- Online Casino Review

Crazy Vegas Casino

July 19, 2005

Overview

I've just glanced over the site and I'm really impressed with Crazy Vegas. They have won a multitude of awards (more on that later) and the site is chock filled with great information. Not only that, but they boast an impressive 200 plus games!

Crazy Vegas opened in June of 2002 and is part of the Vegas Partner Lounge Group. They run Microgaming software and are licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake, Canada. A member of eCogra, Crazy Vegas is audited by PriceWaterHouse Coopers monthly. Their archives of audits are posted all the way back to the beginning in June 2002. Players can access the site information in the following languages: English, Chinese, French, Spanish, German, Dutch, Italian, and Portuguese. Pro-cyber handles their financial services, so you know your money and information are safe.

Customers from the following countries have toll free phone to contact customer service: USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Israel, Germany, Portugal, Hong Kong, Italy, France, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, and Denmark. Email and Live Chat support are also available. I've checked both their phone support and their live chat and they work well. I would like to say that they are always well informed and helpful, but sometimes they just seem confused. Of course, sometimes that makes for some really fun conversations:

Reeves: Welcome back to the Support Desk.
Casino Critic: what is the minimum check amount?
Casino Critic: is there a fee?
Reeves: Once you have downloaded the casino and registered a valid Credit Card, on crazyvegas, you will qualify for a free download bonus of $10.
Casino Critic: that doesn't even come close to answering my question
Casino Critic: for cash-out: what is the minimum check amount and is there a fee?
Reeves: Minimum cashout will be $50
Reeves:
Casino Critic: and the fee?
Casino Critic: if there is one?
Reeves: What type of Payment method with you be preferred to paid out at.
Reeves: What type of Payment method with you be preferred to paid out at
Casino Critic: sometimes casinos charge a fee for sending a check, often the same casinos have a higher minimum for check cash outs
Casino Critic: i would like to know if you have a fee for withdrawing funds via check
Reeves: FedEx Check (Courier Fee of $35.00) 3-5 working days
Reeves:
Reeves: Wire Transfer ($25 Transfer Fee
Reeves: NO FEE ON NORMAL CHECK
Casino Critic: thank you

As you can see Reeves likes to change his message font. I'm not sure what his native language is, but it isn't English. I especially enjoyed his question: "What type of Payment method with you be preferred to paid out at". You'll see further in this review more about their lovely Live Chat system. I want to give them the benefit of the doubt and guess that they are having technical difficulties today, because I've been waiting now for over a half hour for a response in their 24 hours a day live chat and I just can't believe any casino would allow their live chat to take this.

Crazy Vegas has won 7 awards from gambling.com and 2 awards in 2003 from Gambling Online Magazine. The casino is available in both browser and download versions.

Deposits

Minimum deposit amount is $20. Players can deposit in $ US dollars, $ Canadian Dollars, £ British pounds, and € Euros. They offer the typical range of deposit methods:

• Visa
• Mastercard
• Solo – UK residents only
• Switch – UK residents only
• Delta – UK residents only
• Neteller
• Click2Pay
• FirePay
• Citadel
• PaySpark – A daily spending limit of US$3000 per day.
• UseMyBank
• Moneybookers

 

Withdrawals

Minimum withdrawal amount is $50/ €50/ £50. I think it's so wrong to have a minimum withdrawal amount over twice as high as the minimum deposit amount, but it seems to becoming more standard in the industry. Scary.

The following are listed under their withdrawal options:

• Solo – UK residents only
• Switch – UK residents only
• Check –  FedEx cost $35.00 and takes 3-5 working days
• Click2Play
• Neteller
• FirePay
• Wire Transfer - $25 fee
• CFT (Credit Fund Transfer to Visa Cards) - Only available to European Based Visa Card Holders.

The maximum amount they can credit to a Visa card in Europe is £2,500 a day. Players are required to supply proof of identity, copies of their credit cards, a signed purchase history of their transactions and /or other appropriate documentation when they make their first withdrawal request and may be required to sign further forms with subsequent withdrawal requests.

Terms and Conditions

Casino Vegas is serious about closing you out if you step over the line "Vegas Partner Lounge reserves the right to cancel your account for any reason whatsoever at any time without notice to you." Make your life easier and be certain that you enter the same name and address information on your casino account that you use for your deposit account. Any discrepancy there will give reason to the casino to shut you out. That was the most exciting bit of the terms and conditions. They were basic and no-nonsense and your average terms.

Bonuses

Casino Vegas's bonus selection is updated regularly. Check the site monthly for new updates. I'd like to say I'm crazy about their bonus selection, and I will admit I've seen much worse, but it's just not wowing me. They have a good sign up promo, but nothing interesting during the month from what I can see. I'm trying to double check this with Live Chat, but apparently they are having difficulties (the new line comes up after 5 minutes of waiting):
" Please wait for a site operator to respond.
All operators are currently assisting others. Thanks for your patience. An operator will be with you shortly.
All operators are currently assisting others. Thanks for your patience. An operator will be with you shortly.
All operators are currently assisting others. Thanks for your patience. An operator will be with you shortly.
All operators are currently assisting others. Thanks for your patience. An operator will be with you shortly.
All operators are currently assisting others. Thanks for your patience. An operator will be with you shortly.
All operators are currently assisting others. Thanks for your patience. An operator will be with you shortly.
All operators are currently assisting others. Thanks for your patience. An operator will be with you shortly.
All operators are currently assisting others. Thanks for your patience. An operator will be with you shortly. "

Eventually I'll get my answer. You'll see it below. In the meantime here are the sign up and regular bonuses on offer.
 

• $11 No deposit required bonus – First time sign up only. Keep in mind the minimum $50 cash out requirement before you get too excited. Need to register one credit card to receive.
• 100% match bonus on first deposits of $25, $50, $75, or $100
• Deposit bonuses ranging from 5% - 15% per deposit – includes a bonus for regular credit card deposits (which is rare). This bonus has a minimum deposit requirement of $50.

Vegas Partner Lounge is running a raffle for an amazing 2005 BMW Z4 worth $35,000.

Their Loyalty points program is fairly standard. Every $10 bet is 1 loyalty points. One nice thing, you get an automatic 250 points for free once you open a real account. The points are converted as follows:

One small kink in the loyalty points, roulette and craps do not apply.

I've been waiting now for over 20 minutes. This is not what I call "Live Chat" at all. That would require someone actually answering. I could call toll free and ask their phone support, but I like being able to cut and paste my conversation if it gets interesting. 40 minutes and finally Reeves has answered my call. Oh joy.

" You are now chatting with 'Reeves'
Reeves: Welcome to the Vegas Partner Lounge Casino Support Desk. How can I help you?
Casino Critic: hello Reeves
Casino Critic: does Casino Vegas have any tournaments or raffles?
Casino Critic: or any special monthly bonuses other than the deposit bonus?
Reeves: One moment please"

That one moment has now lasted 5 minutes, but I'll wait.  

"Reeves: We do have an ongoing bonuses, depending on methods of payment
Casino Critic: right, but those are listed on the site
Reeves: THAT IS CORRECT
Casino Critic: which is why I asked what you have other than the deposit bonus
Casino Critic: if you have any tournaments or something that aren't listed
Casino Critic: and perhaps sent to customers via email"

Subtleties seem to escape Reeves. After another 5 minutes I received a reply.

Reeves: "Casino Vegas" Are you referring to CasinoUS or CrazyVegas
Casino Critic: sorry - crazy vegas
Casino Critic: my error

Opps! To my feeble and lame defense I've been reviewing so many casinos lately that it's amazing I can remember my own name. After waiting another 5 minutes I wrote this:

"Casino Critic: again, on CRAZY VEGAS are there any tournaments or competitions? any bonuses at all that are not listed on the site?
Reeves: Unfortunately not, other than what I have mentioned to you now, and earlier in our previous chat
Casino Critic: thank you "

Bummer. There are no tournaments, no competitions, and no extra special weekly anything. It's a disappointment.

Promotional Terms and Conditions
The wagering requirements are really quite good. For the no deposit and initial deposit bonuses players must wager 15X the deposit plus bonus amount. This means if you deposited $50 and received a $50 bonus you would have to wager $1500 ($50 deposit + $50 bonus = $100 * 15 wagering requirement = $1500). However, for the deposit method bonuses (between 5% - 15%) the wagering requirements are only 10X the deposit plus bonus amount. The initial deposit and the 5% - 15% deposit bonuses can not be used together.

All versions of blackjack do not count towards the initial and no deposit bonuses wagering requirement. For all further bonuses Video Poker, Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat, SicBo and Craps games count one quarter (1/4) of all wagering requirements.

Don't try to count your wagers from the no deposit bonus towards your other bonuses – it won't work: "Using the promotional bonus for no risk wagers does not fulfill your obligation with regard to the total amount wagered prior to cash in."

Danish, Chinese, Japanese, Polish & Israeli Players must wager at least 20X for the no deposit and initial deposit bonuses. The regular rules apply for the 5% - 15% regular deposit bonus.

The maximum total NETeller, Payspark, Click2Pay, UseMyBank, Wire Transfer, FirePay, MoneyBookers and Credit Card bonus payable in a month is $1500.00. The maximum amount of winning allowed on the no deposit bonus is $500. I would be shocked as all hell if they actually had to pay someone that amount.

Now here's where they have me confused: " If a player fails to qualify for the 15% bonus in the case of NETeller, Payspark, MoneyBookers, Click2Pay, UseMyBank and Wire Transfer as per the terms and conditions listed above, the bonus will automatically be deducted from the player's balance on cashing in or on a subsequent purchase." I'm so confused that I'm calling their phone line. While it's fun to ask Reeve's things I would like a real answer on this one. What I want to know is if this means that you can simply cash out when you have received this bonus and the amount of the bonus will be deducted from your cash out amount if wagering requirements weren't met?

I called and got REEVES! He has a lovely South African accent and I must say his phone is much better than his chat. I asked my question, which he didn't really get, and then I explained that I was writing an article about the site. I was immediately offered to be transferred to Annette who apparently knows everything. Of course the transfer wait took several minutes and I don't have hands free on my phone so as I write this I am getting a crick in my neck. This poor kid, he was going to transfer me to Annette but apparently she's not available. He then tried to get me to call them directly, but its long distance and I refused. I further explained my question and I think he finally got it this time; he's gone off to get an answer for me. My boss owes me a day in a spa to get the pain out of my shoulders for this – I've had this phone resting between my ear and shoulder now for over 20 minutes! FINALLY Gerald comes on the line and explains this confusing bonus. It goes basically like this:

Depending on the players history with the casino (i.e. been with them for awhile and no signs of bonus abuse) a player can decide that they just don't feel like making the wagering requirements for the deposit bonus (5% - 15% only) and write in a request for the bonus to be removed. This is approved on a case by case basis and purely by discretion of casino management. I think that is fair enough.

Overall
Crazy Vegas's customer service does try. Goodness knows Reeve's earned his pay on the day I called in. They have an ok selection of bonuses, and I think their wagering requirements are excellent. I would have liked to have a few tournaments thrown in the mix for good measure, but the drawing for the BMW is a good draw.