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Casino Bellini Review: Dodgy Terms and Unreasonable Withdrawal Limits
Casino Bellini was a European Playtech-powered online casino. They attracted players with a wide range of premium high-quality games. At first glance, the casino looked very promising.
However, a more thorough examination of their site and users’ comments revealed the true intentions of the casino. They enforced ridiculous withdrawal terms on their players, effectively preventing them from ever claiming the progressive jackpots they won. The casino lured unsuspecting players with the promise of giving seemingly generous bonuses. But these bonuses had high wagering requirements attached to them, and gamblers could never withdraw their money.
Taking into consideration all the circumstances, we must conclude that this was a rogue casino that intended to dupe the players and pocket their winnings. So, we were glad to learn that this casino has closed its door and left the industry for good.
General Information
Casino Bellini was a part of the Euro Partners Group, along with Europa Casino, Casino Tropez and Titan Casino. The “hallmark” of this group of casinos is slow and arduous withdrawal processes, as well as their unresponsiveness and unwillingness to cooperate with mediators to resolve players’ complaints.
Apart from these issues, Bellini Casino enforced rogue withdrawal terms on their players. And the withdrawal limit was €9,900 per month. Moreover, this limitation applied to progressive jackpots. So, if you hit a multi-million dollar progressive jackpot, there is a chance that your grandkids will be the ones claiming the last withdrawal. If the casino still exists in more than 50 years, that is.
The fact that Playtech’s progressive jackpots are pooled instantly tips you off that this is rogue behavior. There is no reason for the casino to apply this rule to progressive jackpots. After all, the money doesn’t come strictly from the casino’s pocket. Rather, a small percentage of players’ bets go to the prize pool.
In case of networked progressive jackpots (as at Casino Bellini), all casinos offering this slot would contribute to the prize pool. When someone hits the progressive jackpot, Playtech pays them. They distribute the money to the online gambling venue that hosted the win, which then handles the jackpot withdrawal.
Knowing this, it’s clear that the payout of a progressive jackpot in full is not a real problem for the casino. The only reason they will always stick to this rule with regard to their players is that they do not want to pay out the winnings. With maximum withdrawals capped, they will actually pay out only a small portion of the money and will freely pocket the rest.
First Impression
While Bellini was operating, it was a decent-looking online casino. Both the name and the theme of the casino appeared to have been inspired by the popular cocktail. The elegant design incorporated the drink’s distinct pink color which was an eye-candy.
The same can be said about the client of the casino, which players had to download since Bellini didn’t provide the Instant Play option. The majority of players left positive comments about the casino’s lobby. The navigation was straightforward, allowing players to quickly browse through different categories and find their favorite games. All the games in the client loaded quickly and ran without any issues.
However, the first impression was ruined as soon as we laid eyes upon the T&C section of Casino Bellini. Although the casino offered a number of different bonuses, they all turned out to be sticky. In other words, it would automatically take money from your account during the cashout process. The wagering requirements for bonus play were 39x the bonus for slots, roulette, and table poker. In case of Blackjack, they went up to an astronomical 117x the bonus.
Furthermore, different wagering requirements for the signup bonus applied to players from different locations. More specifically, players from the UK had to wager 40x deposit + bonus, while others only had to do so 30 times. Interestingly, players from Brazil weren’t eligible to receive any bonuses at all!
Games and Software
Casino Bellini was powered exclusively by Playtech. This software provider is one of the leaders in the industry and is definitely among the player favorites.
Playtech is generally considered to be the provider with most visually impressive games. Both the graphics and animation of their games are exceptional and greatly enhance the gameplay. Playtech games typically give you the option to adjust the speed and animation. This allows you to tailor the gaming experience according to your preference.
Playtech is also known for offering some of the highest-paying progressive jackpots in the online gambling industry. Winning a life-changing jackpot was possible thanks to the wide range of linked progressive games. On occasion, the prize pool can surpass $10 million.
Bellini offered over 150 of Playtech-powered unique slots, including more than 50 progressives. On top of that, players could bet on a couple of dozen table games, a few live games and several video poker variants.
Games and software were undoubtedly Bellini’s strong suit. Although Playtech games attracted hundreds of new players, the ridiculous terms and conditions turned them away in even larger numbers.
User Experience
Surprisingly, the majority of users’ comments on Bellini are mostly positive, despite the rogue terms. Most of them revolve around the extensive library of Playtech games offered by the casino. Players also seemed to enjoy the design and responsiveness of the client, as well as the fact they could play their favorite games without any concerns.
However, players often pointed out the long period of withdrawal was a big drawback. The authorization process took up to 4 days, plus other 7-14 days to process the request. Admittedly, withdrawing money from Bellini would take a while. Still, it’s not nearly as long as some other casinos we’ve come across. And it seems to have been no complaints about non-payments.
Naturally, there weren’t that many people who mentioned the ridiculous T&C. This is probably the case because most players weren’t affected by progressive jackpot withdrawal limitations. However, a few lucky progressive jackpot winners were furious. Their reaction is completely justified since they would have to wait more than 20 years to claim the winnings. As you’d expect, the casino closed long before paying out even a small portion of these jackpots.
The problem with progressive jackpots aside, Bellini support wasn’t the worst, as far as rogue casinos go. They replied reasonably fast, especially if you were a new player. However, they were always reluctant to work with mediators on resolving player complaints. All in all, its customer service was average at best.
Pros and Cons
| PROS Offered an extensive library of premium quality, graphically impressive Playtech gamesHad a very appealing site design, as well as a gorgeous, very responsive casino client | CONS Sticky bonuses, high wagering requirements, and ridiculous bonus termsWithdrawal limit of €9,999/month, which applied to progressive jackpotsAverage customer support; unwilling to work with mediators on resolving the player issues |
Our Verdict
Casino Bellini had an impressive facade. The superb design and responsiveness of the casino client gave the impression that you play at a top-tier casino. As long as you lost or didn’t win much, you would be none the wiser.
However, if you managed to hit a substantial sum, the problems would quickly come to light. The withdrawal process would take over a month. On top of that, you could only send a single withdrawal request per month. The maximum amount you could cash out was €9,900 per month.
In other words, if you won a progressive jackpot that they loved to advertise, you’d never get your money. As you’d expect, it closed long before paying any of the progressive jackpot winners in full.
However you look at it, it’s obvious this was intentional. The goal of Casino Bellini was to scam both players and the software provider, pocket the winnings, and scatter to the wind.
Rating
Customer support: 1/10
Cashout time: 1/10
Software: 8/10
Jurisdiction: 1/10
Total: 2/10
