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888 Casino Review: No longer recommended for UK players

Comments 2

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Their own slots & games
  • Range of payment methods

Cons

  • Old interface
  • Smaller number of promotions

888 Casino Review Update – As of April 2023, we don’t currently recommend UK players to play at 888 Casino. View our list of top online casinos UK or pick from the list below to find an alternative.

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Ah, 888 Casino.

Unless you’re completely new to gambling then you will have heard the name before. They’ve been around for over 20 years after all.

But is that a good measurement of quality? Definitely not.

It doesn’t matter if a site has been live for 20 days or 20 years, it all depends on the experience they offer.

In fact, a quick search online will bring up a lot of people questioning if 888 is a scam. Our 888 Casino review answers that outright, along with a few other key points…

1. Is 888 legit?

888 Casino was first founded in 1997. They’re owned by their parent company, 888 Holdings, which is based in Gibraltar.

Because the organisation has been around for a long time, they were one of the first gambling companies to be listed on the London stock market (in 2005).

This means the organisation must provide a level of transparency that many others in the online casino world don’t.

888 holds a UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) licence to operate in Great Britain. They must comply with the strict regulations or face a penalty – which has happened before.

In 2017, the UKGC issued 888 Holdings with a record-breaking fine (at the time) of £7.8 million. This was because the company failed to block 7,000 self-excluded problem gamblers from their site. In total, the problem gamblers were able to play for 13 months straight before 888 noticed and were fined.

888's record fine in 2017

Ultimately, £3.5 million of the fine was used to pay back the deposits to customers.

However, in March 2022, 888 was again hit with a £9.4 million fine for further failings.

888 fine in UK - February 2022

Does this mean 888 isn’t legitimate? No.

They still have their UK licence which means they are a legal place to play. But we’ll keep you updated with any further updates.

2. 888 verification (fast enough?)

One of the key regulations in UKGC law is that all real money UK casinos must verify their British players before allowing them to gamble.

Before you sign up, you should expect to send 888 copies of these kinds of documents:

  • Driving licence
  • Passport
  • Utility bill
  • Bank statement

Together, they will prove your identity and address.

Already having copies of these documents will help to speed up the process. Just take photos of them with your phone and upload.

888’s verification time is usually within 24 hours so it’s a fairly quick casino for verification. However, occasionally this may take longer.

Although you may find verification annoying, it’s another example of 888 Casino’s legitimacy.

If you try to play at a casino that doesn’t require verification, do not go further. They will not be licenced by the UKGC – which protects player rights.

3. Bonuses & free spins

At the moment, 888 Casino offers a welcome bonus for new UK players. Make sure to check out their website to see exactly what that is.

In the past, they’ve offered no deposit free spins on registration. They’ve also previously been featured on our best online casino bonuses in the UK page. They also have many promotions for existing players. In fact, there’s one every day.

However, they’ve always had wagering requirements. If you want to remove them, you’re better off playing at a no wager casino like MrQ (view our MrQ Casino review) as whatever you win is paid in real cash straight away.

In terms of the games you can play with these bonuses, you can usually use any free spins on their own exclusive in-house slots. These are games that have been developed themselves so you can play something a bit different.

Any deposit bonuses can often be used on other games. 888 are known to offer a wide variety of games from many providers. This includes partnering with smaller studios as well as the big names. For example, they are one of the few Spearhead Casinos UK at the moment.

4. 888 deposit & withdrawal

Being a large brand, 888 casino accept a whole range of different deposit methods. This is good and shows that many of these financial services consider 888 to be legit.

Currently, 888 casino offer their customer 32 different payment methods. However, some of these aren’t available everywhere.

For example, they accept PayPal – but only in some countries, like the UK. This is noteworthy for two reasons.

First, an endorsement by PayPal ensures 888 is legit. They have a specific approval process for gambling sites which 888 have clearly passed.

Second, PayPal payments are great because many of us use this service. Simply log in to get started.

However, you may have to wait a while to receive money if you win. That’s because 888 can take a while to process withdrawals. If this is an issue, you can select an instant withdrawal casino UK to try and speed this process up.

5. What do Players think of 888?

What do previous players have to say about 888 Casino?

Looking at player reviews is helpful as it gives you an idea of what to expect.

If we take a look at their TrustPilot page then it’s not all good.

888 Casino TrustPilot score

They currently have a ranking of ‘bad’.

Less than 30% of people had a positive or average experience. Over 70% thought it was poor or bad.

888 Casino player review breakdown

On the face of it, this isn’t great.

However, remember that many players complain about losing. It’s an online casino – you should expect to lose. It’s for entertainment only. Any win is a bonus.

One thing that is good is that 888 are responding to their players. This shows they take them seriously.

But they should try to be a bit more creative with their responses. Here’s one:

888's generic reply 1

That’s basically repeated again:

888's generic reply 2

And again:

888's generic reply 3

Although it’s good that 888 Casino are at least replying, they want players to do more work. Ideally, they would try to take the initiative a bit more.

888 Review Summary

888 are a large, well-recognised, legitimate casino. They have been online for so long that they’re considered one of the stalwarts of the online casino business. In short, players need not worry about whether 888 casino are legit.

When it comes to specifics, we particularly liked:

  • Exclusive games
  • PayPal approved
  • Generally fast verification

If you like the sound of 888 casino, then we suggest you try them out. Make sure to come back and leave a review if you do.