You want a reliable and established place to play? 888 got its start as Casino-On-Net in 1997, and would soon after rebrand and focus on poker. The company quickly became the internet's biggest poker site. They're still great for that purpose, but 888 has also branched out into offering a broad variety of casino games. The game lineup and bonus offers definitely make this new aspect of the business worth a look; 888 really appears to be making up for lost time in acquiring their fair share of the online casino gambling market.
Review: One Of The World's Biggest Poker Sites Adds A Powerful Casino Gaming Floor
This casino is regulated in the UK
Review: One Of The World's Biggest Poker Sites Adds A Powerful Casino Gaming Floor
Getting Off to a Hot Start at 888
888 offers new players two types of bonuses: the famous £88 no deposit bonus we briefly mentioned above, and a matching bonus that extends across the first five deposits made to a new account.
| Type | Amount | Playthrough | Max Withdrawal |
|---|---|---|---|
| No Deposit Bonus | Up to £88 | 30x | £15 |
| 1st Deposit Bonus | 100% up to £100 | 30x | £500 |
| 2nd-5th Deposit Bonus | 30% up to £350 | 30x | £500 |
The no deposit bonus is great because the bonus funds can be used at any type of game in the house. Only some players will get the full £88, but there is no harm in taking your shot and seeing what you come up with. If you opt for the deposit matching bonuses, keep in mind that there is a code that needs to be entered for each one - check the 888 site to verify what the current code is.
How 888 Keeps On Rewarding You
The people running 888 Casino seem to be aware they were a little behind in transitioning from being a poker specialty site to a full online casino. So how are they catching up? Mainly through lots and lots of bonus offers for their players!
Let's start with the guaranteed weekly bonuses. Each day of the week brings its own special bonus offer:
- Sunday - Raffle for extra play with 100 winners
- Monday - Additional deposit bonus for select progressive jackpot slots
- Tuesday - Additional deposit bonus for select roulette tables
- Wednesday - Cash back available on a percentage of your daily loss, on any game
- Thursday - Additional deposit bonus for certain travel-themed games
- Friday - Choose your own deposit bonus
- Saturday - Additional deposit bonus for live dealer games
You'll usually need to make some sort of deposit that day to qualify for the bonus; check the 888 site for the current terms and amounts.
So you've got at least one bonus going every day of the week, but that's hardly it. 888 is really trying to grow and promote their live dealer games, and a bunch of different bonuses are available for them. The Lucky 8 event is held from 8pm–9pm (GMT) every night, and during this time all live casino roulette players get a little extra play bonus every time the wheel lands on the number 8. Live blackjack is also more lucrative between 1pm - 1am (GMT), when bonus extra play is doled out to lucky recipients of a set of 12 bonus cards mixed in with the regular decks. VIP players get their own version of this blackjack bonus that is exclusive to the private tables and is even more lucrative. Finally, live game fans can opt in to a special extra play bonus that comes through on their birthday.
That would be a lot for most other casinos, but 888 still isn't done. Each year you'll get a extra spin on the birthday wheel that leads to either a big deposit bonus or a huge chunk of extra play. On the first of each month, 26 people will automatically get some extra play just for logging in. And on the 21st of every month, play a few rounds of Multihand Blackjack and see if you can snag a special bonus for beating the dealer. And you can expect at least a few "Slot Races" each week, which are slot tournaments with some pretty fantastic prizes.
Gaming at 888
888's casino game selection is always growing, but at present they have amply covered the standard selection of games that players expect.
Slots - 888 hosts a carefully curated collection of 185 slots. Among these are various progressive jackpot games that can climb up to over £1 million for the major jackpot, such as Aztec Realm and Irish Riches. Aztec Realm is a fun five-reeler that features sticky wilds that persist for multiple rounds as well as a pretty good expected return to player for a game that has progressive jackpots of this size. Irish Riches pairs a fun theme and graphics with rotating wilds and the somewhat addictive "Crock o' Gold" bonus mini-game.
Table Games - The table game selection at 888 started out quite small, but has been growing rapidly as of late. It's up to 10 types of roulette, six types of blackjack, baccarat, punto banco, Casino Hold'em, Caribbean Poker and two varieties of keno. While this is not the largest selection of table games out there, 888 is carefully making new additions that players are likely to really enjoy. The rapid growth from the very humble beginnings also indicates that you can expect this section to get much bigger in the near future.
Live Dealer Games - 888 currently has live blackjack and roulette available to all players in their live streaming casino. This is also where you'll find the Elite Lounge, a private area for VIP members with a number of additional blackjack and roulette tables that have special perks.
Video Poker - A good selection of video poker is available at 888, and we're expecting even more titles to be added before long. As of now you can sit in for some hands of Jacks or Better, Tens or Better, Deuces Wild, Aces & Faces, Bonus Poker, or Joker's Wild. One interesting option here is the Clash of the Titans themed tens or better game, which incorporates characters from the movie and advanced graphics. You often see themed slots of this nature, but it's pretty rare for video poker!
888's Software Selection
888 is one of those rare casinos for which the owners also have a software development arm (Dragonfish) that provides some of the games. The original small size of the casino may have been a consequence of 888 trying to go it alone with their own software; whatever the case, they have since started accepting some outside software developers, which has helped with their rapid expansion.
At the moment, games from the following developers can be found at the 888 site:
Payment Options at 888
Over their many years in the business, 888 has established relationships with just about every major payment processor you can think of. This means not only a wide variety of deposit methods to choose from, but also some very tried and tested security procedures. Payment options for UK players at 888 include:
| Deposit Method | Fee | Processing time | Minimum Deposit |
|---|---|---|---|
 Visa Credit |
Free | Instant | £1 |
 Visa Debit |
Free | Instant | £1 |
 ecoPayz |
Free | Instant | £1 |
 Neteller |
Free | Instant | £1 |
 Bank Transfer |
Varies | 24-72 hours | £10 |
 Diners Card |
Free | Instant | £1 |
 Trustly |
Free | Instant | £1 |
 Instadebit |
Free | Instant | £1 |
888's Handy Withdrawal Options
Many of the deposit options can also be used for withdrawals at 888. A good range of options is available and there should be something to suit everyone's needs.
| Withdrawal Method | Fee | Processing time | Minimum Withdrawal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visa Credit |
Free | 24 hours | £15 |
| Visa Debit |
Free | 24 hours | £15 |
 Local Debit |
Free | 24 hours | £15 |
 Local Credit |
Free | 24 hours | £15 |
| ecoPayz |
Free | 24 hours | £15 |
| Neteller |
Free | 24 hours | £15 |
The Benefits of Loyalty at 888 Casino
You'll earn points for your play at 888 Casino. As you make wagers, you'll get some points back in return, the amount varying by wager size and game. Once you accrue 150 of these points, you can cash them in for a £1 bonus.
Though there isn't a formal tier or loyalty rewards system at present, we've seen from both firsthand experience and the testimonials of other players that you'll get regular offers from 888. As you establish yourself as a loyal player, you can expect to see things like promotional extra spins and special deposit bonus offers come rolling in. It will all depend on what games you play and how much you play them, of course.
888's VIPs Have it Made
The VIP program at 888 actually has three tiers: VIP, VIP Gold and VIP Platinum. Each of these is richly rewarding, but you'll get even more amazing benefits as you progress up the ranks to eventual Platinum status.
What can you expect from the 888 VIP program? How about a dedicated account manager and access to the special VIP support staff, for starters. VIPs also get access to all sorts of tables that have higher limits and special perks. As your deposit limits increase, withdrawals are processed lightning quick, and you earn comp points much faster than the standard player.
Oh, and did we forget to mention all of the bonuses? VIPs can expect a generous weekly gift, a special birthday gift, random smatterings of extra spins, and a package of annual bonuses among other treats.
888 Casino's Competitive Advantage
888 has a lot of good qualities, but we'd have to say the best one is definitely the assortment of regular promos. There are more scheduled promos than usual, and then when you add in the generous private gifts that loyal players receive it's really quite the haul of goodies!
A Great 8 For Customer Service
888 offers very good 24/7 service by email. We found their responses to take no more than an hour when tested at various times of the day. If email doesn't work for you, live chat is also available during more limited hours.
Pros
Excellent track record in terms of fairness to players and dispute resolution.
Absolutely huge amount of regular promotions available to all players.
Offers one of the most interesting blogs in the business for free, full of valuable player tips.
Cons
Live dealer and table game selection is still in the midst of being built up.
It's Gr8 to Play at 888
by John Taylor - Casino Expert888 covers all of the online casino basics very well, but the standout qualities include the large assortment of promotions and their reputation for fair dealing with players. We don't often say this about online casinos, but be sure not to miss their blog either. They really go out of their way to share the types of extremely valuable tips that casinos usually don't want you to know about, even having famous professional gamblers write some entries for them. All-in-all, 888 is easily worth setting up an account at, especially for the regular promotions and bonuses they have to offer!