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Manhattan Slots: Still Holding Strong After the AffGroup Takeover
Manhattan Slots is an online casino owned and run by the Club World group. It currently operates under a Master license provided by the government of Curaçao.
Unfortunately, it is yet another outstanding online casino that fell victim to the corruption of the AffGroup. As with most casinos under Club World Casinos’ ownership, it was reported to have been shaving off a percentage of their affiliates’ earnings shortly after the management change.
However, there haven’t been other incidents with Manhattan, but the involvement of AffGroup alone is reason enough for most players to look for entertainment elsewhere.
General Information
Another one in the series of online casinos run by the Club World Casinos, which unfortunately fell under the influence of the AffGroup. And if you’re unfamiliar with the whole affair, let us quickly fill you in.
Club World Casinos was an award-winning group with exemplary management. They used to put the spotlight on user experience and have prided themselves on top-quality games and outstanding customer support.
However, Club World felt they needed a hand in running the day-to-day casinos’ operations. Sadly, they decided to seek help from individuals associated with the AffGroup. The AffGroup holds the title of the “Worst Casino Group of 2016.” They are infamous for working with hackers and running pirated Net Entertainment games.
Seen as AffGroup is one of the, if not the most notorious group in the online gambling industry, this move blew up in Club World’s face. Their reputation went down the drain and their player base dispersed.
In the specific case of Manhattan slots, the Israelis swooped in on the Affiliate Edge. What was once an award-winning affiliate program turned into a fraud. This occurred after AffGroup decided they had the right to a portion of affiliates’ commissions. Needless to say that the affiliates were outraged. There’s no other way to classify this move than as a fraud.
That said, the management change and the affiliate blunder didn’t seem to overspill to the interactions between the casino and the players. There don’t see to be any complaints that the AffGroup takeover had any impact on the user experience.
Nevertheless, we can’t shake off that unsettling feeling gnawing at the back of our heads. And by the looks of it, neither can some gamblers. Knowing that a morally ambiguous group runs Manhattan Slots’ operations certainly isn’t reassuring.
There haven’t been any reported incidents, but you wouldn’t want to be the first, would you? And why risk it? There are plenty of great casinos to choose from out there, all with outstanding management.
First Impression
The official Manhattan Slots website immediately leaves a strong positive impression. From the layout and the strategic placement of information, you could tell that a lot of thought went into the site’s design. Manhattan Slots opted for a cartoony-styled theme, which is perfectly fine since they pull it off well.
The website is secure and features a cookie banner, notifying the visitors of the site’s cookies policy. Although still a rarity in the online gambling world, the cookie banner is a welcome addition. And even though it might not seem like a big deal to an average user, it’s the implications behind it that are worth considering. The cookie banner implies that they’re up-to-date with the industry standards and comply with the rules and regulations established by regulatory bodies.
Furthermore, with the inclusion of the Live Chat feature, Manhattan Slots shows that it genuinely cares about their players. Unlike most “live chats,” Manhattan’s is designed to fit their theme and seamlessly blends into the site’s design.
And from what information we could gather, the Live Chat is not just there for show. The customer support team is rather quick to respond, is polite, and has the player’s best interests in mind. We have no choice but to commend their efforts here.
Moreover, four newest games are always featured on the website’s homepage, giving you quick and easy access to the freshest additions. Another interesting thing we’ve noticed is the “Promotions” section. Manhattan Slots took the concept of deposit bonuses and made it fun and exciting.
Depending on the day of the week, you’ll enjoy deposit bonuses of anywhere from 67% to 77%. On top of that, they provide two 100% bonus options exclusive to bitcoin and MasterCard. It might not seem like all that much compared to some other casinos. However, you must take into account that these aren’t first deposit bonuses, but rather daily bonuses available to everyone for an unlimited time.
Finally, a section of the homepage also features the recent winners, along with the won amount and the game they’ve played. Transparency is always welcome in the industry, so props to Manhattan Slots for including this. Also, next to the winners is a slideshow of different games with the highest current jackpots. Furthermore, the library of games Manhattan offers is quite extensive. In case you’re indecisive, you can simply pick one of the games with the highest possible payout.
All in all, an excellent first impression. So far so good.
Games and Software
Manhattan Slots uses RealTime Gaming (RTG) software for both the instant play and the download casino. Relying on one of the player favorites in RTG’s software, Manhattan provides its users with over a hundred fun and unique games.
RTG is renowned for their fair and immersive games, some of which are even player-favored. The crisp, polished visuals are combined with an array of masterfully crafted audio themes for a truly exhilarating gaming experience.
Additionally, RTG-powered casinos typically give the player much more freedom in choosing their bets, on both high and low ends. On the other hand, RTG also gives a bit more autonomy to the casinos. For instance, on rare occasions, casinos can set the paylines of individual games.
That might not be the case with Manhattan, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry. So make sure to check the game’s paytable before diving in.
Finally, as we’ve mentioned, Manhattan regularly updates their games list with the newest slots. With a sizable library to choose from and new games popping up quite frequently, you’re bound to find something to enjoy and likely won’t get bored too quickly.
User Experiences
From what we have seen, most users only have words of praise for Manhattan’s customer service. The occasional angry comment seems to be targeted at the waiting times. Still, comparatively, they are among the quicker casinos with their payouts.
Manhattan slots have shown both patience and professionalism in their dealings with player complaints. They also tend to work towards a resolution that favors the player (under the terms and conditions, of course).
This is a good practice that seems to have survived the departure of previous management. If anything, the AffGroup seems disinterested in player complaints, leaving the decision-making to the experienced customer support team. In hindsight, this is probably the best outcome players could have hoped for.
Withdrawal Options
Manhattan Slots supports a wider-than-usual number of deposit options. These include Visa, MasterCard, Neteller, Skrill, EcoPayz, Click2Pay, MyPaylinQ, InstaDebit, and Bitcoin transactions.
Depending on the payment option you select, the withdrawal requests are typically processed within 24 hours. You can realistically expect to receive your money within 5 business days.
The withdrawal limits are reasonable, with a minimum of $20, and the limit being $5,000 per week.
Pros and Cons
| PROS RTG software — a large selection of breathtaking, immersive gamesProfessional website design, intuitive UX, easy to navigateExcellent customer support — fast, responsive, polite, customer-orientedMinimal number of unresolved customer complaintsDaily deposit bonusesExcellent bet range (both on the low and high-end)Bitcoin supportOptimized for mobile | CONS English onlyAssociated with the notorious AffGroup — shady individuals running casino operationsHad an award-winning affiliate program that turned into a fraud after AffGroup started shaving off part of the affiliates’ profitsNo weekend payouts |
Our Verdict
Apart from the involvement with the AffGroup, there’s not much we can hold against Manhattan Slots.
They offer a wide selection of RTG-powered games, treat their players with respect, and genuinely work towards providing us with a fair, fun, and exciting gaming experience.
However, scamming their affiliates isn’t something we can easily overlook. Unethical and fraudulent business practices are, and always will be, a huge red flag.
Although no players have been wronged by the Manhattan casino yet, we wouldn’t entirely rule out this possibility either. After all, AffGroup has run pirated NetEnt games in the past. And they’ve shown that they’re willing to resort to underhanded strategies to increase their revenue.
So although the casino itself is quite decent, we can’t exactly recommend playing with this operator. Our final verdict is: play at your own risk.
Casino Rating
Customer support: 8/10
Cashout time: 7/10
Software: 8/10
Jurisdiction: 6/10
Total: 7/10
