Intro & First Impressions
July of 2017 seems to be a very fertile month for the online gaming scene, as yet another gambling site pops up to join the fun. Barbados is a brand owned by Absolute Marketing and operated by Aspire Global International, a platform provider with more than 10 years of experience and manager of several well-established gaming brands.
Barbados website is a fairly typical online casino site with dark background which makes colourful visuals stand out. Multiple menus provide quick access to each of the sections and all necessary information, and should you get lost on the way, a live chat icon positioned in the top right corner offers an easy way to ask for help. While you’re enjoying casino games developed by the likes of NetEnt, Microgaming and Nyx, an RNG certified by iTech Labs ensures fair play.
Software & Game Selection
There’s some work to be done on categorisation as it currently looks a bit of a mess, which is also why it’s difficult to say how many games Barbados actually offers. Don’t get your hopes up though, it’s certainly not much more than 300. While not impressed with quantity, we definitely like the selection of providers, namely Microgaming, NetEnt, NextGen, Elk Studios, Thunderkick, Play ‘n Go, Lightning Box, WMS, and Amaya.
Barbados is a no-download casino so their games can be simply launched via your internet browser. You’re bound to find many of your old favourites, such as Gonzo’s Quest, Aloha! Cluster Pays, Thunderstruck II, Foxin’ Wins, Electric Sam and Taco Brothers. This is also a good place to try fresh new releases such as Wild Play SuperBet and Prosperity Twin from NextGen, Ivanhoe by Elk Studios, NetEnt’s Butterfly Staxx, Red Roo from Lightning Box, Flame Busters by Thunderkick, Sweet 27 from Play ‘n Go, and Microgaming’s Super Sumo. If there are any progressive games included, we’ve failed to find them.
Live Casino is stocked by Evolution Gaming products, which is a big plus, though for reasons unknown the operator has chosen not to exploit their exceptional portfolio to the full. There are no live Poker games, for example. What you will find are couple of Blackjack variants, Baccarat and Baccarat Squeeze, and several Live Roulette tables. Hopefully this is just a start-up offering and will expand to cover other superb Evolution products.
Other than that, the selection of table games counts only a dozen or so. More choice is given via Scratch Cards tab which leads to 100+ instant games, Bingo and Keno varieties, and obviously, Scratch Cards.
Promotions
If you like the gaming choice this venue offers, then go ahead, register and pick up your welcome bonus of €200 and 100 Free Spins. The first deposit of €10 or more will get matched by 100% up to €200, and you’ll receive the initial 20 free games. The next batch of 40 free spins will be yours after you deposit a minimum of €20 on the 2nd day, and the final 40 spins are given on the 3rd day following another €20 deposit. Both the bonuses and free spin winnings are subject to 35x wagering requirements.
Each real money bet you make, earns you reward points that can be converted into bonus cash as you climb the VIP ladder featuring 7 levels. It will take €40 wagered to receive 1 point, and the higher you go, the redemption rate improves. While at the beginning it takes 35 points to receive €1 back, Prestige VIP will need only 15. Reaching one of the top three, Platinum, Premium or Prestige level, makes you eligible for a range of attractive additional benefits: higher deposit and withdrawal limits and express cash-outs, personalised offers, monthly cashbacks, and up to 50 free games on Free Play Sundays.
Banking
A long list of deposit methods makes it very easy to pay money into your account and start playing for real. You’ll get to pick among Visa, MasterCard and Maestro, Skrill and Neteller, Ukash, Entropay, Sofort, Giropay, Payr, eps, POLi, InstaDebit, Boleto, Euteller, Trustly, Paysafecard, ClickandBuy, FundSend, Fast Bank Transfer and Wire Transfer. Zimpler and Siru are also included as two convenient methods for those playing on the go. The operator will allow you to withdraw a minimum of €10 and no more than €2,000 per week and €3,000 per month, which is exceptionally low. Withdrawal requests are kept pending for 48 hours, during which they can be reversed.
License
Multiple mechanisms are in place to vouch for safety of your financial and other sensitive information. Two strict licensing bodies, the UKGC and MGA, monitor the Casino’s operations and make sure they keep meeting set standards and implement all necessary procedures. Whilst data is travelling from your computer to firewall-protected servers of Barbados Casino, 128-bit SSL encryption technology ensures transfer is completely secured.
Contact Info & Social Activity
Featured FAQ list is well structured and full of useful content, so make sure to browse through it before reaching out to the Casino directly. Should you get stuck, use one of three options to engage in a conversation with the operator’s support team – live chat, email or phone. They will not be available 24/7, though, but only during the limited hours of 8am to 1am CET.
Verdict
In order to succeed in this highly competitive industry, online casinos these days have to provide a large and diverse gaming choice combined with super-attractive promotional deals. Unfortunately, Barbados currently doesn’t score high on either. Selection of 300 games is kind of modest (even though the library includes products by top developers), and same goes for the welcome offer and their promotional portfolio in general. In fact, despite the operator’s experience and more than a few sites they’ve been managing very competently so far, Barbados looks like it’s still work in progress. It’s a shame because it draws the attention from all that is good, such as safety of the gaming environment, friendly wagering requirements, and tons of depositing options.