BitStarz Casino

When bitcoin first started becoming popular, people speculated that the crypto-currency could be used to fund online gambling transactions. BitStarz Casino is what happens when you take that idea and implement it in the strongest way possible. This online casino is licensed in Curacao, and they have been running since 2014. In the short time that they have been around, they have proven reliable for their withdrawals, but there are advantages and disadvantages to using the bitcoin currency for online gambling.

Software

Two key software packages are used here. The first is the SOFTSWISS software, and the second is the Amatic software platform. Players from the US are allowed to play here, but only on the SOFTSWISS games, so there's a little bit of a divide there. With the Amatic platform, there are titles from some of the top providers in the world like Net Entertainment, BetSoft, Microgaming, Endorphina and others. This means that players have an absolutely amazing selection of titles to choose from with a lot of variety.

A live casino is also available with live dealer games like blackjack, roulette and Baccarat. Mobile players will not be disappointed by their offering either, and everything is set up so that all you need is an Internet browser and a connection to get started. This is a lot different than some casinos that require you to have a certain type of phone, and it's a very inclusive way to conduct business.

Slot Selection

The online slot selection here is outstanding. The top games from the top providers in the industry can all be found in one place here at BitStarz, and that's one of the things that makes them stand out in a major way. If a bitcoin-oriented casino had been created with less of a slot selection, then it probably wouldn't have seen much success, but there's definitely a higher level of credibility here since these big companies are willing to offer their content.

Table Games

First thing on the table game front, we want to point out that they do not offer many video poker games. Only Jacks or Better and kings or better Joker Poker are offered through the SOFTSWISS platform, and these games do not have favorable pay tables. Along these lines, video poker fans should find somewhere else to play.

With that having been said, video poker is the absolutely only weakness as far as the table game selection goes. There is an incredible combination of titles from BetSoft, SOFTSWISS, Microgaming and Net Entertainment with tons of card-based table games, casino poker, blackjack, Baccarat, craps, roulette and other titles available.

Payments and Cashier

Bitcoin is the only option here for deposits or withdrawals. One of the downsides of this is that many bitcoin casinos out there have given the crypto-currency a bit of a bad reputation. However, BitStarz is likely to be one of the most reliable (if not the single most reliable) online casino to use bitcoin. In the relatively short time they've been running, they've worked hard on making sure that they build a reputation for being reliable when it comes to withdrawals, and it's worked so far.

The main issue with using bitcoin for deposits and withdrawals is that the account balances are held in bitcoin as well. Since the crypto-currency has become known for having a ton of volatility, it's possible to see situations where keeping your account balance in bitcoin is more of a gamble than playing the games themselves. This will be a problem that keeps some players away from BitStarz, but since it's an integral part of holding bitcoin, many players won't really mind.

Customer Service

One disadvantage of this site is that they have no telephone support. The live chat and email options are available 24/7/365, however, so this won't be a big deal for most players. We contacted them to ask a few questions for this review, and we had a short wait using the live chat before an operator was able to help us.

It took the operator a few minutes to answer a handful of simple questions like what year the site launched, so chances are that support is a bit overloaded or we asked at peak times. Even with that, we received solid enough service and have no complaints, especially compared to what's average in this industry.

Overview

Overall, BitStarz is not a bad site to play with by any means. They are one of the most reputable bitcoin-oriented online gambling sites running today, and they have an excellent selection of games. They even accept US players with limited access to their games, a divide that we can't remember seeing before. If you're okay with the inherent volatility of holding an account balance in bitcoin, then chances are that you'll have a good experience at this site.

By GamesAndCasino