City Club Casino was the first choice for a broad audience of Playtech games fans. It had a wide range of gaming options, as well as payment methods to choose from. However, the outrage quickly followed their affiliation with the AffEurope group, which indulged in many illegal activities.
The casino eventually closed down, confirming once again that the players’ trust and their respect are the basis of any casino existence, and no amount of welcome bonuses and casino games can overweigh that fact.
General Information
City Club Casino was founded in 2001 by Unimaster Ltd. Cyprus. It operated under the license provided by the Government of Curacao. Early on they established an affiliate program with the AffEurope group. This group was caught hacking websites to promote their casinos on several occasions. The move was highly unethical, which made us and several other websites include City Club and its sister casinos to our blacklists.
City Club Casino tried to alienate itself from this affiliate program after the accusations, but the damage was already done. Many users promptly went to other casinos for their online gambling experience, never coming back.
Though the online casino eventually closed down, it had a pretty long run. Many users were attracted to it thanks to the Playtech software it used that provided a few hundred different games.
The casino offered many payment options, both standard and alternative payment methods, such as ClickandBuy and Skrill. However, the payments could be made only in US dollars, euros, and British pounds, which was very limiting.
Aside from the AffEurope group affiliation and the troubles they caused, the casino had other problems. Many users repeatedly accused them of rewriting terms and conditions to avoid payouts and their customer support of being unhelpful and indifferent. That is when they bothered to pick up the phone or answer an email.
Players’ complaints were mostly left unanswered, but that only drove the users to find help elsewhere, from the watchdog websites. The progress wasn’t made even then, though. The customer support was claimed to be efficient and available at all hours, but that was not the case.
Some users sighed with relief after the AffEurope group program was shut down. However, many drew attention to the fact that the casino still had traffic and advertisement thanks to their hacking skills. This only generated further questions about the casino’s ethics.
First Impression
The City Club casino website is still available to visit and reminisce. It had a pretty satisfying layout, with a prevailing green background. It was not clattered by ads, which allows much better navigation.
There was a standard tab at the top right corner that allowed to choose a language of your preference and a tab with a list of promotions, jackpots, as well as a section dedicated to fair gaming, underneath.
The site had both download and instant flash mode, with many games available. They were divided into sections such as roulette, slots, card games, and progressive games. The website regularly updated the new releases, as well as the progressive jackpot section.
In the very center of the page, there was information about the 400% bonus on the first deposit, written in big gold letters, to make sure you don’t miss it. Overall, the site was easy to navigate and use, with all the necessary information written in neat sections.
Games and Software
City Club Casino offered a satisfying choice of games including table games, slots, progressive games, and more, all from Playtech. The most popular slots included The Sopranos and Gladiator. The Gladiator, as well as Beach Life and Spamalot, offered the highest jackpots.
Besides, the site had many arcade and Asian games, assuring the users they will never need to go anywhere else. All the games were available to play on every device, mobile or desktop, as well as every operating system (Android, iOS, Mac, and Windows).
However, the users noticed that not many games were available in this casino, even though it was powered by Playtech that provides over 600 casino games. That was probably because City Club Casino wanted to present only the most popular games, so the number of the available ones came to about a hundred in total.
For every deposit made through a specific payment method, there was a possibility of receiving an additional 10% deposit bonus. With the minimum deposit of $20 to activate the welcome bonus, you could have made up to $600 on the first deposit. The wagering requirement was 20x, which is pretty average. Different weekly casino bonuses were also available.
All the games were powered by Playtech, which is one of the top leading software providers in the industry for the last decade. It offers a few hundred games, which are compatible with every device. Though for the best experience they recommend downloading, the instant play mode is also available. Playtech has one of the biggest progressive jackpots on the market.
User Experience
Many users found the “Get Started” section of the casino website to be very useful, with all of the rules listed, including information about how to register and make your first deposit. Combined with the long list of frequently asked questions, this feature made players more comfortable to start their gambling experience with City Club Casino.
All of the payments were processed within 24hrs, which many users considered satisfying and efficient (when the casino did not refuse to pay up altogether). The usual problem that came up was regarding the unclear terms and conditions together with changes in the wagering requirement to avoid payouts.
Users also encountered rude and unhelpful customer support operators who insisted they didn’t understand the player’s problem. They were also very hard to reach, especially via the live chat.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- high-quality games provided by Playtech
- many different payment options
Cons:
- unhelpful customer support
- hacking history.
Our Verdict
City Club Casino would have been our top choice of a casino because of the software it used. However, the affiliation with the AffEurope group has put them in an unflattering spotlight. The repeated accusations of hacking websites and search engines made this casino blacklisted and eventually brought to its shutdown.
Their ethics was questioned many times, and the relationship with users was not always based on trust and understanding. The players were often left frustrated and feeling neglected regarding their questions and issues with the casino. The relief that came after it closed down was completely understandable.
Casino Rating
Complaint Resolution: 2/10
Cashout Time: 9/10
Software: 8/10
Jurisdiction: 3/10
Total score: 5.5/10