Poker Stars Casino review
PokerStars is a familiar name in online gambling. The brand started in 2001 with a focus on poker; after a change in ownership in 2015, its site added a casino section alongside its poker offering.
A casino account gives members access to thousands of online casino games, a large online poker network and the Bet Stars sportsbook. Multilingual apps for desktop and mobile, is described as well as instant play through a web browser across platforms.
Poker Stars Casino
100% up to €500 + 50 Free Spins
Bonus Code: BUNDLE100
Minimum Deposit: $10
Wagering: Based on Redemption Points
The review describes a broad casino catalogue from providers including Microgaming, NetEnt, Playtech, BTG, NYX and Blueprint, among others. It lists more than 800 slots, alongside a smaller collection of virtual table and card games, including blackjack, roulette, poker, video poker and baccarat.
Features
The review praises the site's straightforward layout, noting that it is designed for both desktop and mobile use. It says the downloadable apps follow the browser version's easy-to-browse approach. Free-play and real-money versions are available for games, with live dealer titles as the stated exception.
PokerStars casino race slot tournaments are described as running around the clock. A Poker Stars casino account also connects to the Poker Stars multiplayer poker room and sportsbook, according to the review.
Highlights
- More than 800 video slots
- Mobile-friendly design
- Downloadable app or instant play
- A broad mix of bonuses
- A long-running brand
- A guide to playing
- Desktop app available
Drawbacks
- Craps tables are absent
- Support receives mixed feedback
- No live chat for UK players
- Wagering rules can be complicated
Poker Stars Casino at a Glance
| Online | Since 2017 |
|---|---|
| Licence |
| Software | |
|---|---|
| Owner | The Stars Group |
MORE DETAILS
| Restricted Countries | |
|---|---|
| Currencies | US Dollars (USD), Euro (EUR), Canadian Dollars (CAD) and British Pounds (GBP) |
| Language | |
| Support | email, live chat, FAQ |
| Contact | [email protected] |
PAYMENTS & CASH-OUTS
| Deposit Methods | |
|---|---|
| Min Deposit | $10 |
| Min Withdrawal | €20 |
| Withdrawal Limits | Not Stated |
| Payout Timeframes | EWallets: 24 hours Credit / Debit Cards: 3-5 days Bank Transfers: 3-7 days Cheques: 7-15 days Pending Time: 24-48 hours |
Brand History
PokerStars began in 2001 as Rational Enterprises, which was acquired by Amaya Inc in 2014. Amaya took the name The Stars Group in 2017 and partnered with Microgaming, whose Quickfire platform was later integrated into the casino. Flutter Entertainment agreed to buy The Stars Group in 2019.
Licensing, Security and Fair Play
Stars Interactive held gambling-related licences and permissions across 17 jurisdictions. It describes separate European and UK entities: in the UK, Stars Interactive Limited held a United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) licence. In Europe, Stars Interactive operated Rational Intellectual Holdings Limited and TSG Interactive Gaming Europe Limited; the latter held a licence from the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA).
The review describes PokerStars as using separate websites for UK, North American and European players outside the UK, and says each was licensed. It also reports that processes covered the casino's RNGs, player financial accounts, member privacy and online security, and characterizes those measures as ensuring safety and trust. Those claims reflect the source review and do not establish authorization in Canada.
The review also cites a certificate from Gaming Laboratories International, LLC (GLI), stating that Stars Interactive Limited's Random Number Generators (RNGs) had been tested against industry standards.
Bonuses and Promotions
Poker Stars is presented as offering members a wide selection of recurring casino promotions intended to add value to membership.
Welcome Bonus
The welcome bonus differs between the UK and Europe, according to the review. PokerStars changes promotions frequently, so the offers described here may change.
UK Welcome Bonus
On a first deposit with bonus code ‘BUNDLE100’, players receive 50 free spins and a 100% deposit match, up to $500.
Poker Stars EU Welcome Bonus
For players in other European countries, the review describes a bonus paid in US$. Across 3 deposits, it lists a maximum $1,500 deposit match and as many as 2,020 free spins.
- 1st Deposit: match up to $500 with 'WELCOME1' and receive 20 free spins on progressive jackpot slots with $1 million jackpots
- 2nd Deposit: get a deposit match up to $500 with 'WELCOME2', plus a mystery chest that may contain up to 1,000 progressive jackpot free spins
- 3rd Deposit: receive a deposit match up to $500 using 'WELCOME3' and another mystery chest, with a chance at a further 1,000 progressive jackpot free spins
Each reward has a 1 month redemption window. After the initial welcome bonus is claimed, each subsequent deposit must be made within 14 days of the previous one.
Wagering Rules
The review says each bonus must be cleared within 28 days. When you earn 50 ‘redemption points’, $10 is released as cash. Since games award these ‘redemption points’ at different rates, working out the wagering needed can be complicated.
- Slots points depend on the RTP of the slot. A game with an RTP of 96.64% - 96.95% awards 1 ‘redemption point’ per $10 wagered
- Video Poker point rates vary by game. Bonus Deuces Wild awards 1 ‘redemption point’ for each $14 wagered, the lowest requirement
- Roulette awards 1 ‘redemption point’ per $12 staked on RNG operated games
- VIP Blackjack awards 1 ‘redemption point’ for each $53 wagered on RNG operated games
The review directs readers to the welcome bonus page for its full game-by-game points table, accessible through the ‘redemption points’ link.
PokerStars says jackpots won with free spins are paid as cash without wagering or withdrawal conditions. The review says other free-spin wins arrive as a ‘Casino Instant Bonus’, requiring 20 ‘redemption points’; all spins must be used within 7 days of receipt.
More Promotions
The review characterizes Poker Stars as generous with recurring promotions and describes seasonal campaigns around Thanks Giving, Christmas, New Years, Easter, Halloween, and winter or summer.
Stars Trivia: Members can enter daily prize draws at no cost. The description says entrants answer questions for a share of the prize pool, paid as cash rewards.
Random Casino Rewards: logging in may trigger a surprise chest containing free spins, cash or instant bonuses.
The review also mentions giveaways such as ‘spin of the day’, which it describes as guaranteeing a prize. It further claims Poker Stars casino guarantees that a progressive jackpot will be won every day; that assurance is reported here as a source claim.
Loyalty Rewards
A progress bar on the account fills as members wager on real-money games. Once full, the chest is ready, with rewards tailored to the member's gaming style, according to the review.
Members also collect reward points, which can be converted to cash or exchanged for merchandise, cash or race tickets through StarCoins. It describes 6 chest tiers, with rewards growing in value and size. Level 1 is the blue chest with $0.60; Level 6 is the Black Chest, worth between $35 and $700 in free cash. Members can move to a higher or lower chest tier.
Payment Options
The review says visitors logging in from Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland or the UK are shown the deposit and withdrawal methods for their country.
Making a Deposit
To deposit, the review instructs members to open the cashier, enter an amount and select a payment method. It lists VISA, MasterCard, Maestro Card, Neteller, Skrill, Giropay, Rapid Transfer, Sofort, Paysafecard, MuchBetter, Trustly, ecoPayz, Neosurf, EPS, Local Bank Transfer, WebMoney and Online Bank Transfer among methods found in many countries. PayPal and Mobile bill are listed for Ireland and the UK. Direct Bank Transfer and WIRECASHOUTS are stated as unavailable for deposits.
Deposits are credited once the payment provider approves them. The stated minimum deposit for most listed methods is $10.00.
Withdrawing Funds
PokerStars does not publish a maximum withdrawal amount, though the review notes restrictions related to processing times. Available withdrawal methods depend on the player's country. It lists Direct Bank Transfer and WIRECASHOUTS as withdrawal options.
The review says withdrawals are unavailable through Paysafecard, Rapid Transfer, Neosurf, Mastercard, Local Bank Transfer, EPS, Sofort, Maestro Card, Online Bank Transfer, Trustly, Sofort, Mobile bill or Giropay. Other facilities listed under ‘Making a Deposit’ may be used to withdraw, and usually have a $20.00 minimum withdrawal.
The source gives clearing estimates of 24 hours for e-wallets, 3 to 5 days for debit/credit cards, and 3 to 7 days for bank transfers.
Game Catalogue
The review groups the games under 5 main menu choices: ‘Home’, ‘ Casino Races’, ‘Slots’, Live Casino’ and ‘Card & Table’. It also describes switches between ‘Poker Stars’, ‘Poker Stars Casino’ and ‘Bet Stars’. These menus provide routes to the casino's game listings.
The home page groups titles into sections such as ‘Game of the Week’, ‘Featured’, ‘New’, ‘Card & Table’, ‘Casino Races’, ‘Slots’, ‘Daily Jackpots’, ‘Megaways’, ‘Exclusive’, ‘Live Casino’, ‘Book Shelf’, ‘Gold Rush’, ‘Vegas Slots’, ‘Classic Slots’ and ‘Video Poker’. The supplied text also begins to mention themed slots but does not identify a theme.
A search tool is available to help locate titles.
Game Providers
The review lists a range of established slot and table game studios on the Poker Stars casino site: Playtech, Microgaming, NetEnt, Quickspin, BTG, Leander Games, Playson, 2 by 2, NYX, Blueprint Gaming, Games Warehouse, Push Gaming, RTG, Live 5 Gaming and The Games Company.
Slots
The catalogue is described as having more than 800 slot titles, sortable by ‘Popular’, ‘New’, ‘Jackpot’, ‘Exclusive’, ‘Megaways’, ‘Vegas Slots’, ‘Recommeded’ and ‘Recently Played’.
Titles highlighted in the review include Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Starburst, Dead or Alive II, Immortal Romance, Jumanji, Twin Spin, Big Bad Wold, Vikings, Ted, Narcos, 3 Blind Mice, Monopoly and Spartacus.
More than 160 listed slots are said to feature progressive jackpots. Examples include Microgaming’s Mega Moolah, Playtech’s Age of Gods, The Goonies and Deal or No Deal Megaways from Blueprint Gaming, plus PokerStars' own UFC Main Event jackpot game.
Table Games
The review identifies the ‘Card & Table’ area at Poker Stars Casino as a weaker part of the catalogue, with a fairly short list. It includes single-player or multiplayer blackjack and roulette, plus heads up hold’em in either format. Other options named are classic blackjack, Playtech premium blackjack, lightning Roulette First Person and baccarat.
This category also contains 14 video poker titles, which the review suggests would fit better in a separate section.
Live Dealer Casino
The review describes a polished live dealer area with a broad range of table games, streamed using fast connections and high-definition webcams. Tables include live chat for speaking with dealers and croupiers, and some are run in different languages.
Live dealer titles can be filtered by ‘Popular’, ‘Game Shows’, ‘Roulette’, ‘Blackjack’, ‘Baccarat and Sic Bo’, ‘poker’ or ‘ Other’.
The roulette listings feature Roulette, Lightning Roulette, American Roulette and Poker Stars Roulette. The blackjack section has 3 options: Blackjack, Free Bet Blackjack and Infinite Blackjack. Live dealer game shows include Monopoly, Football Studio, Side Bet City and Dreamcatcher.
Baccarat and Sic Bo listings include Baccarat, Dragon Tiger and Super Sic Bo. The poker area offers Three Card Poker, 2 Hand Casino Hold’em and two progressive jackpot live dealer poker games: Casino Hold’em and Texas Hold’em Bonus. The ‘Other’ category includes Lightning Dice.
Mobile Casino
PokerStars is described as serving mobile users through Quickfire's multi-platform delivery system. The review mentions downloadable apps for Android and iOS; other devices can use the casino through instant play.
Instant play works in supported browsers such as FireFox, Chrome, Safari and Internet Explorer. It lists Android, iOS, Blackberry and Windows Mobile among the systems whose users can access Poker Stars Casino in a browser while away from a computer.
Help and Support
The review describes support arrangements as varying by region. For UK players, it lists email support through a form; European players are said to have live chat and email options, with greater satisfaction reported. Overall, customer feedback about PokerStars support is not especially enthusiastic.
- Live chat
- Email contact
- FAQ section
Getting Started at Poker Stars Casino
Poker Stars is presented as a casino for desktop and mobile, with apps for both and an instant-play option for operating systems that support a web browser.
The source highlights the welcome and recurring bonuses, along with Stars Rewards, as ways members can receive bonus funds. It also notes that progressive jackpot wins from free spins are described as having no restrictions.
Slot fans may find the catalogue appealing: the review counts more than 800 themed titles from several providers, with varied features and bonus rounds. It also points to a substantial progressive jackpot selection, while the suggestion that a jackpot could make someone an overnight millionaire is promotional language, not a prediction.
For table and card games, the review describes several versions of blackjack, poker and roulette. It concludes that Poker Stars is a capable all-round online casino with organized management.
