Trustly account, fund it through your bank account and use it at the casino (similar to other e-wallets). Or you can use the Pay N Play feature that is now offered in many casinos, allowing you to enter your bank details in a secure window on the casino’s cashier.
If you are looking to use your mobile phone to play on MERKUR SLOTS, you can use the convenient Pay-By-Phone option that offers you to manage your casino funds through your monthly phone bill. In addition to not having your bank details revealed, it is also an excellent method to manage all your gambling through your mobile device. However, if you’d like to play on MERKUR SLOTS’ desktop client, that’s not a problem at all. You can still use the Pay-By-Phone method to fund your account.
MERKUR SLOTS gives these good payment options that give players a range of convenient choices. However, the lack of e-wallets such as Skrill and PayPal is disappointing. So this online casino is taking its first steps in the UK market, and that it will add more payment methods in the future.
Bonuses
Currently, MERKUR SLOTS is running a deposit match offer for new customers. When you first sign up with the sportsbook, your first deposit will be matched by 150% on deposits between £10 and £150.
This offer comes with a 50x wagering requirement. That means that bonus funds have to be wagered 50x before they can be withdrawn. At most casinos, different game types will contribute to the wagering requirement in different percentages. MERKUR SLOTS instead opts to have a list of games that contribute 100%.
If you play any game that is not on the list, your wagers will not contribute to your wagering requirement at all. These games are all slots, so don’t try and use table games to pay off your wagering requirements.
With this bonus, you have to meet the wagering requirements in 7 days. Read the full bonus terms and conditions on the MERKUR SLOTS website for all the information you need.
Overall, MERKUR SLOTS offers an attractive bonus. Although the wagering requirements are at the high end of the industry standard, they are still reasonable. There might not be enough of a reward for high rollers, but everyone else can have plenty of fun with this bonus.
Game Selection
As its name suggests, MERKUR SLOTS is all about online slots. As such, it provides slot games from some of the industry’s best software providers like NetEnt, IGT, Red Tiger Gaming and Blueprint Gaming. The game selection at MERKUR SLOTS is carefully curated for your enjoyment. Remember, we’re talking about a site with that German efficiency, so there are no unnecessary titles to bump up numbers.
You won’t find a massive library with hundreds of games like other UK casinos, but there are still over 100 exciting slots with lots of vibrant themes and exciting gameplay features. You will also find progressive jackpots that give you a chance to win life-changing prizes.
You can click the “Live Casino” tab to play games with real professional dealers. Here, you can choose between roulette, blackjack, baccarat, and lots of live game shows. There is a pretty good mixture of games on offer, and we were left wanting more in the best possible way. This is a real strength for MERKUR SLOTS and something we hope it can build on in the future.
Customers can also choose between roulette, blackjack, and baccarat when looking for table games. There are no video poker games which is slightly disappointing. However, there are some scratch cards you can enjoy playing.
Although we found useful tabs, A-to-Z filters, and a search box to look for individual game titles by name, navigating across the different game categories can be tricky and confusing at times. We found everything we needed eventually and without great difficulty. But let’s just say that we expected more in terms of “German precision” when it came to usability and functionality.
Mobile App
To access MERKUR SLOTS on your mobile device, simply head to your device’s browser and visit the MERKUR website. You will be directed to the mobile optimised site to enjoy gambling on the go.
Game availability is slightly more limited on the mobile browser, but this is standard for the online casino industry. In this respect, MERKUR SLOTS meets expectations as there are still upwards of 100 slot games available. The most popular slot games are available on mobile, so most customers probably won’t notice the omissions.
The web browser site is straightforward to navigate thanks to its use of HTML5 technology. Everything is optimised for a mobile screen, and so nothing is frustrating to reach. The mobile site uses the same navigation system as the desktop site, with the different sections in a left-hand expanding tab. Then in each section, tabs at the top of the game selection help gamblers find what they want. There is also a search bar.
MERKUR SLOTS does not offer a native app native mobile app that you can install on your Android or iOS device. However, we didn’t find this to be a problem as the mobile site is so comprehensive. If you’re interested in MERKUR land-based locations, an app on the Google Play Store gives you lots of information about where to find them and more.
Promotions
MERKUR SLOTS also offers promotions for existing customers, which come in the form of slot boosts that change regularly. Players have to opt-in to these offers by visiting the promotions page and clicking on the relevant promotion. The boost will usually be offered as a reward for gambling a certain amount on a single slot game. For example, it could offer £10 in bonus funds to use on the participating slot after wagering £50.
This is a pretty good bonus as the promotions are typically offered on popular slots. That means a lot of gamblers would qualify for the bonus without even trying. Anyone gambling at MERKUR SLOTS should check its promotions page frequently to ensure they are not missing out.
MERKUR does have a VIP programme, but this relates to its land-based locations. The land-based VIP programme currently doesn’t allow online players to be rewarded for online activities. Hopefully, we will see the VIP programme open to online players soon.
Support
There is nothing more frustrating than something going wrong with your online casino account and not being able to fix it. That’s why quality customer support is so important, and this is an area in which MERKUR SLOTS will impress many customers.
The FAQs would be the first port of call for many people, and at MERKUR SLOTS, many issues can be solved here. The FAQs are very detailed and provide a lot of general information we recommend all players to read. You can find out general casino information such as what RTP is, resources to help you verify your account, and much more.
If you can’t find the answers you need in the FAQs, you can contact staff members through email or live chat. Live chat is a much quicker option and what we recommend. The staff members were genuinely helpful and pleasant in our conversations. The staff will go the extra mile to provide you with the information you need, and we were left with a smile on our face not too dissimilar to MERKUR’s logo.
You can get in contact with live chat agents between 09:00 and 00:00, so those late-night gamblers might be disappointed. However, this is an excellent resource that we recommend using for the vast majority of people. We also noticed that MERKUR SLOTS does not offer phone support, which would have been a good addition.
Review Summary
MERKUR SLOTS may still be in its infancy as an online casino, but there are already many things you can enjoy when you visit. Anyone interested in live casino games will have a ball trying out the range of games that is sure to grow in the future. MERKUR SLOTS has emphasised quality over quantity with its slots, showing through the gripping gameplay is. Anyone having issues at the site will feel assured as the customer support is excellent.
There are some issues you may notice, but most of them are relatively minor. The limits on payment methods seem to be the most glaring, but the options available will work well for most people in the UK. You may have an issue with the number of slots, but we see the careful approach as a strength. If this casino doesn’t seem like it’s for you, read our other reviews to find something more to your taste.
Nothing is perfect on the first try, right? MERKUR SLOTS may have some issues it needs to overcome, but it is a robust online casino platform with all the parts it needs to improve. With the backing of the Gauselmann Group, we’re sure that improvement will come sooner rather than later. But we encourage you don’t sit and wait. Visit MERKUR SLOTS today to enjoy its curated slot games and fantastic live game section.
18+. begambleaware.org. Opt in Required. Available for 4 days. First deposit only. Min. £10 deposit. Max. bonus £30. Max. stake £2. 50x wagering. Max. Conversion to cash: £500. Qualification for the 50 Free Spins: Min. Stakes: £20 Max. Reward: 50 Free Spins. Free Spins value: £0.10. Selected games only. Game weighting applies. Free Spins have a 7 day expiry.