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The Palaces Casino Verdict
The Palaces Casino is not the nicest looking site out there, but the nuts and bolts are screwed in tight and it’s very good to play on. The mobile site is user-friendly and the game selection, though limited in comparison to some sites, is fun. The promotions could be more fleshed out, but they will appeal to new members. This is an unusual site and deserves a second look.
Percentage score
Design & Usability
The appearance of The Palaces is not quite as palatial as expected; there’s a nice Roman logo which brings Vegas casinos to mind and a smart black and red scheme, but no sense of luxury. The colours are solid blocks and the artwork is taken only from the slots, plus it sits awkwardly on the screen in some places.
Registration won’t take long, though it’s a little clunky. The site has a standard top right account area and top navigation bar which you can’t go wrong with, plus the sub-sections of the site are well laid out, but something always feels a little jarring. The site probably just needs updating a little.
Software & Gameplay
The casino games are displayed as small tiles, with favourite buttons and icons for the mobile compatible titles. You have categories to browse on the left, sorting options at the top, a search bar and even a view changer, so finding games is very easy here.
Slots are quick to load, appearing in a fairly large space with a matching background, which is always a good touch. The overlay adds resizing and multi-game options, it has navigation and account links and there’s live chat too. Despite the clunky parts of the main site, this game presentation is excellent.
Safety & Security
The Palaces is licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission, which you can see on the footer along with the license number. The site uses a good responsible gaming guide to protect players, with links to organisations like Gambleaware.
The site is protected by a secure certificate, which is provided by the popular GeoTrust brand. Your account details will be protected by encryption.
Payments & Withdrawals
The Palaces accepts payments via MasterCard and Visa cards, including debit and credit options, but the only other method is Skrill. This is a step in the right direction, but the site really needs more choice.
The cashier system is pretty simple to use, with clear steps and directions. Withdrawals start at £20 but there are no fees. The time frame is a little slow though, allowing up to 7 days.
Customer Support
You can find a help section from the site footer, which leads to a basic but useful contacts area. You also have FAQs here which could be better laid out, but they do cover a lot of site matters. There’s also a how to play guide for newcomers.
The team can be reached by email, phone and live chat. These should be sufficient for the vast majority of users and the staff seem to be very welcoming.
Bonuses & Promotions
The Palaces opens with a first deposit bonus, matching your money by 100% up to £100. This very standard offer is boosted a little by 50 free spins. Your second bonus gets a 100% bonus up to £100 again, then your third gets 100% up to £50. Simple, direct offers. These come with a 35x wagering requirement.
There are Royal Reload bonuses on Fridays here, up to £150, plus bonuses on Saturday nights. In fact, all the site offers revolve around bonuses, so they could be useful but they aren’t very engaging or original.
Device Compatibility
The Palaces does not have a mobile guide page or any apps, but you can access a mobile version of the site pretty easily, through a mobile or tablet browser.
The mobile version of the site keeps the design of the main site, but adopts a narrow, vertical scrolling form. This works very well and has neat side tabs for tapping to new game categories. It’s quite basic looking but actually very user-friendly, like the desktop site.
Variety & Originality
There are a few slot providers at The Palaces, which really helps to boost variety. Royal Spins by IGT is definitely a flagship game here and this big name also provides Ghostbusters and Get Clucky slots. There are some NetEnt games like Starburst and Victorious. Still, the site could really use some more names to boost the selection and overall quality.
On the plus side, there are plenty of roulette, blackjack and poker games here. Some varieties like mini roulette and Caribbean Stud flesh out the offerings a bit, plus watch out for NetEnt live dealer games and even bingo rooms!
Loyalty & Rewards
Unfortunately, the site does not have any VIP rewards or loyalty points, which was confirmed by support staff.