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Virgin Casino Review
About |
Software
| Bonuses |
Games & Payouts |
Online Cashier
Gaming Policies |
Casino Customer Service |
Awards
About
As you might surmise,
Virgin Casino comes from the one-and-only Virgin brand.
Certainly one of the most charitable, respected and
recognizable brands in the UK and in many other
countries around the world, Virgin sells everything from
CD's and airfare to bridal dresses and comics. They also
know a thing or two about the gaming industry. The
company's entrance into this sector is a relatively
recent one. With the world's first fleet of jumbo jet
casinos set for flight in May and the launching of
Virgin Games Casino in 2006, the company has come a long
way in a short time to become a gaming associated brand.
The choice to offer casino gambling activities is indeed
a brilliant one, considering Virgin's niche has always
been in entertainment and leisure anyways. In addition
to online casino games, Virgin Games, betting offering
includes poker, bingo and games of skill.
In
keeping with their company policy of only entering new ventures in which there
is an opportunity to restructure the market, create competitive advantage and
add value to the industry, Virgin has promised to so the same for the online
gambling sector. And so far, so good. Virgin Games Casino's online gaming
licensing is bestowed by the highly regarded Alderney Gambling Control
Commission (AGCC), whose independent standards of regulating online gambling
activities meet the strictest standards imposed by the 2005 UK Gambling Act.
Virgin Casino is powered by WagerWorks software, who in keeping with AGCC
guidelines, has offices in Alderney (WagerWorks Alderney 5 Limited, York House,
Victoria Street, Alderney). WagerWorks also holds a bookmaker's permit from the
Greater London Magistrates' Court Authority - Lambeth and Southwark PSA. Virgin
Games is registered in England with Company Number 03735629, and man's offices
at 120 Campden Hill Road, London, W8 7AR. Virgin Games is also a member of the
Remote Gambling Association - a collective of the largest and most prolific
online gambling companies in support of ethical gaming practices and
international regulation.
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Casino Software
Virgin Games Casino is powered by WagerWorks Software.
Acquired by the internationally recognized casino gaming
systems supplier, International Game Technology (IGT),
in 2005, WagerWorks received a major revamping that has
made it one of the online gaming industry's leading
software developers. Regarding fairness certification,
WagerWorks has been granted a Seal of Approval from the
accredited IT testing facility, Technical Systems
Testing (TST). Providing both terrestrial and virtual
consulting and independent testing services to well
established global gaming companies, TST's certification
bestows a great deal of credibility and compliance upon
Virgin Games software platform. Furthermore, WagerWorks
is licensed by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission
(www.gamblingcontrol.org), whose compliance standards
guarantee fair odds and strict security protocols.
WagerWorks also has certifications with the Isle of Man
government and Global Gaming Services.
Virgin Casino strictly
offers a Flash software platform - all in the name of
"hassle-free online gambling". Indeed, the software is
instantly accessible, providing safe and secure access
to a suite of sixty-two games. Players can test out the
games for free by simply signing up for a practice
account, which only requires a valid email address and
nothing more. A default of 3,000 practice credits is
given for each player's disposal, while the option to
open a real money account is available at any time. For
players who decide to put down real stakes, they will
have access to their own personal "My Account" page,
where they can view their transaction and gaming
histories at any time. The software platform also offers
several customizable features, including playing speed,
audio, and graphics customization.
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Bonuses & Promotions
The bonuses and promotions at Virgin Casino offer
excellent incentive for players to make a real money
deposit. All new players are entitled to a
100% Match
Bonus up to £50 Free. With only a 10x playthru
requirement, this is a very competitive bonus. However,
keep in mind that bets made at games of Baccarat,
Multiplier, Craps, Ten Play and Ten Play Bonus Video
Poker, and all varieties of Roulette and Blackjack do
not count toward meeting the playthru, which
incidentally, must be met within thirty days of
receiving the bonus in order for it to be eligible as a
cashout. Virgin also offers weekly and monthly
promotions for active players. At the time of this
online casino review, Virgin was offering a £20 bonus on
deposits made every weekend during the month, as well as
a £50 bonus on weekly reload deposits. Virgin Games'
monthly promotions consist of giving away free cash
vouchers every week. Their last promo was a £2,000
raffle giveaway in which players were awarded raffle
entries for every day spent gambling in the casino
during the promo period. Over the course of the month,
four lucky players won £500 each.
Additional perks at Virgin Games
Casino include a Refer-a-Friend Bonus, Virgin Atlantic High Flyer points, Virgin
wine vouchers, and trips to Richard Branson's private desert island, Necker
Island, and private game reserve, Ulusaba. The Refer-a-Friend bonus is worth £25
Free to both the referred player and the one making the referral. The referred
player is required to make £250 in bets (Multiplier, Baccarat, Craps and
Blackjack do not count), after which the bonus will be released to both players.
Regarding the game-specific High Flyer Points, these average to about five
points for every £100 wagered at Virgin Casino. For your information, about
10,000 points amounts to a premium upgrade while 20,000 points amounts to a one
way trip from Europe to New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston or Miami.
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Games & Payouts
There are over sixty online casino games available at
Virgin Casino, including five versions of Roulette,
seven versions of Blackjack, seven table poker games,
ten video poker machines, seventeen slot machines
(including "Play Your Cards Right", "Baywatch",
"Monopoly", "Price is Right"), ten instant win games and
six different versions of online keno. In our opinion,
this is just the right amount of games to keep players
busy yet not overwhelm one with too many choices. What
truly makes the Virgin Casino software platform unique is
that it is powered by WagerWorks, who happens to have
exclusive rights to games like those mentioned above.
Being an IGT company, WagerWorks has the privilege of
offering certain games that other online casinos simply
cannot.
Regarding the payouts at
Virgin Games, the list of frequent winners on the casino
homepage says plenty. However, if you want to know exact
payout percentages from the month prior, you will need
to contact customer service. Payout percentage reports
are apparently not published on their website (something
which we would like to see Virgin Casino take up in the
near future). Just because this is the case, don't think
you are playing with unfair odds. Virgin Games Casino is
monitored on an ongoing basis and is subject to monthly
audits as enforced by the Alderney Gambling Control
Commission.
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Online Cashier
Virgin Casino uses the UK's leading e-commerce
payment solutions to process credit and debit card transactions. All card
details are stored on a proprietary 128-bit encryption algorithm, which is only
accessed when transactions are requested through the online cashier interface by
a player signed into their account. Digitally secure, encrypted links mean that
players should not be concerned whatsoever about having their personal details
intercepted by hackers.
The cashier accepts Visa/MasterCard, Visa Delta and
Switch cards, and funds are instantly available once the transaction request has
been cleared. Deposits are accepted for a daily minimum of £5 and a maximum of
£2,000. Minimum withdrawals are also set at £5, while daily maximum withdrawals
are capped at £3,000. Players who would like to withdraw more than £3,000 at one
sitting may do so by contacting customer support and providing the necessary
requested documentation, which at a minimum, will include either a copy of one's
passport or driver's license. Withdrawals can be transferred to the card used
for making deposits (2 to 3 days processing time), while mailed cheques are
usually received in seven to fourteen days.
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Gaming Policies
Of all the terms and conditions we have read, we
have to say that Virgin Casino truly has some of the most friendly and
entertaining. In our opinion, this little detail speaks volumes about Virgin
Games. Any casino who goes out of their way to make their terms and conditions
more easy to bear, has a great understanding of what good service is all about.
Every player should read the gaming policies of a casino before signing up to
open an account. One of the reasons why this does not happen often is that 99.9%
of online casinos present their terms and conditions like its a huge pile of
legal mumbo jumbo. And although it is in many ways, Virgin Casino does an
excellent job explaining them with a unique personal touch. Topics covered
include Ownership, Gaming Policy Updates, Registration, Account Activities,
Customer Service, Self-Exclusion, Games, Prize Vault Games, Awards and Vouchers,
Intellectual Property Rights, Warranty Disclaimer and Liability, Player Privacy
Rights and ethical warnings about problem gambling.
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Casino Customer
Service
We have no qualms whatsoever about giving Virgin Casino an excellent rating in
the customer service department. Virgin is a brand that prides itself on
customer satisfaction, and this is no different with their online gaming
operations. One of the ways in which Virgin Casino has successfully tried to
implement positive change within the gaming industry has been in the area of
customer service. Cheers to you Virgin. Emails are normally replied to within
two hours, while toll-free telephone support is available 24/7. Inside the UK,
players should call 0800 458 6003. Outside the UK, players may call +44 800 458
6003. Virgin Casino may also be reached by mail at: Virgin Casino Customer
Service, The Old School, Holly Walk, Leamington Spa, CV32 4JG.
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Awards
Our prediction at Online Casino Conditions is to be on
the lookout for Virgin Casino at top of online player
pools in the near future. Considering that Virgin Casino
first debuted on the gambling scene in 2006, the number
of players they have been able to register is
phenomenal. Virgin Casinos first award - of what we
think will be many - was for HitWise's Top Ten Website
Award for the fourth quarter of 2006.
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Visit Virgin Casino for more information.
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Online Casino Conditions.com is an independent,
non-affiliated reviewer of online casinos and poker
rooms, which are to be used for entertainment
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financially or criminally, as a result of
participating in online gambling activities. Since
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each player's responsibility to determine the legal
status of internet betting in the jurisdiction which
he or she resides. It is the responsibility of those
who reside in illegal jurisdictions to not access
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