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Riviera Play Casino Verdict
Almost everything about Riviera Play Casino is either average or sub-average, and it’s frustrating that so little information is provided about important matters such as wagering requirements, minimum deposit amounts, VIP tiers, and security. Our main concern, however, is that the casino is not licensed by the UK Gambling Commission, so it’s potentially risky (although not illegal in so far as we can tell) for UK players to become members.
Percentage score
Design & Usability
Riviera Play is a colourful online casino with lots of shiny graphics featuring live dealers, mobile slots, roulette tables, and players winning on slot machines. The font that’s used in the menus and the overall appearance of the brand logo, however, are a little 1990s.
The navigational menu is laid out in a simple fashion, allowing you to download the casino software unless you wish to take advantage of the instant-play option, view the games, visit the cashier, read the Getting Started guide, or look at the current promotions. But, the lack of a members’ area where you’d expect to be able to log-in or sign-up is rather confusing. As it turns out, regardless of whether you own an account or not, you’ll need to click the “Play Now” button in the advertising banner to be given the option to sign-in or create an account.
Also, the Support page is listed in the website’s footer, and could do with being placed somewhere more prominent.
Software & Gameplay
Riviera Play Casino is powered by three main software companies – Vivo Gaming, Rival, and Betsoft. You have the option to download the casino software or use the instant-play browser-based online casino.
Both platforms appear easy enough to use, and the lobby allows you to fill by game type (e.g. Featured Games), Sort By (e.g. Release Date), or special features such as Free Spins, Expanding Wilds, and Bonus Rounds.
Any bonuses that you are currently eligible for are displayed in the cashier window, where you’ll also find a link to refer your friends.
Safety & Security
Riviera Play Casino is licensed by the Government of Curacao, but is not licensed or regulated by the UK Gambling Commission and, therefore, people from the UK play at their own risk.
RNG software is used to consistently deliver fair and random game results. However, there is no mention of SSL security.
Payments & Withdrawals
The payment methods offered to UK players are MasterCard, Visa, Bitcoin, American Express, EcoPayz, Ukash, Skrill, Neteller, iDeal, ClickandBuy, and Paysafecard.
Getting your funds in and out of your account seems rather complicated, as the terms and conditions state that “all withdrawals will be paid in from £250 and up to £3,000 instalments. Furthermore, the withdrawal approval process may take five to ten business days, although higher VIP classes may receive their withdrawals sooner than regular players. Plus, you cannot make two successive withdrawal requests if you’re not active after the first withdrawal.
Customer Support
At Riviera Casino, you can contact the support team via email (N.B., the email service is supposedly monitored 24/7) or live chat. The live chat facility is available between 9 AM and 6 PM (GMT +1) from Sunday to Thursday and between 9 AM and 5 PM (GMT +1) on Fridays. In our opinion, there either needs to be 24/7 live chat or telephone support to help out members who play in the evenings.
Bonuses & Promotions
According to the Promotions page, special offers are usually sent to members by email, so it’s hard to tell exactly what deals you can expect.
Details of the welcome bonus package are included, and newcomers can claim up to three deposit bonuses as follows:
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1st deposit – 300% up to £3,000;
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2nd deposit – 250% up to £2,500;
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3rd deposit – 200% up to £2,000.
But, the above information is not accompanied by a link to the bonus terms and conditions, which isn’t very helpful. And, when you look at the general terms and conditions, the only mention of bonuses is in Section 5 where it says, “the player must play 35 times the relevant bonus”. There needs to be clearer information on the minimum qualifying deposit amount, and the wagering contributions for the different game types.
Riviera Play also rewards members with a £20 bonus for referring friends, but again, there’s not enough information to explain the exact qualifying criteria.
Device Compatibility
We were unable to locate any information on mobile device compatibility, but were able to log-in using both Android and iOS smartphones via the main Riviera Play URL on our mobile web browser.
Variety & Originality
As the only software providers that supply the site are not usually seen at UK casinos, you may be disappointed with the lack of popular games on offer. But, if you’re willing to try something different, you’ll find an interesting range of video slots (e.g. Arabian Tales and Golden Gorilla) and classic slots (e.g. Chicken Little and Bust A Vault).
There are only nine table games, which are Baccarat, Blackjack, Blackjack Multi-Hand, Red Dog, American Roulette, Pai Gow Poker, War, European Roulette, and Craps, but these are supplemented with five live dealer games (Baccarat, Blackjack, Roulette, Caribbean Stud Poker, and Craps) plus seven video poker variants.
Sadly, there are no progressive slots available.
Loyalty & Rewards
The Promotions page advertises a VIP club, which is only open to players who deposit more than £3,000. Allegedly, VIPs are entitled to 50% cashback every time they top-up their accounts. But, once again, there is very little information to assess the VIP system on.