Virgin Games in a nutshell
The name ‘Virgin’ is synonymous in the UK with the beardie entrepreneur Richard Branson. Branson began his business career in 1970 with a record shop, and eventually undertook numerous business adventures, including ones diverse as jewellery and space tourism.
Virgin eventually branched out into gambling, and eventually created their own online casino in 2004. Surprisingly, for a Branson product, ‘Virgin Games’ as it was known was not a success (although anyone remember Virgin Cola?). After limping along for several years, Virgin Games was sold to Gamesys in 2013. Gamesys were allowed to keep the Virgin branding as part of the deal.
Gamesys stripped down their new acquisition, and launched a brand new, scarlet-coloured website that merged slots, casino games and bingo. Is Virgin Games a place we recommend playing at? Why not read on to find out?
What’s the look and feel of Virgin Games?
We do approve of the design of the Virgin Games site. Too many online casino sites seem to chuck everything at you at once, but the Gamesys guys take a more leisurely approach. Of course, it helps that Virgin Games does not seem to have anything like the number of games that other sites have.
That aside, we do like the consistent branding displayed in all areas of the Virgin Games site, and the minimalist colour scheme.
What games are available at Virgin Games?
The fun at Virgin Games is split three ways – slots, casino and bingo.
We could only find four dozen slots at Virgin Games. A number of providers are available, including NetEnt and IGT, although these companies’ full catalogue of games do not seem to be present. There are a few choice titles though, namely Starburst, Gonzo’s Quest and Da Vinci Diamonds. Gamesys also chuck in a few titles of their own.
The casino offerings are even more scant: Three versions of roulette, five versions of blackjack and a version apiece of keno, video poker, baccarat, hi-lo, pai gow poker and caribbean stud poker. We are not impressed.
The third option is bingo, and even there you’ll only find two 90-ball (UK) bingo games and one 75-ball (US) game.
As Virgin Games, variety does not appear to be the spice of life.
There’s a trio of software providers available as mentioned previously: NetEnt, IGT and Gamesys themselves. More providers might be an idea, perhaps? That would lead to more games …
All games are played in the browser of your choice. No provision is made for mobile devices, and there are no live casino options.
Does Virgin Games offer sports betting?
Currently, the Virgin Games website does not offer sports betting. If you wish to place sports bets, it must be done through the mobile app. However, this doesn’t mean that Virgin’s offerings suffer as a result. Despite the sports section being exclusively available on the phone, there is still an extensive selection.
All popular sports are covered, and the odds are of high quality. There are plenty of betting options, and the ‘cash out’ feature is available in almost all sections. This, combined with the favorable odds, makes Virgin’s sports betting section very enjoyable to use.
Can I play at Virgin Games on mobile?
One of the major advantages of Virgin Games Casino is the availability of a mobile app. This makes the gaming experience on your phone clear and easier to navigate. The Virgin Games mobile app can be downloaded from the App or Play Store, making it compatible with nearly all types of phones.
The complete range of Virgin Games is accessible through the app and easy to navigate after downloading. Virgin Games offers a wide selection of different types of games, including Slots, Live Casino, Casino, Slingo, Online Bingo, Free Games, and even poker.
Downloading the app makes it much easier to access the Virgin Games website on your phone. If you’re looking to create an account with this provider, we highly recommend downloading the app as well.
Bonuses on Your Mobile
At Virgin Games, it’s possible to claim bonuses using your mobile phone. All the features available on the website can be accessed through your mobile device. Since you always have your phone with you, it’s much easier to occasionally check if there’s a new bonus available. Simply open your app, and within seconds, you can see whether you can still claim a bonus or if a new game has been added, for example.
Another advantage of the mobility of the phone is that you can also keep an eye on things like live sports bets while on the go. You can monitor scores and, for instance, modify or cancel a sports bet if you think things are going the wrong way.
In summary, the mobile capabilities of the Virgin Games app make your experience with this casino truly comprehensive.
What is the Virgin Games Welcome Bonus?
All bonuses available at Virgin Games can be found in ‘The Vault.’ Every month, new bonuses are added, all aimed at making your gaming experience as enjoyable as possible. As a welcome bonus, you can choose what you find most exciting to play.
The only two steps you need to take to claim a welcome bonus are creating an account and depositing £10. Once you’ve done this, you can choose from several different welcome bonuses. Options include, for example, 30 free spins + 70 free spins
What promotions are available at Virgin Games?
If you’ve never played at an online casino before, then you can snap your online casino virginity here with a pleasant offer: when you deposit and play £10, you will receive up to 100 Bonus Spins on Virgin Games. This only applies to your very first deposit, and the maximum amount you can load to qualify for the bonus is those 100 spins. The minimum is a tenner.
You can use your Bonus Spins on a slot machine called “Double Bubble”. And did we forgot to mention that these spins are worth of 1p?
Oh well, if you love your bingo, you’re going to have fun grinding out this offer! You have thirty days in which to meet your wagering requirements.
In all fairness, Virgin Games does have quite a few other special deals. ‘Mile High Cash’ offers you the chance to win £500 on a daily basis, and you can earn yourself 10% cash-back every Thursday. You can also grab £20 simply by referring a friend.
Virgin Games runs a comp points system called V*Points. You receive one V*Point for every £5 you spend on Bingo, or £20 at the online casino. You can redeem your V*Points at any time for either cash or Virgin Flying Club Miles.
The cashier options at Virgin Games are just about as numerous as the gaming options. You have the choice of Visa (including Maestro), MasterCard, PayPal, Neteller and Skrill, and that’s your lot.
Both deposits and withdrawals have a £10 minimum. The maximum you can deposit depends on your choice of payment method, and can be up to £20,000 if you choose Visa or MasterCard. Withdrawals are processed within 48 hours (eWallets) or five days (plastic).
We’re happy to report that Virgin Games does not enforce any withdrawal limits.
What are the pros & cons of Virgin Games?
Every provider of casino games has its strengths and weaknesses, and this certainly applies to Virgin Games as well. Despite the fact that there are predominantly positive aspects, we still find it worthwhile to list a few pros and cons.
- Site looks nice
- No withdrawal limits and adequate withdrawal times
- The '2x' wagering requirements are very misleading
- Not an immense amount of gaming options
- Still uses 'Virgin' branding when not actually part of Virgin
The final verdict
It’s difficult to know what to say about Virgin Games. The lack of variety, mobile options and live casino games all count against it, but we do like the design of the site, the withdrawal times and lack of limits.
We do think though that keeping the name ‘Virgin’ when the casino is no longer owned by the Virgin Group is a tad misleading, as is the offer of 2x wagering requirements when slots count as little as five percent.
In short, we could recommend Virgin Games as the number choice for your online gambling, but if we did, we’d be ‘virgin’ on the ridiculous.