William Hill Casino
William Hill is one of the better known sports books in the UK and having a landbased company gives me a slightly safer feel as I deposit my hard earned money into their online casino. Of course, just because a reputable landbased operation has a online component, doesn't mean that it will be a good gaming experience. But that's what I'm here to find out.
The Basics URL: www.williamhillcasino.com
Software: Cryptologic
Software Type: PC ownload and install. Flash version available.
Accepted Deposit Methods: credit card, debit card, cheque, bank transfer, Neteller.
Customer Service: Live Supoort / Email / UK phone number
Auditor: PriceWaterhouse Coopers.
Payout %: 97.44%
The Bonus Bonus Amount: $80 match bonus for new users. (must
deposit $80 or more all at once.
Bonus Wager Requirements: must wager $2400, Roulette, Baccarat and Craps do not qualify.I deposited $80 via Neteller and my account was credited right away with the deposit and $80 bonus. Right away is very good.One of the features available is that you can check your account details and see how much more you have to wager in order to meet your bonus wager requirements. This is extremely helpful. I don't know how many times I've lost back a bunch of cash because I kept playing having no idea how much more I had to gamble to cash in my bonus and winnings.The
Games I started off playing some blackjack, which at William
Hill Casino is based on Atlantic City rules. The cards are dealt
quickly and there is a rebet button, a handy feature. The only
complaint I have about the game is that it doesn't warn you if
you try to hit on 20. I know, I know, you have to be stupid to
hit on 20, but sometimes you hit the wrong button and I think
this is a very useful feature -- though hardly anyone does it.
The other complaint I have is that it doesn't show you the dealer's
hole card when you bust. This doesn't change the fact that you've
lost but is slightly annoying as I like to see "what if".Next,
I move on to one of my favorite games, Video Poker. Jacks of Better
is the only way to go for me and this one has the Royal Flush
at 4,000 coins. I can't stand video poker machines where the Royal
Flush is 5,000 coins because it means you're getting short changed
on the full houses, flushes, and straights. In any case, I play
about 100 hands of video poker. The game is pretty good but I
prefer the Microgaming (another popular casino software) version.
I do like that it gives you the option of playing 3, 5 or 10 hands
all at once in "Power Poker" style. My two complaints are that
there is no auto-hold function and that there are no 50c machines.
I don't like to jump from 25 cents to $1.At this point, I discover
a nifty feature that shows you the number of bets you've made
in a particular session and how much you wagered and the final
result. So, by clicking on Game Log, I find out I've lost $30
in Video Poker.I play a bit more of slots (Aladdin's Lamp - worthless)
and some Let it Ride poker. After checking that I have fulfilled
the bonus wagering requirements, I play some more blackjack and
end up at $200. Not bad for a $80 deposit.
The Withdrawal William Hill Casino does this strange thing
where you have to convert your balance to casino chips, then convert
it back to your balance when you're done playing in the casino.
I didn't know this and tried to withdraw my $200 and slightly
panicked when I saw my balance at $0. It turns out that I had
to quit my casino session to convert the casino chips to my account.
( I emailed customer help about this but discovered the answer
before they got back to me. More on this in the next section.)
In trying to find out why I had a $0 balance, I stumbled upon
a little note that said "The Account withdrawal function is suspended
for a 72 hour period from creation, to enable us to establish
that the account holder is genuine." For whatever reason, my account
still allowed me to withdraw so I did. I just figured that they
would hold my payout for 72 hours. Turns out, my Neteller account
was credited the very next day, less than 24 hours after my initial
deposit. Success!
Customer Service The William Hill Casino support site states
that they are having longer than usual response times due to the
popularity of their casino. This did not auger well for getting
a response to my email quickly. However, they did get back to
me within 24 hours.There is also a "live chat" support line that
I tested out but since my request wasn't answered within 10 minutes,
I gave up, especially since I didn't really have a question.
Final Thoughts William Hill Casino has a lot of useful features
as far as account maintenance and looking up wagering details.
I find the games in the Boss Media software to be a little slow
and I'm not a big fan of their "casino floor" method of displaying
the various games; but there is a Games menu that lets you shortcut
to the exact game you want. The bonus was decent ($80 at 100%)
and was very quickly credited to my account. Withdrawing was painless
and quick, although there is that supposed 3 day waiting period
for new members, which somehow I wasn't subject to, but hey, I'm
not complaining.Overall, my experience at William Hill was a good
one. It could've been much better if I hit a royal flush, but
hey, +$120 is pretty good for one day.--
The
Sherpa
