As with a number of online casinos, Play United offers both a no-download and a download version of their casino. However, for the best experience I'd recommend the download casino which is indeed the one I tested for this review. The installation software is obtained from the attractive Play United website which incidentally is available in a variety of languages - great for those that don't have English as a first language. The 463k installer takes literally a few minutes to download, although players should be aware that more time is then needed for the installer to download and install the remainder of the casino.
Account creation at Play United and anyone that's played at an RTG-powered casino before will be used to the simple interface used to collect a new player's information. Players are able to choose their own user name and password combination which is great - no having to remember strings of numbers and letters to log in at this casino! Play at this casino is done using either the US dollar currency although players from that country are actually not allowed to register here.
Players holding an account at Play United can play in both guest and real mode any time they wish. However, for the thrill of real gaming a player needs to play 'for real' and similar needs to have a funded account. As such, the first thing I did with my newly-created account was to visit the Play United cashier. The casino allows players to deposit using a variety of methods including popular real-world and e-wallet solutions. I used NeTeller to purchase $100 without any issue.
For some people bonus money is a big factor when deciding where to play. Thankfully these people will be kept happy with the knowledge that Play United has an excellent sign-up bonus scheme in place. A new player joining the casino can have a bonus on their first 4 deposits ranging from 25% - 100% match. This gives the play up to $750 in free money! Similarly, a high-roller wanting to deposit $1000 straight-off can claim a massive 50% match worth $500 in free credits! Of course, wagering conditions are attached but for those that like free money, Play United will certainly be of interest. I liked the fact too that players can choose whether to claim the bonus via the bonus coupon system.
The Play United virtual lobby is a pretty standard affair with games broken down by type. This is needed though as this casino does have a decent selection of games. This therefore means that Blackjack can be found under the appropriate 'Table Games' heading and similarly Jacks or Better is located under the 'Video Poker' title.
To begin my play I started off with some table game action as I very often do when reviewing a casino for Online-Casinos.com. The reasoning behind this is that you cannot lose too much playing Blackjack or similar games. Of course, that doesn't ring true though when placing massive bets at the table!
Thankfully I was able to control myself during my Play United session, although the Blackjack table has a minimum bet limit of $5 and as such I had to bet reasonably big just to play this game. Other table games have a more respectable limit of around $2 and maximum bets hover around the $200 mark. This isn't the widest betting range although most players should be satisfied. Players that like to bet either really small or really big though may find that the table limits at Play United doesn't really meet their needs.
As well as Blackjack I also tried out some of the less popular table games available at Play United. This included Pai Gow Poker which I think is a great game to play mixing strategy with luck in exactly the right proportions. Unfortunately I didn't do overly great at this game - although I seemed to be able to put together great hands on one side of the table, my hands on the other failed me miserably At least I didn't lose too much playing this game even if I didn't have too many winners!
In terms of game presentation at Play United I was impressed with the clean graphics utilised throughout the selection of available games. Sound effects are also used to enhance game play and in terms of game speed I was truly impressed by the rapid pace at which games could be played. In fact, I think the speed could be slightly too quick for some players although thankfully Play United have set the casino up so things like game speed can be configured by a player.
After checking out the table game selection I next headed to the Video Poker part of the casino. This section of the casino isn't quite as elegant in terms of presentation but there are still some enjoying games to be played. A very decent selection is available and many of the games can be played across multiple hands - definitely fun for those that like high variation games. I did OK playing the 25-hand Jacks or Better game as well as the Joker Poker 3-hand game. These games can be a killer though, particularly when bad hands are dealt on the initial deal!
As with the table games these games played very smoothly and I was really impressed with the lack of lag, even when playing the larger of the multi-hand games. As suggested above, the graphics here are not quite as polished as with the table games but are certainly better than many of the land-based versions of these games I've seen. And a Royal Flush is a Royal Flush no matter what the graphics look like! Sadly, that magical hand still managed to elude me during my Play United VP play.
After trying out some other random games that I came across, such as Keno, I finally headed to the Slots part of the casino to see if I could grab myself a jackpot. Play United offer a variety of 'classic style' and video slots with many offering massive jackpots including progressives. This casino also hosts the Reel Series games which all have a random jackpot. These jackpots climb continuously and are awarded completely at random to anybody at any time! In fact, at the time of playing the casino had a note of congratulation to one lucky player who scooped almost $100,000 on the Ronin slot at this very casino!
One game I particularly enjoyed playing was the progressive slot called I.R.I.S. 3000. This clever game sees a player firstly selecting 2 of the 7 closed doors. The game then randomly selects two doors also and should the game match the player's selections then these doors open. As such, every game seems between 5 and 7 reels spinning and of course the wins can be pretty big when a player has been successful in activating all 7 reels. I did pretty good on this game and hit a few decent payouts although the $270,000 progressive jackpot was still available after I'd finished with the game!
I also enjoyed the Crazy Dragon three-reel game with its simple 4-level payable. In fact, games don't come much simpler than this one and a few $30 winners kept me playing. I similarly enjoyed the Caesar's Palace video slot but left annoyed I didn't hit any of the bonus features once. In fact, by the time I'd left this slot I had just $10 left which I whittled away to nothing in another few minutes of betting.
As such, I didn't have anything to withdraw on this occasion. However, withdrawing via the Play United cashier is simple. Players should note though that they are required to submit ID to the casino before cash-ins are processed. I did try to find details on how long withdrawals take to be processed by this casino but couldn't find anything. I know this casino does pay - after all they wouldn't still be around if they didn't. However, I'd definitely advise players to contact support to confirm payout speeds before playing here. Generally though there is nothing adverse to report about Play United's withdrawal policies.
Customer support at Play United is pretty impressive with the support team contactable via email, live chat and telephone. Toll free numbers are available for a good number of countries and the live chat facility ensures that everybody across the world can receive real time support if needed. This is great and certainly scores highly in my book.
To summarise, my experience at Play United was generally good. The game selection is very decent and generally the games utilise quality graphics and sound effects to enhance play. Depositing is easy and although I couldn't find details on withdrawing, the fact that financial transactions are managed by Aqua Pay of London is a positive sign. Customer support is very easy to contact and that should be a big draw for players. Similarly, the huge sign-up scheme should definitely attract a player or two. For those that like RTG-powered casinos and want to know one they can trust, I'd definitely say try out Play United. I definitely had fun here and maybe you will be able to grab those jackpots that managed to elude me!
A small win but a win nonetheless whilst playing Ceasar's Empire video slot
Crazy Dragon is an interesting slot as it has such a small pay table, although the $91,000 and growing jackpot still makes this a good game to play!
I decide to take a risk and hold three-to-the-royal whilst playing Double Jackpot Poker. Unfortunately no hands converted to the Royal Flush!
Green Light is one of the newer Reel Series games available at Play United
I.R.I.S. 3000 is nice to me when I get a winning combination with a x10 multiplier
The I.R.I.S. 3000 game has a clever feature where two additional reels appear if the player is lucky - and of course this massively increases the chance of a win!
I love it when a player is dealt a good initial hand on multi-hand Video Poker - here I get 3-of-a-kind at least across all of my 10 hands!
Again, it's a winner on ever line whilst playing 3-hand Joker Poker
I get my money back with a 2-number hit whilst playing Keno
I like the game of Paigow but I really was dealt some horrible hands during my play session at this casino
I don't like the dealer's 8, but with an 11 I am still quietly confident that I might win this hand of Blackjack. Players can also bet on getting a paired starting hand.
War is such a simple game - basically players need to get a higher card than the dealer to win!
- Excellent number of ways to contact customer support means help is always available when needed
- Nice sign-up bonus means players can claim up to $750 in 'free' money
- Good selection of games with the majority presented using godo quality graphics
- Betting limits on some of the games will not appeal to either the very low gamblers or the high stakes players
- ID must be presented at this casino before a player's winnings will be processed
