Winner Casino Review:

Launched back in 2009, it’s safe to say that Winner Casino has forged a decent enough reputation to last the course. What this site carries is a unique approach to design, as it works to keep things simple, straightforward, and focused on the things that matter. With the terms “Register”, “Deposit”, and “Play” splashed across its homepage and some serious social network promotion to its name, Winner Casino is attempting to tap into an active audience that is after no-frills online casino gaming. But what can this site offer in a sea of Playtech only casinos nowadays? Read our review to find out.

Winner Casino carries a license from the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC), through parent company PT Entertainment Services. When you sit down and grade governing bodies within the world of online casino gaming, the UKGC easily ranks in the top three, thus tells us plenty about the trustworthiness of Winner Casino.

From a fair play perspective, Winner Casino also undertakes extensive auditing, with all 300-plus games having been tested independently for fairness through Gaming Laboratories International (GLI), with the overall payout for all games calculated at 95.16%. What Winner Casino is sorely missing (and something that many of its rivals have in droves) is industry awards to rubber stamps its credentials.

On paper, Winner has all everything a cautious player would look for in terms of regulatory requirements. But one or two incidents have seen the brand tarnish its good name. Chief among these was its involvement with an affiliate company that that illegally placed links and advertisements on third-party sites. Winner Casino was roundly criticised when it did not end the relationship when the situation was brought to light.

It has also been known to frustrate players trying to withdraw winnings by insisting that they first submit notarised ID documents (signed and witnessed by an approved independent third-party). A tough and unnecessary player verification requirement.

Winner goes a bit overboard when it comes to deposit and withdrawal options. We counted no less than 31 deposit methods and 10 withdrawal methods. There are strict withdrawal limits in place, in common with other Playtech casinos, including the familar unreasonable Playtech withdrawal limit of £9900 per day.

Winner Casino has a pretty generous welcome bonus to offer all new members. As soon as you make an initial deposit it’ll be matched by 200% up to £300. That’s as long as you deposit at least £35, which is considerably more than the £10 minimum qualifying deposit that most online casinos require.

That’s a decent headline figure for a casino bonus, and at 35x, the wagering requirements look pretty favourable at first glance. But a little digging into the T&Cs reveals that the playthrough applies to both the deposit and the bonus making it one of the highest playthrough requirements around. Given that you only get 30 days to slog through that amount, it’s safe to say that casual players will struggle to release the maximum bonus amount in time.

The game contribution percentages at Winner Casino are better than what you are likely to find elsewhere, even if it’s only by a hair. Slots and scratchcards contribute 100%, while roulette contributes anywhere from 0-60%, depending on the specific game. Blackjack contributes only 10%, which is pretty standard, although we’ve seen some casinos where it contributes 20%.

Overall, the bonus falls somewhere in the middle of the pack. The size and structure of the bonus makes it suitable for beginner and intermediate players, but the fine print does take the shine off a little bit.

One of the main benefits to being a Winner Casino player is the access you get to all of the Winner online gambling products. The downside is one of the first things you’ll encounter when you visit the site for the first time.

Strung across the top of the site is a menu with 12 different products listed. Great! More choice is better, after all. But it can be confusing, too. As a first-timer it can be difficult to understand how the Casino, Vegas and Macau products are related, or if they are even different. It would be easier to navigate if there were fewer separate products listed, especially when some are sub-products and others are very similar to one another.

Aside from that, the design of the site is fine, but it doesn’t feel like any special effort was expended to give it a distinct identity. It’s a design that serves its purpose and no more, and as such it suits the nature of Winner Casino.

This is a straight forward Playtech casino, so you should find everything you need among the sizeable games catalogue. Just don’t expect any treats or surprises like you’d get at one of the newer breed of casinos offering goodies from multiple software houses. You can access instant-play games directly in your browser (or phone) but the largest number of games can be found on the download platform. Old school, sure, but it’s easy to navigate, and a tried-and-tested platform.

For starters, there are more than 300 slot games here, with this probably ranking as the site’s calling card. Classic slots, multi-line video slots, and progressive jackpot slots are thrown into the mix, with top titles such as the Age of the Gods series and Top Gun delivering plenty of thrills and spills.

Slots may be the main game format on offer within the digital walls of Winner Casino, but they do have something a little more classic for those who enjoy taking a seat at the tables.

While the sole reliance on Playtech software is a mark against Winner, it’s pretty hard to fault the sheer number of roulette and blackjack variants that the casino serves up. There are a whopping 20 different varieties of roulette, including live dealer games and the progressive jackpot game, Marvel Roulette.  Around half of the card games on offer are various forms of blackjack, but you’ll also find baccarat, Red Dog, Pai Gow, casino hold’em and pontoon.

Yes, Winner Casino lacks flash and flair, but thanks to Playtech’s humungous back catalogue you’ll never be short of a game to play.

Winner Casino’s mobile platform is really a tale of two devices. The iOS app, with its crisp white background and smooth transitions, is, in our opinion, superior to the desktop site. You can access the other platforms, such as sports betting, via the menu, but Winner really wants you to download separate apps for each. Whether that suits you will depend on what products you use regularly. It’s nice to have a focused product just for casino without the other stuff getting in the way, unless, of course, you regularly place bets or play poker.

What makes this portable offering so impressive is that it carries the exact same no-nonsense vibe as the main site but with a slicker look. Simple and smooth, performance-wise the iOS-compatible Winner Casino app is an excellent offering.

Most of the bonuses and promotions at Winner Casino are tied into the welcome bonus offering. That being said, there are a few generous picks here that can work to give your account balance a boost.

Every Tuesday at Winner Casino is ‘Free Spins Tuesday’, so when you deposit £20 or more on this oh-so-special day you will be rewarded with up to 60 free spins. If free spins don’t take your fancy, the £1,000 shopping vouchers giveaway might just be more up your street. Deposit £20, grab yourself an entry to the raffle, and who knows, you may just be able to shop till you drop without the cost.

Every time you play at Winner Casino you’ll earn loyalty points, and those loyalty points can then be used to climb the six-tier VIP system. As with all other loyalty-based systems, it’s a case of the more you play, the more you get out of it, with higher-level extras at Winner Casino including faster comp point conversion, quicker withdrawals, and higher cash-out limits. Admittedly, Winner Casino doesn’t have enough in the tank to rival the industry juggernauts when it comes to bonuses and promotions, but its small selection does have some quality.