Belle Rock Entertainment Sites...
River Belle
Casino
About |
Software
| Bonuses |
Games & Payouts |
Online Cashier
Gaming Policies |
Casino Customer Service |
Awards
About
River Belle Casino is the premier online gambling destination of Belle Rock
Entertainment, who manages a total of seven online casinos and three poker
rooms. Owned by parent company, Carmen Media Group Limited, River Belle has been
doing business online since 1997, thus making it one of the first online casinos
to offer real stakes wagering. Carmen Media Group is the force behind Belle Rock
Entertainment, which was created in 2004, after Carmen Media acquired the Gaming
Club Group of online casinos (Gaming Club, Showdown and Home Casino), Lucky
Nugget Casino, Jackpot City, Aces High and of course, River Belle. Carmen Media
is based in the British Dominion of Gibraltar, which is also where each of their
diverse online casinos are licensed. As a self-governing Dominion, Gibraltar
arguably imposes some of the strictest licensing regulations in line with
European Union and UK gaming standards. River Belle is also a member of the
Interactive Gaming Council and has been awarded the Play it Safe Seal by
eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation Assurance (eCOGRA). In other words, what
you have at River Belle is a highly reputed online casino offering a safe and
secure gambling platform with fair odds.
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Casino Software
The software platform at River
Belle was built by the gambling industry's most well-known and respected
developer of online gaming solutions - MicroGaming. Offering both real money and
unlimited fun mode in Flash or downloadable software, players have every option
available to get started gambling online. A wide selection of highly realistic
casino games, as well as the River Belle Poker Room can be accessed directly
from the RiverBelle.com website, which is also where players can order free CD's
if preferring to not undergo live downloads on the internet. Screen preview
shots of certain games can be viewed ahead of time, or players can simply try
any of River Belle Casinos Free Online Casino
Games. This is, by far, the best way to get a taste of the software
platform, graphics and custom branding built into the software by Microgaming.
Players also have the option of downloading the River Belle Multiplayer Casino,
which is one of few virtual gaming hosts allowing players from around the world
to compete against each other at real-time games of online blackjack and slots.
User-friendly navigation is at its
best on the Microgaming platform, while the lobby of the casino itself offers a
horde of useful applications, such as the PlayCheck and CashCheck systems, a
comprehensive help menu, game rules, payout percentage reports, recent
promotions, comp point accumulations, and the online cashier. PlayCheck permits
players to use their personal login information to access their gambling history
files updated every four hours and spanning a 72 hours backlog. CashCheck
likewise permits players to login to personal account details, in order to view
their transaction histories in a bank-like statement, which is updated once per
day.
For newer online gamblers who may
be unfamiliar with downloading and navigating online casino software, River
Belle offers the best animated video tutorial we have ever come across. This
exceptional tutorial guides players step by step from the very first moment of
clicking the download button, to depositing funds with the online cashier and
placing one's first real money wager. We recommend players to go through the
entire video first (just to become familiarized), then to replay it for a second
time while doing as the video says. Not only is it entertaining (it is
voiced-over by an extremely friendly and sometimes overly enthusiastic "Southern
Belle"), it is broken into segments so that you can take your time following the
instructions. This is a major plus for new players, and is a great length that
most online casinos do not bother going to. To us, this certainly speaks of the
fine customer service all players receive at River Belle Casino.
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Bonuses & Promotions
River Belle Casino always has a
steady Welcome Bonus available for new players. They usually offer a 100% Match
Deposit Bonus in addition to several monthly promotions available for returning
players. Wager requirements are set to a reasonable 30x the deposit and bonus
amount, and there are no game exclusions on meeting the wager requirment. Red
Dog Poker, Sic Bo, Keno, video slots and scratch cards contribute 100% to the
play-through, Roulette, Cyberstud Poker, Poker Pursuit, Paigow, Poker Ride, 3
Card Poker and Casino War contribute to 67% of the play-through for every wager
made, while the strategy games of craps, blackjack, video poker and baccarat
contribute 10%. Bonuses and play-through conversions are automatically managed
by a Bonus System, which players can take a virtual tour of in order to
understand exactly how the system works. For those players who would like to
claim the welcome bonus, you must do so within 72 hours of making your first
deposit. Simply log into the software to do so, and the funds will be received
within 24 to 48 hours. Returning players will also be kept in the know about new
offerings, for Belle Rock publishes a monthly "Cool Hand" lifestyle magazine,
which is mailed out to all loyal players, informing them of the latest
tournaments, promotions and auctions.
Speaking of auctions, this is what
sets River Belle Casino and Belle Rock
Gaming apart from other casino comp programs. All real money gamblers start off
earning comp points for every wager made (just like a traditional Players
Loyalty Club). For every 10 credits wagered (Pounds, Euros or Dollars), players
will earn anywhere from one to three comp points, which are redeemed on the
tenth of every month at a rate of 1 credit per 200 comp points. Although this
conversion scale is not as high as some other Loyalty Programs, Belle Rock makes
up for it by rewarding one auction point for every comp point. Auction points
can be redeemed at any of Belle Rock's online casinos and poker rooms. Players
who have multiple accounts within the Belle Rock network, can visit the
"Auctions" page from the software lobby and link their accounts together so that
all auction point accumulations are deposited into a single account. (Players
must do this or they will miss out on auction points earned from other Belle
Rock sites) The auction points can them be used to bid on an array of items and
prizes via an online auction set up in a similar fashion to eBay. Players can
bid on items ranging from iPods and DVD players, to sporting equipment and
jewelry - and can check on their bids via the casino software to verify if they
have won or need to raise their original bid.
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Games & Payouts
Over 200 casino games are available at River
Belle, including Fifteen Progressive
Jackpots updated in real time (Major Millions, Treasure Nile, LotsaLoot
and Tunzamunni, to name a few), over 110 reel slots and video slots, over 30
video poker games (some allowing up to fifty playable hands at once), ten
different varieties of online blackjack and all the classic table games one
would find in a Vegas casino. As mentioned in the "Casino Software" section of
this online casino review, River Belle offers several free casino games
(Blackjack, Roulette, Tens or Better video poker, Thunderstruck video slots,
Big Kahuna and Cosmic Cat) which players are given instant access to from the
RiverBelle.com website, under the "Getting Started" submenu. (your computer
simply needs certain Active X Controls, which you will be offered to download
if not already present on your system). River Belle also operates an online
poker room, which comes accompanied with a free poker school for beginners, a
very informative software tutorial, and most importantly, a large variety of
stakes and tournament action.
Average payouts for all games consistently hit
above 96%, with slots averaging around 96%, and table games and poker often
exceeding 98% monthly totals. In keeping with the game fairness regulations
imposed by eCOGRA and the government of Gibraltar, River Belle's payouts are
issued in a timely manner, exceed minimum fairness standards and are subject
to monthly verification by independent auditors. Price Waterhouse Coopers is
responsible for undertaking these audits, which is documented in monthly
reports prepared by PWC, and which can be viewed on the River Belle Casino
website or in the casino lobby of the software platform. Some payouts do not
need explaining, such as the recent win of nearly $486,000 on the Major
Millions progressive slot or the combined winnings of over $740,000 by a
single player at River Belle recently.
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Online Cashier
Security and safety are top priorities at
River Belle Casino. Being a member of the Interactive Gaming Council and
eCOGRA approved, River Belle has no other choice but to provide the best and
most modern online security protocols governing all transactions and protecting
player accounts. First, all personal information is kept strictly confidential
and are encrypted with 128-bit SSL technology on gaming servers monitored 24
hours a day. Secondly, all financial transactions are 100% protected against
interception by using the eCash services of the internet's premiere e-cash
merchant, Proc-Cyber Services. Proc-Cyber employs the same encryption and
anti-fraud detection and prevention protocols as the world's leading financial
institutions. Furthermore, River Belle uses advanced fraud-management software,
called Risk Sentinel, as well as the identity verification services of VerifyMe,
who uses government issued ID databases and web-based signatures to verify age
and identity of all players. Players have the helpful option of using a
filtering service which can restrict other household members from visiting the
Belle River website and/or logging into one's account.
Depending on one's preferred method of making deposits and withdrawals
availability of funds will vary. There are plenty of eWallet's to choose from,
such as Neteller, eChecks, FirePay, Citadel and PaySpark to name a few. Most
methods facilitate instant deposits (meaning you will instant access to your
money, once you make a deposit with the cashier), while all withdrawals are
guaranteed to be processed within 24 hours. Depending on if it is your first
take making a withdrawal, the time in which players receive money into their
personal accounts will depend on the eWallet being used. All compatible methods
are described on the River Belle website and within the cashier of the software
platform itself, which provides detailed information about each eWallet, and
step-by-step instructions on opening an eWallet account.
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Gaming Policies
Belle Rock
Entertainment has a published set of Terms and
Conditions for using the software of and opening
accounts with any of their gaming properties. These are
likewise published on the River Belle Casino website,
which we advise all players to read before opening an
account. They have been deemed fair and reasonable, and
do well to protect both the casino and player. The
gaming policies of most importance are those which come
under River Belle's Promise to all of their players.
Under this Promise, River Belle pledges to provide
Responsible Gaming checks (protecting minors and
granting self-exclusion windows), and creating the most
secure, regulated, and fair online gambling environment
possible.
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Casino Customer Service
Customer service is a hallmark at
River Belle Casino. Living up to the
standards of 'Southern Hospitality', River Belle goes above and beyond most
online casinos. The 100% transparency of their website alone reveals River
Belle's commitment to keeping all lines of communication open with their
players. River Belle's customer service center is operated by ForwardSlash,
which has extensive experience providing one-on-one online service twenty-four
hours a day, seven days a week. And for players who want to get a taste of the
southern hospitality in store for them, just read the welcome message on the
River Belle Casino website by Belle Rock chairman, Tim Johnson. He gives his
personal commitment to the players, and makes it clear that Belle River is
dedicated in doing everything necessary to improve their service on every front.
Live help is always available via
telephone, email and chat. Even the download tutorial provides access to
customer support while downloading and installing the software. An FAQ menu is
available on the Help page at River Belle, where players can also submit
questions via an email submission form. Toll-free telephone numbers are posted
on the home page of RiverBelle.com and at Belle Rock Entertainment, catering to
several jurisdictions.
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Awards
River Belle Casino has
received numerous awards over the years. Since 1997,
they have received "Best of Online Gaming" awards from
several webzine publications, gambling magazines and
online player polls. Awards for 2005, include Honorable
Mention for "Quickest Payouts" and "Top Sign-up Bonus". Additionally, River Belle Casino
uses Microgaming software, which has arguably won more
legitimate awards than any other online gaming software
developer.
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Visit
River Belle Online
Casino for more information.
