Zynga is a well-known entity in social media games, especially with such developments as Farmville, which most of us played at some point during the early years of Facebook. But Zynga Poker, where we really get into the gambling realm (albeit at first for fun and without any real cash as well), is also well-known among players. In 2013, they first opened the virtual doors of the online casino to UK players, thereby venturing into the realm of real-money gambling.
The casino started out with 120 slots, knowing full well that they’re a favourite in online casinos. But unlike many other new casino brands, they didn’t bank on working with established developers such as NetEnt or Microgaming or even Playtech. No, they turned some of their popular social media games into slot titles, giving us a slot that is actually called Farmville. And it looks very much like the Farmville of yore. It made us feel nostalgic, when we first saw the game.
Beyond that, table games are on offer and Poker as well.
So, what’s to like about the casino?
| Games: 150+ | Established: 2013 |
| Payout: | |
| Jurisdiction: | |
| Software: | |
| Support: Email, Phone | |
| Play on: Computer, iPhone, Android | |
| Languages: | |
| Currency: British pounds sterling | |
| E-Wallets: |
| Credit/Debit Cards: |
| Bank Transfers: |
At Zynga Plus, new players can claim an offer that is called the ‘welcome basket’, which is a quirky idea. Essentially, you simply get a welcome package that can be claimed for the first four deposits you make.
You can thus get a total of £3,000 by making four different deposits of €750 and receiving 100% on top. As it is, you can simply make the first deposit without a bonus code necessary. The three subsequent deposits will require the bonus code 750SLOTS, if you want to claim those other bonuses as well.
Be aware that there are playthrough requirements and, last we heard, they are 20x your bonus funds, which is actually incredibly generous. However, you’ll mostly be able to playthrough your bonus funds on slots, not on any table games or poker games as far as we know.
Free spins don’t seem to be offered either, which is a bit of a shame.
Beyond that, regular promotions are available at Zynga Plus as well and even a refer-a-friend offer is there to entice you to make a recommendation to your friends.
Zynga Plus started out with 120 slots but has later added a few more games to their portfolio, including games you can play at other online casinos as well. The majority of their games, however, remains proprietary and emulates many of their popular social media games, including the already mentioned Farmville.
And yes, the game really takes on the graphics of the original and gives us plenty of fruit trees, sheep and ducks on the reels, which is kind of adorable.
Table games such as Blackjack or Roulette and Poker can also be played at the casino. Overall, the selection of games is a lot smaller than at many other online casinos, which is certainly owed to the exclusivity of the games. Zynga Plus wants to appeal to longstanding fans of their social media games, which shows in the games they provide.
Since the casino is only available in the UK, the customer support is pretty much limited to the UK as well. That includes a toll-free customer service number, which is available to UK players 24/7. It should be noted, however, that only paying customers get the 24/7 customer service. Players who mostly play in fun mode won’t get that added advantage of contacting the live chat 24/7.
Additionally, there’s a FAQ section, which is fairly tidy, but not overly extensive.
When it comes to the banking side of things, you’ll be asked to make a deposit fairly soon after signing up for an account. Whilst it is possible to play with fake funds, Zynga prefers you to deposit real funds. The minimum deposit is £10. Naturally, major credit cards and eWallets are available for deposits and withdrawals.
Unfortunately, we don’t know whether there’s a withdrawal limit, but you can expect there to be one.
The design of the Zynga Plus website is relatively simple and tidy. We get a few familiar-looking characters on the welcome screen and can visit the various parts of the casino. Interestingly, the casino exists as a downloadable version as well as for instant-play. Most other reviewers report that the downloadable version gives you a smoother gaming experience.
There’s an area to get you started, one for games, one for promotions and one for VIP and rewards. A blog is available as well.
The design can hardly be called exciting, but it is functional, and you can easily navigate around.
Additionally, the casino is available for mobile play as well, which gives you a decent experience, but more development would be necessary to make it great.
You couldn’t say that Zynga doesn’t make money with their social media games. In fact, they make loads of money, because their social media games always have additional options to progress by making extra purchases instead of waiting for the crops to ripen in their own time, so to speak.
So, why venture into real-money gambling? Their Poker game is very popular and so it does seem like a natural step, but is it a successful one and did the fans of their social media games actually follow as the intended audience?
We’re not sure. Truthfully, you really should be acquainted with Zynga and their brands to really enjoy this little casino and the games on offer. The platform is neither huge nor sophisticated and squarely aimed at fans. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it might make it difficult to have lasting success in the very competitive world of online gambling and online casinos.
No reviews yet!
