OceanBets online casino has turned out to be not such a great joy. The main reason is it was involved in certain scandals, which eventually ended up in this casino getting blacklisted.
General Information About the Casino
OceanBets belongs to the AffPower Affiliates/Game Tech group, which was licensed by Curaçao eGaming. The license seal is visible in the right-hand corner on the website, and if you click on it, you can find out additional information about the license.
Even though OceanBets gives the impression of a professional and legitimate online casino, the truth is far from it. Firstly, its license is underwhelming, to say the least. Secondly, it is run by Game Tech Group N.V., an operation group which is notorious for owning various rogue casinos. And thirdly, AffPower group has been associated with pirate NetEnt games and software.
OceanBets is available as both an instant play and download and is supported by all browsers and platforms. The instant play uses NextGen software, as well as 1×2 Gaming, Betsoft, Lightning, ELK Studios, Amaya, Nektan, and Thunderkick. Sadly, not all players are granted access to the casino. Certain countries are restricted, and those are the United Kingdom, United States, Singapore, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands, Israel, Miscellaneous Pacific Islands, Turkey, and U.S. Virgin Islands.
The casino is offered in several languages: English, Russian, German, Italian, Spanish, French, and Scandinavian languages: Swedish, Norwegian, and Finnish.
First Impression
Upon starting OceanBets, you will immediately notice the tropical theme of the background. The dominant colors are, expectedly, blue and green, which make you feel as if you were sunbathing on a tropical island. The graphics and sounds are quite acceptable. However, even if the background is supposed to be relaxing, some players might find it rather distracting. The foreground is dark blue with a plethora of slot games offered for playing. The casino’s logo resembles a blue poker chip with a rudder inside. Furthermore, the menu is given in grayish letters and is rather straightforward. Also, flashing advertisements invite visitors to try out different games or to sign up to get welcome bonuses.
Games and Software
OceanBets offers myriads of games, both in the online and live versions. When it comes to developers, OceanBets decided to go with an assortment of software providers for their games. The most notable provider they chose is BetSoft, with their incredibly good-looking games. But as some of you might know, BetSoft is still on shaky legs with the general populace thanks to the scandal regarding the progressive jackpots.
Live Casino gives access to popular table games: roulette, blackjack, and baccarat. It enables the player to enjoy gambling with live dealers and genuine opponents.
On the other hand, online Casino is more lavish and offers the following:
- Video slots, where you can find a great number of games with different themes.
- Classic slots, which feature good old five-reel and three-reel slots.
- Card & Table games, where you can play different versions of roulette, poker, blackjack, and baccarat.
- Video poker, which offers varieties of Deuces Wild and Jacks or Better, as well as other types of poker.
- Micro bets, which feature popular slot and table games.
- VIP games, which are available to VIP members only.
- Action games, which offer several versions of Keno.
Unfortunately, jackpots are not offered by the casino.
Since OceanBets is available for mobile platforms as well, games that can be played include slot games, table, and action games.
Bonuses
When it comes to casino bonuses, new players can obtain a 300% welcome bonus when they sign up. In terms of real money, this bonus could amount to 2000 EUR with the minimum deposit of 20 EUR. The bonus, however, is sticky, so the players can’t withdraw it. That means it is removed from the player’s account as soon as the wagering requirement is achieved. The maximum bet that is available when using this bonus amounts to 30% of the given bonus.
Game weightings are available only to newly registered members, and they go as follows:
- Slot games: 100%
- Table games: 100%
- Video poker: 100%
- Casino war: 10%
- Other games: 100%
OceanBets accepts different payment methods: all debit or credit cards, Skrill, Neteller, bank transfer, even bitcoin. Moreover, the payout speed depends on the withdrawal method. It takes only 24 hours at most if you want to withdraw the money to your eWallet, but 3–5 days to a credit or debit card, and even 5–7 days via bank transfer. Also, the minimum amount allowed for withdrawal is 100 EUR, whereas the maximum is 5000 EUR per month.
User Experience and Reviews
Generally, players have found OceanBets acceptable regarding the choice of games and helpful 24/7 customer support. Signing up is quite easy, and in case a problem occurs, it is immediately resolved.
The complaints, however, are quite severe and range from long withdrawal periods to manipulations with deposits and bonuses. They even tackle refusing to pay the money the players have won. In a significant number of cases, those complaints have remained unresolved.
What adds insult to injury in some of those cases is the fact that the withdrawal requests were for very reasonable amounts. We have seen casinos go rogue for withdrawals that exceeded tens of thousands of dollars, but OceanBets Casino has refused to allow withdrawals to players who had only won several hundred euros at a time.
Pros and Cons
Possibly the best side of OceanBets is its vast variety of games offered. In fact, the instant play version offers 16 table games, 194 slot games, 6 video pokers, and 4 live casino games. Customer support is also excellent and is available to players at any time of the day via live chat. Also, different payment methods allow players to deposit or withdraw their money easily.
Negative sides, however, are far more somber. The casino has been using pirated Net Entertainment software and was thus involved in a grievous scandal. Besides, the Curaçao license is relatively easy to obtain and doesn’t offer the level of protection that some other, stricter licenses do. However, the five-day period to withdraw the money is a bit too long. And even more importantly, numerous players complained about the casino not paying them the money had won in their games. Lastly, we should mention that the casino uses sticky bonuses and that some of their games have very low weighting percentages for the purpose of meeting the wagering requirements.
Our Verdict
To conclude, OceanBets offers a lot of fun and a variety of games. You can play them directly on your browser, download them on a mobile device, or you can even get a seat at a live casino table. Either way, you will certainly have a great time, as long as you don’t plan to actually win some cash.
You should bear in mind the fact that OceanBets and AffPower group it belongs to are linked with pirated software, which should never be ignored. And since online gambling is supposed to provide you with entertainment and not headaches about money withdrawal, you should make sure to avoid playing at this casino.
Casino Rating
Complaint Resolution: 3/10
Cashout Time: 3/10
Software: 1/10
Jurisdiction: 6/10
Total Score: 3/10