UltraCasino

UltraCasino Review

 What is Ultracasino offering?

Ultracasino licensing, safety and trustworthiness

Players from New Zealand will find Ultracasino to be licensed in the European Union by the Malta Gaming Authority.

This regulating body is known, not only in Europe but in various parts of the world, as one of the strictest regulators in the iGaming industry. With a regulator like Malta inspecting the operations of the casino, Kiwi players can rest assured that their funds are fairly safe.

When it comes to privacy, Ultracasino uses the latest SSL encryption technology, protecting players information and their privacy. 

With game providers like the ones we’ve listed above, fairness is hardly an issue. Not only are all of these software developers licensed in various parts of the world, but their games are powered by a Random Number Generator (RNG) computer that produces a random result at every round and makes it impossible for anyone to tinker with the software. 

The casino also provides a detailed page with the general terms and conditions of the casino, as well as, the privacy policy, the cookie policy, the marketing and communication agreement, and the age and verification process. 

Everything points to a safe experience 

The transparency employed by the casino highlights the trustworthiness of the platform. The license from the MGA is always a wonderful addition and as a player, it determines a lot which online casinos I join. What I particularly liked about their terms and conditions, is that the ones related to the bonuses and promotions are addressed separately.

This makes it easier to return to them over and over, especially as you don’t have to go over multiple pages to locate the ones you need, to get informed about. 

Fairness is not something that particularly worries me. All of the game providers are excellent and I have never heard of anyone being cheated by the RNG computer or the live dealer. Still, I like the fact that the platform has hired a third party to verify its trustworthiness, something that for me clearly indicates the casino’s commitment to safety and reliability. 

How I tested Ultracasino

One thing that I like to do when I first land on the homepage of an online casino, is take a good look around the platform, just like an orientation tour. I take note of the location of the pages, and of any menus, in short getting familiar with the casino, so I know where to go when I need to. When I analyze an online casino, I like to start with promotions.

Bonuses say a lot about the platform, particularly the attached terms and conditions, and might even determine if I register or jump ship. There is a whole process that I go through when I’m looking at a casino with the intention of joining and down below I’ve given you a breakdown of my processes:

1. Bonus and offers (including how to claim them)
2. Games collection
3. Terms & Conditions 
4. Deposit & Withdrawals (including payment methods) 
5. How easy is it to open an account?
6. The play experience
7. Customer Support 

Casino promotions – Grab a bonus at Ultracasino! 

Newly-registered players can expect a 100% up to $1,000 + 100 free spins over their first 3 deposits:

• Deposit 1: 100% up to $200 + 20 FS on Sweet Bonanza – Use Deposit code: ULTRA1
• Deposit 2: 50% up to $300 + 30 FS on Reactoonz – Use Deposit Code: ULTRA2
• Deposit 3: 50% up to $500 + 50 FS on Book of Dead – Use Deposit Code: ULTRA3

While the minimum deposit to claim the welcome bonus is $20, wagering requirements are 35x on bonus money credited.

Tournaments 

The casino might not have the usual regular promotions, but what it does have is a daily new slot tournament where you can win a share of the prize pool of €1,000,000. Every month, the casino picks up one of the latest pokies, and centres this tournament around it, allocating one free spin to each participating player. The leaderboard will hold a record of every win achieved with the free spin and the first 5 players with the highest win from a single spin will be awarded the below prizes: 

• 1st prize – €800
• 2nd prize – €700
• 3rd prize – €600
• 4th prize – €500 
• 5th prize – €400

If you wish to participate in the tournament, you need to have registered with the casino and placed at least one deposit in the last 3 months. The prizes might be allocated in cash, however, they come with wagering requirements of x21 and need to be met within 21 days, if you aspire to withdraw them. 

Constant offers instead of one welcome bonus! 

Admittedly, the lack of a welcome bonus took me by surprise and to some extend put me off the casino. That is until I venture through the promotions page and came across the daily offer campaign. Personally, I feel that receiving rewards with regularity is more effective than being met by one large offer that disappears quickly and is followed by nothing. Of course, you have to play with the casino often to receive these kinds of promotions, which seems fair enough to me. 

The wagering requirements of x20 are quite low when you considered that the industry average is of x35. What came as a surprise was the 1-day time frame to complete the conditions. It is not necessarily a problem and it highly depends on how much you are willing to stake and how long you are going to play. Let us take a scenario together to put it all into perceptive.

I deposited NZ$10 and received 10 free spins. While spinning the reels I won another NZ$10. According to the terms and conditions, I have to wager those NZ$10, 20 times before I can cash them out. So, it is NZ$10×20=200. This means that I have to play through an additional NZ$200 from my own pocket to take home those NZ$10. And I have to do it all within a day. 

Whether it’s bad or not depends mostly on your perspective. NZ$200 is not a lot of money and most players are able to go through them within a few hours. But for the player on a budget, it might not be the ideal set up. \The same applies to players who deposit a larger amount and are met with a deposit match, or win a large amount from the free spins. The amount to be wagered is higher so you might need more than 24 hours to complete the quest! 

The new pokies tournament, offers better conditions, with x21 wagering terms and 21 days to meet them. However, you might want to look at the prizes and ask yourself how much extra funds you need to pump into your betting to take home that prize! 

Register a new account with Ultracasino

The registration process at Ultracasino is pretty much straightforward and should not take you more than 5 minutes (probably less) to complete. There are two steps that determine the process:

1. Fill in basic information – provide a valid email address, name, surname, user name, password, phone number and currency. To move to the next step, you have to confirm you are of legal age and agree to the terms and conditions. 
2. Confirm and verify your account

Once your account has been set up, you can deposit your first funds with the casino and even make use of the responsible gambling tools to limit your gambling.

It’s fairly easy to open an account on Ultracasino

I like how simple the registration process is and that it consists of two very easy steps that can be completed in less than 5 minutes. The process does not involve anything particularly complicated and requires you simply to submit some basic personal information.

The verification of the account through email is pretty standard too and quite common amongst online casinos. This by no means hinders the registration and remains quite within the 5-minute time-frame 

Our Verdict: 

5 stars are quite deserving when it comes to registration. The process is simple, straight forward and can be completed in a matter of a few minutes. This is strongly appealing to any player who is anxious to start playing and doesn’t want to waste time going over a lengthy process that eats time. 

Ultracasino Payment methods

The payment methods are pretty basic

At first glance, the payment methods supported by the casino seem pretty basic. Visa and Mastercard are practically staples of every business, while e-wallets are winning the race when it comes to transactions online.  Personally, I find e-wallets to be the most convenient option.

Not only do they process deposits right away, but withdrawals reach my account almost as fast, eliminating completely those 3 to 5 business days that are standard for plastic cards and some bank transfers. Skrill, Neteller and Truslty come with excellent reputations, speedy transactions and low fees: a great choice, if like me, you are impatient to get your winnings quickly but are reluctant to loose on hefty charges.

Despite ticking most categories, the choice is quite limited, especially when compared with other online casinos who offer almost every known e-wallet, prepaid cards, multiple-choices of online transfers, bank transfers and even cryptocurrencies. The lack of options is quite disappointing, especially if you’ve never used any of these methods and the only way to join is either to apply with your bank for a plastic card or else by creating an account with any of these payment solutions. 

Our verdict: 

For supported payment methods, I am awarding Ultracasino 4 stars. The payment solutions they accept are standard, trusted and cover a range from plastic cards, e-wallets and an online transfer. Overall, a pretty good choice that will cater to the majority of players.

On the other hand, today there are so many more options, that it seems a pity the casino has limited itself to just supporting a handful, when a couple of prepaid cards, another online transfer and maybe even the acceptance of cryptocurrencies, could not have gone amiss.  

Games you can play at Ultracasino 

Ultracasino features over 1000 casino games, with 4 main categories pertaining to pokies, video poker, table games and live casino.

New games are added regularly, with a special tab that groups them together for easy access and better prominence. Worthy of a mention is the demo button that accompanies most of the games (with the exception of live dealer ones) and that affords you a good look at the game and its features without spending a dime. 

But like every gambler, we play with real money to win and below we shall take a look in more detailed at the staples that feature at the casino: 

• Pokies – online pokies are at the heart of any casino. Sporting various themes, volatility and complexity, Kiwi players have quite an impressive selection to choose from. Popular games are quite abundant too with titles like Starburst, Book of Dead, The Dog House, Bonanza, Wolf Gold, Sticky Bandits, John Hunter and The Scarab Queen, Da Vinci’s Mystery, Book of Oz, and many, many others. I have no doubt, that whatever your favourite slot is, you will find it at Ultracasino. 
• Table Games – the table games selection, is made up of virtual games of Roulette, Blackjack and Baccarat. The choice is a mixture of classic versions of these popular games and thrilling variants, offering a combination that will surely appeal to most table game enthusiasts. Some of the games that captured my attention include Blackjack Royal Pairs, Roulette Advanced, Big Win Baccarat, Atlantic City Blackjack, and European Roulette.
• Video Poker – the casino might have an entire category dedicated to video poker, but once you click on it, it hosts only one game: Jacks or Better Double Up. 
• Live Casino – the live casino at Ultracasino is provided by Evolution Gaming and Pragmatic Play. The collection offers tables of Live Roulette, Live Blackjack, Live Baccarat and Live Poker. Worth mentioning, are a handful of Roulette tables streamed live from real land-based casinos: Hippodrome Casino Roulette, Dragonara Roulette, and Grand Casino Roulette. Of special attention are the new Azure Pragmatic Play tables, which feature tables of Blackjack Azure and Roulette Azure. Other tables in this category include Speed Baccarat, Immersive Roulette, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, Dragon Tiger, Double Ball Roulette, and Party Blackjack, amongst others. 
• Game Shows – in its live repertoire, Ultracasino has included most of the game shows by Evolution Gaming. Although they do not qualify exactly as the traditional games we are accustomed too, they have become quite successful, with unique gameplay and a real game show experience. At Ultra, you can try Lightning Roulette, Monopoly Live, Mega Ball, Crazy Time, Dream Catcher, Deal or No Deal, Football Studio, and Lightning Baccarat.

Game Providers

The game providers are made up of well-established names and boutique studios, often providing the casino with a combination of pokies, table games and live casino, like in the case of Pragmatic Play. Others, like NetEnt and Microgaming, bring to the table online pokies and table games, two categories they are known for. Other providers which are most loved amongst players are Betsoft, Play ‘n’ Go, Big Time Gaming, Quickspin, Red Tiger, ELK and many others. 

The Game selection is one of the largest available to Kiwi players

The games collection leaves nothing to be desired. There is almost everything you might wish for: online pokies, Roulette, Blackjack, Baccarat and their live versions.

What came as a disappointment was the video poker selection. With a category that comes with only one game, it makes me wonder why there is a category at all. Unless, the casino is planning to add more poker games, which is what I hope for, as one tiny game is quite a poor choice. 

The other categories are overflowing with options. The pokies selection features every game you could image, and so does the live casino section. What I particularly liked about the latter, is the tables by two different providers and the new Azure tables by Pragmatic Play, which I’ve yet to try out.

For me, the games collection is a gem and one of the largest and most varied I’ve seen at any one online casino. 

Our Verdict:

4.8 stars, is my verdict for the games collection. I could not hand out a perfect score, because of the poor video poker selection, and the lack of instant win games. Although the live casino offers a couple of Poker tables they hardly make up for the lack of video poker titles. At the same time, the rest of the games collection is exceptional, although lottery and instant win fans will be disappointed for being completely left out. 

Time to collect your winnings? Here’s what you need to know!

The process of withdrawing your winnings is quite easy to follow and starts with a visit to the ‘cashier’ section of your account. This is where you click withdrawal and fill in your banking details on the pop-up page. It is very important that your banking details are the same as the ones you used to deposit and that they are in your name. Once you click withdraw, the request will go straight to the payments team where they will start the process of transfering your funds.  

There are, however, some things to keep in mind, like the minimum and maximum amounts you are allowed to cash out. These are NZ$50 to NZ$5,000 daily. Furthermore, the casino is obliged to carry out verifications and might require some documentation like an identity card or passport, payslips, and a utility bill. Other documents might be required depending on the individual and the amount being requested. 

It is worth pointing out, that the casino might charge a small service charge, which will be deducted from the withdrawal amount at the time of transfer. 

If the above information is not sufficient, you can find additional details in the terms and conditions of the casino or else by visiting the FAQs page and clicking ‘Banking’ from the side menu. The latter doesn’t provide that much information, so you might want to drop a line to the support team. 

The withdrawal process is simple but there is little information 

I like the fact that to withdraw funds you can do so from the cashier section of your account, instead of going through customer care, which is the procedure with some online casinos. The amount limits are a little disappointing.

Although NZ$50 is not exactly a high amount, if you’ve won less, it means you have to either spend them at the casino or attempt to win more, to cash out your winnings. The maximum of NZ$5,000 is quite inconvenient if you’ve won a large amount as it means you will have to split it up to NZ$5,000 daily, which is quite frustrating when all you want is enjoy your winnings. 

What I particularly didn’t like was the lack of information the casino provided. The FAQs might have a section dedicated to banking, however, the information is quite obvious and does not provide the fine details of the procedures.

On the other hand, the FAQs section called KYC provides a complete list of what you might need in terms of documents to have your identity verified. I could not find any information about how long it takes the payments team to process withdrawals and how much are the service charges for both deposits and withdrawals. 

Our Verdict: 

Under the circumstances, I can only give the casino 3.7 stars for several reasons. First, the lack of clear information about the withdrawal process and charges.

Secondly, because the maximum amount is quite low, especially for high rollers, who might place bigger bets and thus win large amounts. At NZ$5,000, even if it is daily, it will take a while to cash out all of your winnings, especially in the case of a jackpot. 

Customer Support

The customer care team is available 24/7, either through email or live chat. The casino operates in various markets, thus the team caters for various languages: English, German, French, Swedish and Norwegian.

There is no help centre, however, the live chat comes in a bubble that accompanies you throughout every page. An FAQ page is also available, but the information is limited and very short and sweet. 

The customer support is adequate

I would call the customer support adequate. I like that is is available 24/7, as it caters to the time difference of other markets, and you don’t have to wait to reach out.

The FAQ section seems rather put together hurriedly and provides only basic information. This means that if you’re looking for more details, you’ll have to drop customer care an email or make use of the live chat, which for me is always the go-to option as I prefer to chat with an actual person and receive a reply within a few minutes. 

Our Verdict: 

A good 4 stars, is my verdict. It is adequate, available 24/7 and makes use of two primary channels. However, it would be great to have a phone number, while players could benefit if the FAQs include more questions and detailed answers. 

Responsible gambling

The responsible gambling page at Ultracasino is quite detailed and provides relevant information about the topic and advice to help players establish healthy gambling habits. This is reinforced by information about the stay-in-control tools, that help players limit their deposits, their sessions, their bets and set reminders.

The casino provides a list of things for players to look for that might hint at problem gambling and where to seek help should you need it. If you are interested to learn more, we invite you to check out our Responsible Gambling page! 

Conclusion

Ultracasino deserves a rating of 4 stars. If we have to go over the pros, we have to mention, the superb games collection, the regular bonuses for loyal customers, the daily tournaments, the 24/7 customer support, the acceptance of the New Zealand Dollar, and the license from the Malta Gaming Authority.

But like everything else in life, there are also some cons too, like the rather small number of supported payment solutions, the lack of a welcome bonus, and the rather low maximum withdrawal amount. 

Yes, Ultracasino has its fair share of pros and cons, but I rather think that the advantages outnumber the disadvantages. There might be no welcome bonus, and the maximum you can withdraw is low, but if you can see past these, there is a platform that is ready to offer plenty of fun.

Since this is rather a new casino, things can only get better from here, and who knows maybe the casino will add a welcome bonus and carry out some changes to the cons, that will make this casino exceptional!