BGO Casino Review

It can be strange how things work out sometimes. The BGO Casino is a testament to this, having launched as an online bingo website before evolving into a full-blown casino operator in 2012.

Few could have seen this evolution or predicted the exponential growth that the platform has enjoyed during the last six years. Having emerged as a cult favourite in the UK and Europe during this time, it now boasts a truly iconic brand and provides one of the best user experiences in the iGaming market.

It was in 2014 that the brand began to hit the headlines when BGO partnered with software house Playtech and gained access to an incredibly diverse range of games. During the same year, the operator also ran a high-profile advertising campaign that featured Verne Troyer (of Austin Powers fame) as “The Boss”, who became increasingly frustrated with people winning at the casino!

Socialite Paris Hilton has also featured in the brand’s increasingly innovative marketing campaigns, and it’s thought that she’ll now become the face of BGO following Troyer’s tragic death in April 2018.

More recently, BGO also launched a brand new and exciting collaboration with the development team at Blueprint Gaming, expanding the brand’s library further and creating even more reasons for new players to sign up.

Whichever way you slice it, BGO is now a major player in the iGaming market and an operator with a huge future ahead of it. But is it the right online casino for you? Let’s take a look!

“I do love the BGO site and the customer service is excellent. Just spoke to Sophie about a win and she was so helpful. I would recommend to anyone as it’s the fairest site out there.”

BGO Casino Bonuses & Games

BGO Casino remains a relative newcomer to the top table in the iGaming market. Still, despite being a new casino site in the UK, it has already earned a reputation for delivering generous and targeted welcome bonuses.

Unlike some casinos, the brand offers an array of different (if broadly similar) welcome packages, which enable players to receive a bonus that suits their preferred type of gameplay.

We’ll cover these in a little more detail below while taking a sneak peek at the terms and conditions associated with each of the bonuses on offer!

Other Promotions

While the operator’s insistence on applying a nominal transaction fee to your deposit may be disconcerting for players, BGO arguably make up for this by offering additional welcome bonuses that are tailored to suit different game genres.

So, if you’ve only visited BGO to sample the site’s vast array of slots (we’ll cover this further below), you can opt out of the aforementioned welcome bonus and instead request 50 free spins with your first deposit. While your deposit will still be charged and the spins can only be used on a selected range of games, this promotion is unique in that it will be subject to absolutely no wagering requirements!

Conversely, you could apply the site’s live casino bonus, which mirrors the main promotion by providing a 100% deposit match up to the value of £200. You can opt-in to this bonus simply by using the code ‘LIVE’, while once again this is available on selected real-time casino and table games.

Existing players should also keep their eyes peeled for the ‘Live the Dream’ and ‘The Dream Drive’ promotions, which will continue at least until the end of March and offer a range of extravagant prizes to lucky players (anyone for an Audi A3 Black Edition?).

Terms and Conditions of the Welcome Bonus

Aside from being subject to a 2.5% deposit transaction fee in most instances, both the welcome bonus and the additional promotions are unavailable to customers who credit their new account using the e-wallets Neteller and Skrill.

It should also go without saying that players can only activate one of the bonus offers upon making a deposit, in addition to the 10 free spins no deposit awarded upon registration.

There’s also a seven-day expiry on the main welcome offer, while you’ll need to meet the wagering requirements of 40-times the value of the bonus before you can make a withdrawal. Identical restrictions will be applied to the live casino bonus, although this offer is also contingent on players making a minimum deposit of £20.

Interestingly, the site’s terms and conditions also stipulate that BGO reserves the right to charge a fee of £2.50 to all withdrawals. This creates significant ambiguity surrounding the operator’s bonus offers, and it’s definitely something to keep in mind as a brand new player.

What Games are Available to Players?

We spoke earlier about BGO’s high-profile collaborations with Playtech and Blueprint Gaming, which have resulted in the operator offering a large and diverse range of games to players.

In total, there are 589 games featured on the BGO Casino, with a whopping 507 of these classified as slot titles. This makes BGO one of the most prolific slot game providers on the market, with the vast majority of these titles currently provided by Playtech and NetEnt. The site is also home to an impressive 86 jackpot games, which should provide a huge draw for high-rolling and serious players.

While the slot genre may provide a disproportionate number of BGO’s games, other genres are well-represented on the platform. There are 29 Online Live Roulette iterations available to players, for example, along with 24 blackjack titles and an unusually high total of 18 poker games.

When it comes to the site’s live casino, you’re presented with a superb offering that is underpinned by Playtech’s ground-breaking software. This includes competitive real-time iterations of live roulette, live blackjack, live baccarat and Texas Hold ‘em poker, along with the platform’s innovative ‘Spin a Win Live’ feature. This game is streamed in real-time from BGO’s live studio, while it also offers bigger and better winnings!

BGO Payment Methods and Currencies

With online casinos being forced to spend increased amounts on marketing their platforms in a competitive market, it’s no wonder that operators sometimes lose sight of the iGaming fundamentals.

These include offering a viable range of payment solutions to players, while also minimising any transaction fees or unnecessary restrictions that are associated with these platforms.

While BGO may continue to apply a small transaction fee to player deposits, however, how does the operator’s range of payment solutions stack up? Let’s take a look.

What’s the Maximum Withdrawal?

Let’s start with the BGO withdrawal limit; as while the operator has introduced restrictions on players transferring money out of their accounts, this is based on the number of withdrawals processed rather than a specific amount.

More specifically, players can complete up to 10 withdrawals during each 24-hour period, with no restrictions placed on the total amount of cash that can be transferred from their accounts. So if you strike big on tour casino bonus you do not need to worry about restrictions.

There are also a total of 11 withdrawal methods available to players, including a bank wire transfer (which can take up to three working days to process). Players can also transfer funds to a Visa or Visa Electron card, with withdrawals taking between two and five working days using these methods.

You can also complete instantaneous withdrawals using e-wallets such as Neteller, Skrill, Ukash, iDebit, Envoy and the market leading PayPal platform. There’s a pending time of 12 to 48 hours associated with these transactions, while you should keep in mind that the operator reserves the right to apply a nominal charge on all withdrawals.

What Currencies can you use?

Overall, BGO lacks the international presence of its leading market rivals, but despite this the operators allows its audience to wager in a three different currencies.

These include the Euro, the British pound and the Norwegian kroner, with these currencies leveraged to meet the needs of their core customer base. The operator may well add more in the future too, so this will be an interesting space to watch going forward.

BGO Casino User Experience

Despite having started out in the niche realm of online bingo, the BGO brand has adapted quickly to the demands of virtual casino gameplay. This is reflected in the user experience provided by the brand, which is slick, satisfying and immersive regardless of what device you gamble on.

It’s also evident through the range of betting limits on offer, with the game’s library offering thresholds from as low as £0.01 per spin to a hefty £5,000 per spin. Blackjack and roulette iterations offer maximum single bets of £5,000 and £25,000 respectively, and coupled with the presence of 86 jackpot games this makes BGO a popular haven for high stakes gamblers.

Such players may also be interested in the fact that BGO offers generous loyalty and VIP programs, which provide an array of different benefits to customers. The advantages of VIP membership are certainly numerous, while they include a personal account manager, regular deposit bonuses and increased limits on live table games.

In terms of the loyalty program, players can participate in a range of high-octane slots tournaments while competing for huge cash prizes and a plethora of free spins. There are a host of daily and weekly tournaments to choose from, each of which is free to enter and does not draw funds from your real money account.

How Easy is the BGO Site to Navigate?

As with most online and mobile-friendly casino websites, BGO boast a responsive and navigable design that’s both attractive and enduringly functional. The home page also takes less than two seconds to load on average, making it one of the more accessible platforms on the iGaming market.

Once you’ve landed on the BGO site, you’ll notice that it features a simple scroll-through layout that lists the operator’s new, most popular and casino games. There’s also a horizontal scroll-through feature located above the fold, which promotes the site’s welcome bonus and additional data relating to additional offers.

BGO have also followed the tried-and-tested method of including a sticky horizontal message at the very top of the page, which features the login and registration tabs along with one-click access to BGO live casino, bingo home page, promotions, and VIP platform.

The only minor navigational drawback is that not all of the available titles have been categorised correctly, with a select few traditional casino games listed under the slots genre. Now, while this is compensated by the fact that the home page features an easy-to-use search function, this can make it slightly more difficult to find specific games (especially if you’ve forgotten the title!)

BGO Instant Play

The bulk of the site’s software has been supplied by Playtech, and this has contributed to a fast-loading and intuitive gambling platform that drives a relatively high quality of gameplay.

This is also an instantly play platform, meaning that players cannot download the Playtech software in order to access the website. As a result, there’s no specific hardware requirements for accessing the BGO casino through a desktop device, with a secure Internet connection and an updated browser enough to launch the website.

However, players will need to ensure that they’ve installed Flash Player 11.3 or above on their device if they’re to access the instant play version of the site. Otherwise, you’ll have to enable this software on your device and then load the BGO casino platform.

If you meet this software requirement, however, you’ll be afforded full access to the website and quick loading landing pages that guarantee a smooth and seamless user experience.

Customer Support with BGO

When it comes to customer support, it’s fair to say that not all online casinos have been created equal. Fortunately, BGO is a brand that has made a wide array of accessible support options available to players, ensuring that customers can contact an agent most times of the day or night.

The site can be contacted by phone on 0330 094 8055, although it should be noted that is not a freephone number and calls will be charged at the standard local rate. There’s also a live chat function, which can be accessed through the home page and is available between the hours of 8.30am and midnight seven days a week.

If you have a less urgent query, you could also direct it in writing to [email protected]. The site will usually confirm receipt of the email instantly, although it can take the customer service team between one and three days to respond to your query on average.

If you have a largely generic or commonly-asked question, you should also stop by the BGO FAQ page. This can be found here, and it contains a comprehensive swathe of information pertaining to deposits, withdrawals and just about anything else you can think of!

"Brilliant customer service thank you! The team rectified my small technical glitch within seconds so that i could withdraw my winnings!!! I’m a very happy bunny:)”

Is BGO Online Casino Secure and Well-designed?

BGO has also done sterling work in terms of creating a secure and well-designed website, which in turn enables players to enjoy their experience online while also wagering with genuine peace of mind.

While there may be little doubt as to whether the BGO Casino is legitimate, however, the question that remains is where does it stand in relation to its competitors?

Let’s take a look:

Is BGO Safe?

BGO has partnered with cybersecurity experts Comodo, who provide SSL certification and 128-bit encryption for the website. This ensures that players can deposit and withdraw cash while safeguarding their financial details, while this level of encryption is also considered to be the industry standard for the iGaming sector.

As we said earlier, BGO’s RTP rate not been publicly or independently audited, but all of the games available through the site have been verified and objectively tested by eCOGRA. This ensures that the site’s games’ library is fair and transparent, and capable of delivering the advertised returns.

BGO is also a company that takes a particularly serious approach to responsible gambling, by offering assistance to players who want to restrict their activity. There are adjustable deposit limits, for example, along a cool-off period of between one day and one month for all account activity. Self-exclusion is also available, while the operators guarantees the protection of minors.

Beyond this, BGO also liaises with several prominent responsible gambling organisations, including Problem Gambling Organisations, GamCare, BeGambleAware, Adictel, Gambling Therapy. You can access more details about these organisations by clicking through the relevant items at the bottom of the home page.

BGO Gambling License

The BGO headquarters are based in Guernsey, and as a result of this the operator has been granted a license by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission.

BGO is also fully accredited and licensed by the UK Gambling Commission, with a license number of 39353. You can find the full details here, including a list of the site’s trading names and subsidiaries.

How Does the Site Look?

There’s something of a trend developing in online casino design, with a number of operators utilising dark backgrounds to help their website content really pop. The sticky menu and banner at the very top of the BGO home page is black, for example, and the operator contrasts this with high resolution imagery and bold colours to promote its bonus offers.

BGO also makes the most of bright colours and cartoonish graphics to promote its games’ library, and this creates an extremely appealing visual experience when scrolling down the page.

It’s also fair to say that BGO’s approach to web design is underpinned by a highly evolved sense of emotional intelligence. This is reflected through the operator’s overall use of colour, from its striking purple logo to the use of bright green to highlight the ‘Join Now’ icon above the fold on the home page.

There’s no doubt that BGO’s website has been intuitively designed, while it’s use of colour and imagery contributes to a slick and visually appealing home page. The design also remains consistent across every single landing page, whether you’re visiting the live casino or in search of a low-variance slot title.

We like the BGO design and put it in the top with other great brands such as Casumo casino.

The Bottom Line

While BGO may lack the experience or international reputation of some of its rivals, it's aggressive marketing, broad range of slots and the high proportion of big jackpot games have helped the brand to become a significant player in the iGaming market since 2012.

At the same time, the operator has remained true to its roots by continuing to offer a world-class bingo platform to its players. To this end, new bingo players can qualify for a 200% deposit match up to the value of £100 when registering with BGO, while also receiving treats and new games daily.

This adds a unique dimension to the casino in the current marketplace, although whether it compensates for the presence of deposit and withdrawal transaction fees is arguable.

The brand's relatively low RTP rate may also be a concern for casual players, but this is offset by an array of progressive slots and high-rolling table games that makes BGO particularly popular amongst serious and seasoned gamblers.

Ultimately, BGO has earned its reputation as a top-tier casino brand, and one that provides a safe and enjoyable experience for gamblers. It's certainly a leading favourite amongst high roller casino players, with its games' library and range of jackpot slots second to none in the market.