888 Casino Review
888 is undoubtedly Cassava Enterprises’ flagship casino. The brand is synonymous with online casino gambling and has been around for 20 years this year. We expect that 888 will celebrate this momentous birthday accordingly. The early 2000s have contributed to the growth of the 888 brand, which only saw a slump after the US prohibited online gambling. Since then 888 has had to grow in different directions and is one of the biggest names in the industry not just in Europe but many other parts of the world as well.
Most of the software you find at 888 are inhouse brands. There’s Cassava, of course, as well as Dragonfish and Random Logic. IGT and Cryptologic games can also be found here.
Licensed in the UK and Gibraltar, 888 also comes with an eCOGRA certificate and is offered in a number of languages, supporting multiple currencies. This is one of the truly international online casinos and as such has also become a one-stop-shop, offering Video Poker, Bingo, Keno, Table Games, Video Slots, Live Casino, Sports Betting, Poker and Mobile Gaming.
Additionally the customer service here is one of the best around. Not only can you reach the 888 casino 24/7 if you have a question, but via a manner of means as well. Live support is available for you and won’t leave you waiting for long.
The welcome package is pretty incredible and 888 is also one of the few online casinos offering daily surprises and new promotions around every corner. Here are a few things we found particularly noteworthy:
- Full range of services including Sports Betting, Live Casino, Poker and a large range of Mobile games offered
- Licensed through UKGC and GBGA
- Excellent game selection
- 24/7 live support
Support
Live Chat, Email
Established
1997
Jurisdiction
Gibraltar (GRA), United Kingdom (UKGC), Denmark (Spillemyndigheden), Sweden
Currency
Canadian Dollars, Euros, British pounds sterling, Swedish Kronor, US dollars, Denmark kroner
Live Casino
Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat, Casino Holdem,
Software
IGT, NetEnt, Playtech
Withdrawal TImes
E-Wallets : 24-48 h
Credit/Debit Cards : 3-5 d
Bank Transfers : 4-7 d
888 offers a Welcome Package to suit everyone
At 888 you have essentially two options when it comes to receiving a welcome bonus. The first option is the easy one. Here you simply sign up, then make your first deposit and then you’ll receive a 100% top up or up to €140 instantly. You don’t require a special code to use this one.
There’s also a premium welcome package, where you get to collect bonuses on your first five deposits. In order to receive bonuses 2 to 5 you’ll actually have to make your 2nd to 5th deposit in the first week of signing up, wagering the money three times.
- 1st deposit, code Welcome1 and get 100% up to €/£100 Bonus
- 2nd deposit, code Welcome2 and get 30% up to €/£350 Bonus
- 3th deposit, code Welcome3 and get 30% up to €/£350 Bonus
- 4th deposit, code Welcome4 and get 30% up to €/£350 Bonus
- 5th deposit, code Welcome5 and get 30% up to €/£350 Bonus
Any bonus money is subject to 30 times wagering at 888, with the exception of bonuses received when depositing using Neteller. In that case the wagering requirement happens to be 40 times. As usual not all games carry the same weight when meeting the playthrough requirements, so do check over at 888 as well.
Since the bonus terms and conditions are quite extensive at 888, you’ll be best served to read them in full on their website.
100% up to €140
Welcome bonus | Wager requirements:30x | Min deposit:€10
€88 Revenue: 30x
No Deposit bonus | Wager requirements:30x
100% up to €100
2nd Deposit bonus | Wager requirements:30x | Min deposit:€20
30% up to €350
3rd Deposit bonus | Wager requirements:30x | Min deposit:€20
30% up to €350
4th bonus | Wager requirements:30x | Min deposit:€20
€1500
Total Bonus Offer bonus | Wager requirements:30x
$88
Poker bonus
A great selection of casino games
The 888 is quite well known for their own exclusive range of games, which were originally branded as Random Logic, but is now marketed under the name Dragonfish. Additionally you’ll find games from IGT, Cryptologic and even NetEnt at 888. Fans of Starburst will get there fill here and should be glad to hear that the NetEnt range is included on the mobile site as well. However, don’t expect to find the full range of NetEnt slots here.
Some fantastic games await here, though they are not as numerous as some other casinos out there offer. Here quality is more important than quantity.
Needless to say that Roulette, Blackjack, Baccarat and Video Poker can also be found at 888. But the casino also offers its own Poker platform, one of the very best online, where you can get €88 free play, as well as a Bingo site, which can be found at 888ladies, a casino specifically aimed at women.
Live Casino
Since 888 offers the full range of online casino products, a live casino is not missing either. The range of games offered has actually been extended over the years and you don’t have to content yourself with just Roulette, Blackjack and Baccarat anymore.
Nowadays Casino Hold’em, 3 Card Poker and Ultimate Texas Hold’em are also part of the selection that you can enjoy at 888. The dealers here are lovely and well trained and you’ll find yourself coming back for more.
Jackpots
Progressive jackpots are a specialty at 888. Quite a few of their exclusive slots host progressive jackpots and more often than not there’s not just one big jackpot in a game, but two smaller ones as well. Whilst not many progressives come with life-altering wins, some do and if you want to try your luck, we recommend some of the following jackpots:
- Rise of the Pharaohs
- Millionaire Genie
- Gods of Gold
- Santas Super Slot
- Treasure Fair
- Pirates Millions
- The Big Lebowski
- Steampunk Nation
Some of these slots actually pay into the same jackpot, but since you may not find all of them equally appealing or fun, it’s always nice to have a choice and know that you can still walk away with €1 million, whether you prefer Millionaire Genie or Rise of the Pharaohs.
Support
A casino that has been around for two decades knows how to please its customers. Part of that knowledge is to ensure that customers will never feel left alone. And that means you can contact 888 24/7 and ask all manner of questions.
Live support is available, as is phone and email support. Do be sure to check out the FAQ section before you do anything else, because it’s extensive and leave very few questions open. It is great to know that you can reach the very competent and friendly customer support people whenever you need to, but since there is an abundance of information on the website already, you may not even feel the need. Plus, you can learn an awful lot along the way.
Payments
There’s a dedicated section on the homepage that deals with everything related to deposits, withdrawals and bonus conditions. Secure transactions are a given at 888, because the latest encryption technology is used here. All available deposit methods are listed on the website as well. As usual you can use Visa and MasterCard, local debit cards, iDebit, Neteller, Skrill or Wire Transfer. 888 is one of the few online casinos that offer PayPal as a payment methods, which is always good news.
On the website you’ll also be able to see whether your chosen deposit method can be used for withdrawals. There are plenty of smaller eWallets or local payment options where this it is not possible to also receive withdrawals, but with the large number of payment options available, you should be able to find something that suits your needs. Thankfully minimum deposit amounts are also listed, on average you’ll need to deposit at least €/£10 to €/£20, depending on the method you chose.
When it comes to withdrawals, you’ll find that estimated time frames have also been made available online. Whilst some time frames seem rather long, the important part is that 888 sets realistic expectations. And with an online casino this experienced and reliable, you won’t really ever worry about receiving your funds a day sooner or later.
Generally speaking, if withdrawals exceed €/£30,000 per month, you’ll have to request monthly instalments. This is usually different for VIP customers. The withdrawal limits applies to wins from roulette, blackjack, video slots or any other casino game.
Licenses
Cassava Enterprises is licensed not only in Gibraltar, where the company has its home, but also in the UK through the UK Gambling Commission. This license in particular is confidence inspiring as the UKGC is notoriously strict and one of the most respected online gambling jurisdictions around.
Over the two decades of its operations, 888 has established a reputation second to almost no other online casino. When you hear 888, you know that you can trust the brand and that you get a safe and secure gambling environment.
Independent auditor eCOGRA also ensures that fair gameplay is in place here, keeping an eye on the random number generators and delivering regular reports on the return to player information.
Cool and sleek design
Considering its ripe old age in the online gambling industry, 888 sure doesn’t look it. The black and dark grey background that dominates the design leaves the webpage distraction free and enables us to concentrate on what’s important: the games. And on that background their bright colours most certainly pop.
Navigation is easy, the design is clean and sleek and you can enjoy a simple website that doesn’t feel cheap in any way. Just because 888 didn’t go all out on fancy details, you don’t get the impression that the designers didn’t know what they were doing. The website looks just right and despite small changes every once in a while, remains utterly recognizable as the 888 brand.
Conclusion: Is anything missing at all?
We honestly don’t think so. The 888 has its reputation for a reason. You get top class games, jackpots, a live casino experience, one of the best poker rooms in the industry, a sports book and even the ladies get their own casino, in case they feel the need for one.
The bonus section is one of the most extensive we’ve ever seen and you’ll hardly go by a day without wanting to lay your hand on the next and newest offers. The bonus terms are fair and most certainly extensive and customer service is at hand around the clock.
What we wouldn’t mind seeing is a bigger range of slot providers. There are a number of truly fantastic slot developers such as Thunderkick, Yggdrasil Gaming, Elk Studios or good old Microgaming that we simply can’t find here. Then again, nobody is perfect and what would we do with ourselves if 888 would manage to achieve perfection? We’d never go anywhere else.
