When you have been in the industry for as long as I have, certain online casino brands stick in your head. This can be for a couple of reasons; longevity, of course, is the most obvious. The casinos that have been around the longest usually have the best brand awareness. Jackpot City is one of these brands.
This casino has been around since the infancy of the online gambling world; it has, however, changed hands a couple of times. So, does today’s version of Jackpot City live up to its history?
Let’s have a look.
About Jackpot City Casino
Jackpot City launched in 1998 when most of us were just discovering that you could play casino games online. It is now owned by the Digimedia Group; these guys scooped up many different independent casino operators over the last decade to create some economies of scale. The result is a company which features some of the most recognized legacy online casino brands. Digimedia has come under fire during this consolidation; changing some Terms and Conditions to match that of the rest of the group has enraged certain players and affiliates. While I don’t disagree with what the company was trying to accomplish, they definitely could have done a better job of transparency.
Jackpot City has two gaming licenses; one from the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, and the other from the Malta Gaming Authority. This gives them credibility on both sides of the Atlantic, but most importantly it gives them a better chance of acquiring decent rates from payment processors.
Who Can Play at Jackpot City Casino?
There is an extensive list of countries that are not allowed to play at Jackpot City Casino. The brand seems to be focused mainly on players from Canada and Australia (I live in Canada and see TV ads for these guys all the time). Here’s the list of restricted countries for this casino:
- Belgium
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Spain
- France
- United Kingdom
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Israel
- Iran
- Italy
- Philippines
- Portugal
- Romania
- Singapore
- Turkey
- Taiwan
- United States
- South Africa
Software Suppliers
The excellent news for those of you who are looking to give Jackpot City a try is that they use one of the best pieces of casino software on the market. Their exclusive supplier is Microgaming (most of the Digimedia casinos are legacy Microgaming licensees). The South African software company has always been at the head of the pack when it comes to game selection and quality, and this is no different with the Jackpot City offering.
The Microgaming games can be played either through a downloadable casino client or via their Instant Play version. My recommendation is that you download the software to get the most detailed, rich version of the games. However, if you like to take your games on the go, you can find almost all the Microgaming catalog available for mobile browser play as well.
The Good Stuff
Jackpots, of course!
With a name like Jackpot City, you had better believe there are some great progressive jackpots to play for! The Microgaming software allows casinos to pool their progressive jackpot contributions so that they can create huge jackpots in a shorter period of time. The end result for you is that there are over a dozen jackpot games available at Jackpot City, ranging in size from $40,000 all the way to over $3 million!
Tournaments
I love when a casino puts tournaments in their lobby. Personally, I am not the world’s greatest slot player; I tend to get bored quite quickly and as a result, will walk away from a machine usually a loser. Adding the extra competitive angle of playing against other players for a cash prize and suddenly I am transformed into a more dedicated player! They have tournaments running every day that range in entry fees from Free all the way to $10.
The Bad Stuff
Wagering Requirements
It is already very tough to convert any bonus dollars you may receive from your deposits; casino games are, of course, all built with a house edge. Add in large wagering requirements, and you end up with a near impossibility. The Welcome Offer bonus comes with a requirement of 50x, which is higher than most casinos. What makes this worse is reports from players that the number can rise as high as 70x on other bonuses. I haven’t found any documentation of this on their site, but if this is the case, they may as well not even offer promotional dollars.
No Live Dealer Games
I am always on the hunt for Live Dealer games when I review a casino. The new format of playing these games online is growing in popularity; players love the combination of the live-action of having a dealer while still being able to gamble from the comfort of their homes. Considering other Digimedia brands feature Live Dealer games, I am surprised not to see them at Jackpot City. Perhaps they will be launching them soon…
Game Selection:
Table Games
The Microgaming suite of Table Games is vast, featuring the majority of the traditional games you would find in a land-based casino. If you are a Blackjack lover then you are in luck; the Jackpot City lobby features over a dozen variants of the game, and take it from me: the quality of these games is second-to-none. Here is a selection of the Table Games you will find at this casino:
- Craps
- Red Dog
- European Blackjack
- Vegas Downtown Blackjack
- European Blackjack Hi Lo 13
- Vegas Strip Blackjack
- Big Five Blackjack
- Atlantic City Blackjack
- Bonus Blackjack
- Double Exposure
- Spanish Blackjack
- Super Fun 21
- Classic Blackjack Multi-Hand
- 3-Card Poker
- High-Speed Poker
- Wheel of Riches
- Baccarat
- Hold’em High
- Bonus Pai Gow Poker
- Roulette Royale – Progressive
- Premier Roulette
- French Roulette
- American Roulette
- Multi-Player Roulette
- Multi Wheel European Roulette Gold
- French Roulette Gold
- European Roulette Gold
Video Poker
I would almost give Jackpot City my highest recommendation by their video poker selection alone! I love to play video poker, sometimes for hours on end, and at this casino, I found basically every variant I could think of, many of which I could play for more than one hand. If you like high pay tables, then I suggest you give the All Aces game a try.
- All Aces
- Jacks or Better
- All American
- Aces & Faces
- Double Bonus
- Bonus Deuces Wild
- Tens or Better
- Aces & Eights
- Deuces & Joker
- Double Bonus
- Joker Poker (kings or better)
- Bonus Poker Deluxe
- Double Joker
- Deuces Wild
- Louisiana Double
Slots
I have saved the best for last with Jackpot City; the Microgaming software is well known around the world for their slots games. This catalog of games features over 300 titles, and the quality of the graphics and gameplay can be seen from the first spin of the reels. I have listed a sample of the games you can find at Jackpot City; check out all the familiar TV and Movie titles that are a result of Microgaming’s content licensing deals.
- 108 Heroes
- 5 Reel Drive
- 7 Oceans
- Adventure Palace
- Agent Jane Blonde
- Bridesmaids
- BrideZilla
- Dragon’s Myth
- Dragon Dance
- Fruit Fiesta – 5 Reel
- Fruit Salad
- Game of Thrones
- Game of Thrones 15-Line
- Halloweenies
- Happy Holidays
- Happy New Year
- Harveys
- Heavy Metal
- Hellboy
- Isis
- Jack in the Box
- Jackpot Express
- Jurassic Jackpot
- Jurassic Jackpot Big Reel
- Jurassic Park
- Kung Fu Cash
- Ladies Nite
- Lady in Red
- Mega Moolah
- Mega Moolah Isis
- Mermaids Millions
- Mermaids Millions Multi-Player
- Mocha Orange
- Money Mad Monkey
- Monkey’s Money
- Octopays
- Oranges & Lemons
- Phantom Cash
- Pharaoh’s Fortune
- Reel Gems
- Reel Spinner
- Rhyming Reels - Jack & Jill
- Rhyming Reels - Old King Cole
- Rings and Roses
- River of Riches
- Riviera Riches
- RoboJack
- Rock the Boat
- Scary Friends
- Scrooge Repents
- Spring Break
- Stardust
- Starlight Kiss
- Starscape
- Stash of the Titans
- Terminator 2
- The Dark Knight
- The Dark Knight Rises
- The Finer Reels of Life
- Titans of the Sun Theia
- Tomb Raider
- Tomb Raider – Secret of the Sword
- Vinyl Countdown
- Wasabi-San
- Western Frontier
- What a Hoot
- What on Earth
- Wheel of Wealth
- Wheel of Wealth Special Edition
Promotions
When it comes to Promotions, Jackpot City is definitely lacking in the details department. As you will see, while the Welcome Offer is almost over-explained, there seem to be no details on their ongoing promotions.
Welcome Offer
The Welcome Offer at Jackpot City is based on your first 4 deposits at the casino. They boast that you can earn up to $1,600 in bonus dollars with 4 100% Match Bonuses to a maximum of $400 each time. However, these four deposits need to be made within the first 7 days of opening an account otherwise you cannot collect on them.
As for wagering requirements, these are laid out in full detail on the promotions page. Highlights include:
The bonus must be played through 50x to convert to real dollars. Wagering by individual game is weighted in the following way:
All Slots, Keno & Scratch Card games 100%Video Poker (excluding all aces pokers), all Blackjacks (excluding classic) 10%
Classic Blackjacks, All Aces Video Pokers, All Roulette, Sic Bo, Craps, Baccarat, Table Poker, Casino War, Red dog, Wheel of Winners and Wheel of Riches 0%
Progressive games will contribute to the Play through Requirement as per the game type. For example, Progressive Slots will contribute 100% to the Play through Requirement.
Ongoing Promotions
I wish I could give you more information on all the great daily and weekly promotions they have to offer at Jackpot City; the casino doesn’t seem to want to give up that information too easily. They require you to have an account to access the promotions; I assume that they will come to me in email format, and when they do I will update this review. Here is how the site describes these great offers:
- Prize-Packed Promotions
It’s themed, it’s fun, and it’s packed with loads of prizes to perk up your play. JackpotCity Online Casino offers daily, weekly and monthly promotions filled with rewards that range from cash, casino credits, and free spins to cool gadgets, 5-star cruises and exotic holidays. Want in on the action? Then download and play right away.
- Match Promotions
JackpotCity Online Casino offers players regular midweek and weekend percentage match bonuses based on their playing activity of the preceding weeks. Players will receive updates via emails and in their software to alert them of any bonus reward opportunities. All you have to do to qualify? Download the software and play.
Banking
Jackpot City takes advantage of the large parent group of casinos to bring you many options when it comes to making deposits and withdrawals. Many of these options are only available in certain countries; you should check the cashier in your country to see how you can make your payment requests.
Deposit Options
- ClickandBuy
- EcoPayz
- Maestro
- MasterCard
- Neteller
- Paysafe Card
- Postepay
- Visa Debit
- Visa Electron
- instaDebit
- Visa
- Entropay
- iDEAL
- Sofortuberwaisung
- POLi
- Envoy
- EZIPay
- Lobanet
- UseMyFunds
- eChecks
- QIWI
- Skrill
- Direct Bank Transfer
- Citadel Direct
Withdrawal Options
- ACH
- ClickandBuy
- MasterCard
- Neteller
- Pay Spark
- PayPal
- instaDebit
- Visa
- EcoPayz
- EZIPay
- eChecks
- QIWI
- Skrill
- iDebit
- iBanq
- Easy EFT
Comp/VIP Program
Jackpot City does give players the chance to earn extra cash with their Loyalty Programme. This seems to be a hybrid between a Comp program and a VIP program. Let’s see if I can break it all down for you.
The casino offers Tier Loyalty Points and Bonus Loyalty Points; you accumulate both by playing real money games. There are no details on how many points you earn per dollar in this program, but what is clear is that you need 200 Loyalty Points to be able to redeem for $1 of real cash.
While both types of points can be redeemed for cash, only your Tier points allow you to move up in VIP status. There are 6 levels of the program, but aside from a higher Tier Bonus (I assume that is the speed of accumulation of points), there is no information on what other rewards you receive for reaching each level.
I would like to see some more transparency when it comes to this VIP program; all players should have a clear picture of what they are playing for, and it helps the casino to motivate player by dangling shiny carrots in front of them.
Customer Service
The Customer Service Department at Jackpot City is available 24/7 to take care of its players. If it were me, I would only use their Live Chat feature; there is a box at the top of each web page that takes you to the Chat functionality. If you are someone who likes to speak to a live agent, then you can make use of their telephone customer service, which is available toll-free in many countries and also available in multiple languages. Email support is also available, but surprisingly there is no FAQ section.
Would I Play at Jackpot City Casino?
Having seen hundreds of their ads on television, I see that the casino is branding itself as a place for VIPs to play. If that is the case, it would be great if they had more details on their VIP program…or any of their offers for that matter. If this isn’t a big deal to you, then you will be pleased with the rest of the Jackpot City offering. They use one of the best software platforms out there, and there are loads of options for making your deposits and withdrawals. The website itself is clean and easy to navigate, and the customer service team is available around the clock. Yes, some sites have blacklisted them for shady behavior when it comes to changing Terms and Conditions, but I don’t believe this has a significant impact on the recreational player. Until I hear otherwise, I am happy to recommend Jackpot City to all my casino-playing readers.
Up to 500 FS
Up to 500 FS
Up to 500 FS
No Deposit
