Vegas USA Casino Review

Vegas USA Casino first started operating in January of 1999, when then the casino ran using Grand Virtual software. Since then the casino has grown and developed, and in more recent years has been operating using software from the Microgaming stable. This casino was actually one of first I ever played at, so it was with great interest that I revisited the site to see what was in store for new players today.

Although American-themed Vegas USA Casino does operate using Microgaming software, players should note that it is the 'older' (not Viper) software that is available. This should not put off players, but does mean that some newer Microgaming games (mainly slots, but also some table and video poker games) are not available at this casino.

As with all Microgaming-powered casinos, the download version of the available games provide the most realistic gaming experience, although a flash version is available for players that do not want to download. Unfortunately, the initial download is rather large (7.55mb) - and so on a dial-up connection it did take around 30 minutes to get the casino up and running. However, I did discover that a good handful of games are available after installation, and so players can begin gaming pretty quickly after installing the casino.

The registration process is quick and easy, and while the casino is USA-themed, players can opt to play in Euros and UK Pounds as well as American Dollars. The cashier, which I headed for after registration, is also very simple to use - with all the popular payment methods (NETeller, credit cards etc.) being available. I deposited $100 via NETeller, and as I was new to the site (since the Microgaming switch at least), I was able to claim a $50 welcome bonus. One great point about the Vegas USA casino is that all bonus claims are processed instantly upon request - and so after a few clicks on the Vegas USA website I had $150 in my account ready to play with.

As Blackjack was one of the pre-installed games available (and since it's a favorite of mine!) I headed to this game first. Accessing the game was easy - a scroll menu is used to list all the games available, although it would have been nice to see games grouped by type (e.g. slots, table games, etc.). Play is also easy, with clearly labelled buttons allowing a player to choose the bets to make.

The minimum bet at Vegas USA Casino is a respectable $2, and the maximum is $200 - which again should be sufficient for medium to large bettors. However, while bet sizes increment in $1 amounts to the $10 mark, after this the increments jump to $2, then $10 and then $20! I found this very poor, as almost all casinos now allow bets to be made of any size within the table limit range.

Despite this disappointment, the rest of the gaming experience was very good. Graphics are of high quality, with voiceovers provided by someone a heavy American accent, which is fitting with the USA theme. Game speed was also reasonable, although I have a feeling that it would have been faster on a high speed connection.

Of course, one thing that many people are interested in is the 'fairness' of a casino; and I found no problems here. While I naturally had some losing hands, the winners came too - and even at times when I had some higher bets on the table.

I soon discovered that the quality shown in Blackjack games was also present in some of the other table games I visited, including Stud Poker. This game was particularly enticing, as a progressive jackpot side game is available, and at the time of writing a royal flush would have rewarded me with a win of over $70,000 for the $1 side bet required! I also visited the Roulette table, although unfortunately my 17 strategy (where I bet $1 on 17 and a dollar on each neighboring number) was not successful, and I lost a good bulk of my bankroll to this game.

Sadly, while the table games are of good quality, some of the newer games such as Pai Gow Poker, Three Card Poker and Let it Ride Poker are not available, the 'old' Microgaming software means Vegas USA Casino has stuck with the tried and tested classics such as Craps and Baccarat.

As such, I decided to move over to the Video Poker selection on offer. Again, I discovered that many of the classic versions are available (Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild) - but that more recently developed games such as multi-hand games were not available (apart from some 4-hand versions). However, this did not put me off, and I soon settled in to a fun session of Jacks or Better Poker. Rather annoyingly the coin size option is driven by a menu system rather than by the gaming interface, but again once I had learned to overcome this difference, and I did not find it a problem.

One of the reasons that I was not bothered about the interface is because I seemed to have great luck at this game! Whereas Roulette had eaten much of my bankroll, this game could not stop giving me wins. I was particularly pleased when I made a $125 winning hand from my $5 bet with a four-of-a-kind hand!

The quality of the Video Poker games was also excellent - great graphics were on show in both the Jacks or Better and Aces and Faces games I played. Subtle sound effects are also present, which again goes towards making the gaming experience an enjoyable one.

Although I could have quite happily continued playing Jacks or Better, I knew that to meet the wagering requirements of the bonus I would have to play some slots. Just under 40 slot games are available at Vegas USA Casino, which may be a small number in comparison to some Microgaming casinos, but is still a decent number. All the progressive slots for which Microgaming are famed are also available; including the Major Millions slot which has paid out wins over $1.7m in the past!

Although this massive jackpot was tempting, I decided to play another progressive - Cash Splash. This is one of the original progressive slots developed by Microgaming, and is a classic three-reel, one payline slot. Three Cash Splash symbols awards the jackpot, although on their own each symbol acts as a wild multiplier. I started off poorly on this game in terms of luck, but was tempted to stay because the game is very addictive - bright graphics and cool sounds really entice the player. It was a good job I did stay, as along came a single bar and two wild symbols! The wilds multiplied the payout by 4 meaning a $3 bet became a $120 win!

After this win I decided to move on before my luck ran dry! Sadly, I lost all my bankroll before I had met the wagering requirements - Vegas USA Casino does require a reasonable amount of slot action to be played (which is very volatile) before bonuses can be withdrawn. However, with my bankroll remaining healthy for quite a while I was able to check out the majority of Vegas USA's games.

I discovered a variety of slots - from the classic type to ones with multiple reels and paylines. A fun game I discovered was Sizzling Scorpions, where a special symbol appearing on the third reel activates a bonus game where scorpions race. I activated this a couple of times, and had my scorpion come in second on both occasions. Jurassic Jackpot was also fun, although some wild $10 bets didn't help to keep my bankroll healthy!

On this occasion I had nothing to cash in, but Vegas USA Casino states on their web site that withdrawals are processed pretty quickly - after a pending period of 24 hours, withdrawals are processed within one business day. It should be noted though, that players need to comply with the casino's fraud control processes before withdrawals can be made. This involves the faxing and/or emailing of identification documents.

Finally, as always I will comment on the support available at Vegas USA. This aspect of the casino is managed well with players able to contact the casino through live web chat, free phone telephone and email. Vegas USA really have thought about the international aspect of an online casino with telephone numbers available for over 20 countries, and have even implemented a 'call me back' facility for those in countries not listed! The quality of support is also good, and the lady I spoke with on live chat was both polite and helpful.

To conclude, Vegas USA is a decent casino. The quality of gaming is very good and the 'back end' aspects of the casino such as banking and support are faultless. The drawbacks of the casino stem from the fact that the casino is not running the latest version of the Microgaming software - this in turn means the game selection is good - but not huge, and also that more recent games introduced by Microgaming are not available. Also, annoying factors like the betting sizes for Blackjack and the menu driven coin selection process at Video Poker also come about from the software choice. However, for players who simply want to play classic games at a good casino, Vegas USA still rates as a very good choice.

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