| Game software providers: | Microgaming, Netent, Evolution, Play'n'Go |
| Deposit Methods: |    |
| Available Countries: | UK |
| Casino types | Table Games, Live dealer |
| Number of games | 300+ |
| Licences | UK Gambling Commission |
| Support: | Live Chat, Email, Phone |
The online casino industry is highly competitive, with new entrants joining the fray on what seems to be a weekly basis. Since we spend most of our days reviewing gaming sites, it is always a treat when we come across a site that has been around for more than 10 years. Such is the case with Betway, a site that has been in operation since 2006.
Licensed in Malta and also by the UK Gambling Commission, Betway is a major player in the casino and sports verticals. They did have a bit of a tough start, fielding complaints from their players about how tough it was to clear the bonuses and dealing with some slow payment times. However, it is clear that they managed to navigate through those rocky waters (they are still in business and booming) and now it appears they are well-respected across the landscape.
Betway is owned by the Betway Group, who also own and operate Spin Casino, Bingo on the Box and Dream Bingo.
Betway Casino is legit, just not for you folks in the United States. Perhaps one day we will find the U.S. gets themselves into the 21st century and starts to allow their citizens the same gambling rights as most of the rest of the world, but in the meantime, you’ll have to watch from the sidelines. Betway started as a sportsbook back in 2006, as most of the UK-facing sites did. The UK sports betting market is mature and massive – just look at the jerseys of most of the football teams over there, and you will see names of many of the large sportsbooks as title sponsors. After their launch, the company decided to add multiple products such as casino and poker. We are going to focus our review on the casino side of the offering, but we will also cover everything else that Betway makes available for their players.
Betway has always had some issues with the promotional side of the business. This stems from the operator being a sports-first brand at the start; most sportsbooks don’t have lavish bonuses for their players. While there have been some improvements along the way, it is evident by looking at their current promotions that they are still catering mainly to the sports bettor rather than have bonus-hungry casino players milking them for the free cash.
To get your welcome bonus, simply make your first deposit and it will instantly be doubled! Additional Match Bonuses on your second and third deposits will also increase your balance further.
Note: *The minimum deposit required per bonus is £/$/€20. *All three bonus offers must be claimed within 7 days of registering a new account. *All three bonuses carry a minimum wagering requirement of 50X. – Be sure to review any other T&C’s that apply to this offer.
Overall, it is a nice, bonus, split up into three parts. However, when you start to look at the Terms and Conditions, you will find that even with a wagering requirement of 50x, you don’t get any bonus cleared in many of the traditional table games. This really is a slots-heavy bonus so if you are a big blackjack player, you won’t be thrilled with this offer.
There aren’t too many ongoing bonuses being offered at Betway; most of the bonuses and promotions are tied to their VIP Program. What I did see on their site were some details of some of their earlier promotions, which were very impressive. They have many aspirational prizes that send players to F1 races, Premiership matches and other trips which are a welcome change to the standard cash-based offers.
Even though they didn’t start out as a casino operator, when it came time to launch the Betway Casino, the firm made an excellent choice of software supplier. The casino uses Microgaming as the backbone for their casino offering. Those of you who are familiar with the Microgaming suite of games know what they are about – robust games with amazing content and licensed brands. The firm is one of the original online casino vendors and even thought they had to make some major pivots along the way due to regulatory changes in some jurisdictions, they are still one of the most sought-after partners in the industry.
One great attribute of the Microgaming suite of table games is the wide array of blackjack options for players. Over the years, the game of blackjack has been tweaked to add slightly different rules and some bonus games, which overall has made the game far more fun to play. This is particularly the case online as the game moves quickly and there isn’t any table banter between the players and the dealer. Personally, I would spend a majority of my time at Betway playing their blackjack games. My favorite game to play these days is Vegas Single Deck Blackjack – it has one of the highest payout percentages (assuming you play correctly), and I like the idea of only a single deck being in play. Betway does offer many other blackjack variants; see if any of these work for you:
The remaining table games at Betway are all the classics, with a couple of the newer games thrown in. I am not one who plays the newer games as I feel these games have terrible odds and are actually designed for the person who gambles more for entertainment purposes. I am well past those days, so I still to games like Roulette and Baccarat if I am going to play a table game that isn’t Blackjack. Here are all the games you will find in the Betway lobby:
The slots content from Microgaming is nothing short of fantastic. Over the years, the company has sourced material both by in-house design and also by licensing some of the biggest brands out there. Easily one of my favorite slots games that Microgaming has released is the Jurassic Park Slot; you can try it out for free right here! There are over 400 slots titles at Betway, so you are bound to find something that pleases you. Also, don’t forget that Betway is part of the Microgaming network of progressive games, meaning that many of their slots feature big jackpots. None of these jackpots is more impressive than the Mega Moolah slot, which currently has a progressive of over one million dollars. Here are some of the more popular slots games:
Microgaming has always been a leader in providing video poker variants to its customers. Betway takes full advantage of this in their casino; you can find all the top games here, with some of the best payout tables online. This is critical for the devoted video poker fan like me because along with the better the payout table comes a better chance to be walking away from that machine a winner.
Anyone looking to take a break from the more traditional casino offering can have a look at the specialty games that are offered by Betway Casino. Microgaming doesn’t have too many of these types of games in their suite, however, if you want to play some mindless Keno to take away the rage from losing a big Blackjack hand, then you are in luck. Here are some of the other specialty games you will see at Betway:
Betway offers its players a chance to play against a real person with their Live Dealer casino. With Live Dealer games, you can select the dealer you would like (based on availability), and then you can sit down and play many of the traditional casino games at a speed and style more similar to the live casino experience. Betway used to use Microgaming for their Live Dealer offering however in the last couple of years they have shifted to a more robust platform from Evolution Gaming. Evolution is a Live Dealer specialist, and you can find their games at many of the top online casino brands. At this time you can play the following games at Betway Live Casino:
As we mentioned, Betway was a sportsbook before they got into the casino business. To be competitive in the very crowded sports betting space in the UK, Betway had to ensure that their product was not only quick but also offered the full range of bets that players were searching for. They have succeeded on both fronts with an excellent online sportsbook site. The odds are clear and easy to read, and navigating through the different sports is very clear. While the sportsbook is obviously soccer-driven, you can bet on pretty much any sport you can think of, including:
With their mobile app, players can easily find bets to make while they are sitting in a stadium watching a match or while they are following along in the pub. With in-game betting growing with every passing day, Betway has their players covered by providing real-time odds quickly and in a manner that makes it very easy to wager.
Betway takes advantage of their agreement with Microgaming to have a branded poker skin on the pooled Microgaming Poker Network. Admittedly, I am always nervous about a poker offering coming from a company that isn’t focused on that product, but I was surprised to see an excellent effort by the team at Betway to make the poker product competitive. While it isn’t my favorite software (there is no instant-play version), there is an excellent array of smaller buy-in tournament designed for the recreational player. There are also some different bonuses targeting poker players, including a $750 Welcome Bonus. You can also find thousands of dollars in bankroll-building freerolls along with a Bad Beat AJckpot on some of their cash game tables. Overall, while there are obviously much better poker options out there, if you already have your money at Betway, it’s nice to have the opportunity to jump in a quick tournament every once in a while.
Betway has a full customer service team that can provide their players with assistance in multiple languages. This is a nice touch as many places are limited to only one or two languages in that department which can make it very frustrating for those who don’t speak the language. You can reach Betway through a Live Chat function, or by more traditional methods such as telephone and email.
Being licensed by the UK Gambling Commission and by the Malta Gambling Authority means that Betway is able to offer its customers a wide range of banking options. Of course, some processors still only accept money from particular countries. While we are providing you with a complete list which may include companies with which you have an account, the best way to be sure is to log in and hear to the cashier page, where you will find all the available options listed for your country.
Betway has a comp program that runs across all their different offerings called Betway Plus. The concept of the program is quite simple: with every wager made for real money in poker, casino, sports or bingo, you earn Plus Points which can be redeemed for extra cash in your account.
The rate that you earn the Points is different for each game, but the bottom line is every time you are risking real money, there is a little kickback coming your way. Where the Betway Plus program takes it to another level is with their tiered VIP program. Along with earning Plus Points for making real money bets, you will also see Tier Tokens being added to your account balance. These tokens are what the casino uses to determine your VIP status level.
There are 6 Tiers in the VIP Program, and with each level attained, you will receive additional bonuses and levels of service. With Betway being a multi-vertical company, some of these perks may not affect you as a casino player.
I do; like that there are attainable levels and that the program is transparent; so many other sites are much more subjective when it comes to their VIPs. Here’s a quick snapshot of the Tiers and what you are offered.
We think it is easy to see after reading this review why we would recommend you play at Betway Casino. They have chosen one of the best providers to partner with, and after you are done playing your favorite table games or slots, you can seamlessly place some sports wagers or maybe jump into a poker tournament! While their promotions could use some sprucing up, the quality of the overall experience will trump some crappy offers. If you are lucky enough to live in a jurisdiction where Betway Casino is available, we suggest you give them a chance.
This review was made by: LegitCasinosOnline.com Rating: 9 out of 10
