Da Vinci's Gold casino is only available in download format. However, in today's world of hyper-speed broadband internet this shouldn't prove to be an issue for many people. Similarly, download casinos tend to offer the best for the player in terms of game variety, graphics and sound effects and as such the download-only interface should not put people of Da Vinci's. Incidentally, the download file is 7.1mb in size. Whilst this isn't the smallest of casino files, it only took me a few minutes to obtain. Similarly, installation of the casino was quick and easy and before long I was in the casino lobby.
Players have the option to play in real mode or in guest mode. However, for both these play settings a gambler needs to have made a Da Vinci's account. New accounts are easy to create and a pretty regular form is used to collect a player's details. However, unlike a lot of casinos that use a bulky, unattractive form to sign up new players, Da Vinci's uses very sleek graphics to present the sign up pages. Indeed, throughout my time at this casino I was impressed by the attention to detail and modern look and feel of the software.
Once in the casino a player has to make a deposit via the online cashier. For those playing in guest mode, a player can simply set their balance to be any amount they wish. However, for real play a gambler has to deposit into their account. This, however, is a straight forward process with Da Vinci's Gold accepting the usual collection of 'real world' and 'virtual' payment methods. I used NeTeller to fund my account with $100. A nice touch in the cashier is that any promotional vouchers linked to the account are displayed. These could be generic ones (for all players) or personalised - a player simply needs to activate a voucher before depositing to get their bonus. Speaking of bonuses, this casino offers a decent range of sign-up and on-going bonuses - my personalised voucher section showed bonuses up to 200% and a seemingly on-going 15% reload bonus. Of course, wagering conditions are attached hence me decision not to claim any 'free' money this time around.
The casino lobby has a nice, uncluttered feel to it with a standard menu system being used to break games down by type. Whilst this casino does not have hundreds of games to choose from, all the casino favourites are present and I doubt many people would leave Da Vinci's unsatisfied by the variety of games available. The lobby also provides access to the options part of the casino where users can specify whether they want to play in full-screen or not as well as set their preference with respect to sound options and playing speed. I like extra touches like this and for me it shows that casinos have given consideration to what makes a casino fun for the player.
To begin my play at Da Vinci's Gold I firstly checked out the table games. A decent selection of games is available including favourites such as Blackjack, Roulette and Stud Poker. Some less-popular games are also playable including War and Pai Gow Poker. With most games having betting limits around the $100-$250 mark and minimums of just $1, the action should be acceptable to most people. Indeed, the multi-hand Blackjack accepts 3 x $100 bets which should definitely meet most people's needs. However, some high rollers may be slightly put off by the upper betting limits. Nevertheless, I had no issue and was quite happy placing a few dollars per play on the table!
As stated earlier, the casino lobby and sign-up form impressed me thanks to the elegant presentation and the same definitely went for the table games I played. The graphics used are of a high quality and the game play is very smooth. I am not exactly sure what I liked so much about the games I played, but certainly I was most impressed. I certainly enjoyed my play at the Let It Ride table where I was able to recoup much of the loss I incurred at the Blackjack table - a pair of Kings on the initial deal turned in to 2 pairs by the end of the game and with $4 bet I won a nice $24.
My next focus was on the Video Poker games available. As with the table games, all the favourites are there including Joker Poker, Aces and Faces, Jacks or Better and Deuces Wild. However, some of the more obscure bonus varieties of the game are not available. Nevertheless, I still think the selection is a good one and with each game being playable across 1, 4, 10 or 25 hands the multi-hand fans out there will definitely feel at home! Similarly, with the lowest bet being just $0.05 and the maximum being $25 (for one handed games), both low and high rollers should enjoy the action they can have on the Da Vinci's Gold Video Poker Machines. I had a particularly heart-stopping time when I was dealt 3 Jacks whilst playing Aces and Faces but sadly I wasn't able to convert any of my 4 hands to the magical 4-of-a-Kind!
I did go on to play some 25-hand Joker Poker but as I didn't seem to be doing very well I decided to stop playing Video Poker and moved on to the slot selection. However, since I feel this is an area that Da Vinci's Gold does very well I didn't mind too much!
The selection of slot games at this casino is not massive but certainly there are around 40-50 different games available. These include classic-style three-reel machines, and video slot machines. There are no progressive jackpot games at Da Vinci's Gold which might put those off that are used to chasing the multi-million dollar pay outs. However, I think this casino more than makes up for this with the excellent I-slots. This is a type of slot that is unique to Rival-powered casinos and has become hugely popular amongst slot players. The idea is that each slot actually tells as a story as the player gambles. As such, the 'Art Heist' story tells of a pair of art robbers. Similarly the 'As the Reels Turn' saga unfolds as the player gambles on the slot of the same name. With super cartoon-like graphics and cool animation, it's really tempting to keep betting just so the story is told! The bonus rounds that regularly crop up also increase the entertainment factor!
I had fun playing the Art Heist 2 I-slot but as it wasn't paying out much decided to head over to the 5-Reel Circus game. I've played this game before and literally won thousands of dollars so wanted to try my luck again this time round. With 3 or more circus tops triggering 10 free spins (at 3x paytable) the potential for good wins is very good. Sadly it wasn't to be this time around. In fact, having looked at some of the other slots in guest mode I think I perhaps should have chosen to play the Future Fortunes game - when the bonus round is activated on this game the clever use of wilds means that each of the 5 free spins awarded is guaranteed to return a prize!
Sadly none of the slots chose to be very nice to me during my play and although up until my slot action I'd managed to keep my balance around the $80 mark, I soon found myself at zero thanks in no small part to some heavy over-betting on the 7s and Bars classic style slot! As such there was no need to re-visit the cashier on this occasion as I had nothing to withdraw. However, after checking with support I was informed most withdrawal methods see funds sent after 1-2 business days. It should be noted, though, that ID documents may need to be provided for first-time cash ins.
Speaking of customer support, at Da Vinci's Gold the casino offers live chat support as well as email support in terms of their on-line offering. Telephone support is also provided for players residing in the US, Canada and the UK and also for other worldwide players (as long as they are happy making an international call!). This is a good range of support options and when I tested the support team found the personnel to be most friendly and useful.
Whilst I didn't win on this occasion I must say that I really enjoyed my playing experience. There's just something about this casino that I find really satisfying. The clean, elegant image is most pleasing on the eye and coupled with a good selection of entertaining games there's definitely some fun to be had. The I-slots are superb and with a great range of new user and on-going bonuses, play on these games can certainly be extended thanks to the free money offers. Banking appears to work well although I thought more could be written about this on the website. Nevertheless, any questions were answered without problem by the excellent support team. Despite its stupid name, Da Vinci's Gold was a pleasure to review and certainly rates highly in my book.
5 Reel Circus is one of a number of video bonus slots available at Da Vinci's Gold
A nice $7.50 mixed-bar win on the three-reel 7s and Bars slot machine
I am dealt an initial 3 Jacks whilst playing 4-hand Aces and Faces. Unfortunately I couldn't convert any to a 4-of-a-kind win!
Art Heist is one of a number of superb I-slots that actually tell a story as the game is played
The cleverly-themed Art Heist game in action
The Hole in Won game has an expanding wild card symbol to really boost payouts
Players can gamble on a number of hands per round on the Video Poker machines
A nice pair of kings on the initial deal means I can let my bets ride all the way on the Let it Ride game
The casino lobby is a really user-friendly interface where players can access the cashier, view the available games and track their loyalty earnings
A great Full House is dealt whilst playing Caribbean Stud Poker but as usual, the dealer fails to qualify!
A 3-surfboard win rewards $30 on the Surf Paradise slot game
Tiki Treasure is one of a couple of different scratch card games available
I get a couple of winning tickets whilst playing the Vegas Keno game
- Good range of games including the excellent I-slot games
- Nice range of sign-up and on-going bonus offers, although some of the wagering conditions can be tight
- Banking works well, although more could be detailed about this on the website
- Good number of support options available
- Wagering conditions for some bonuses are very high
- ID usually required for withdrawing, even for e-wallet users
