Heroes & Rogues of 2018: In-Depth Casino Comparison

With 2018 officially wrapped up, it’s time to draw the line and acknowledge casinos whose hard work and dedication to great customer service have been the demonstration of pure professionalism.

The iGaming community is getting bigger and better with each year, and though there are occasional missteps…

…the number of brands investing in the improvement of gaming experience is much bigger. It’s only fair to salute those brands for their great efforts and support them in their future endeavors.

Good Casinos and Their New Sister Brands

Regular residents on our annual lists of top brands are those working under the umbrella of Slotland Entertainment S.A.

Active since 1998, Slotland keeps getting stronger with each passing year. Part of Slotland Entertainment S.A. group, the US-friendly company develops one-of-a-kind, proprietary games, but also a wide variety of cool promotions. Very responsive representative and overall excellent customer service are among the reasons why players keep coming back.

In 2018 they made a huge step forward. After launching Win A Day in 2007, they added another sister brand called CryptoSlots in 2018. The site operates with cryptocurrencies only, and offers games under the “Provably Fair” label, allowing players to verify the fairness of every single game result.

You can check out our interview with the official representative Jack Jelinek, for more information on how “Provably Fair” works.

We’re sure CryptoSlots will follow in the steps of its predecessors, and become one of the leaders on the gaming scene. Slotland and Win A Day have stable, above the average ratings and you’ll rarely, if ever, find negative comments from their users.

They also have popular cashback offers, and in June 2018, an exclusive cashback program between LCB and these two brands reached an amazing milestone of $250,000. Our collaboration continues, and we’ll see how long it will take us to reach stunning $500,000.

Another one that falls in the good ol’ brands category is Casino Extreme. One of the biggest favorites among the US players, Casino Extreme has become one of the most trusted brands in the last 20 years of its existence. Famous for fast payouts, complain-free customer reports, generous welcome bonuses, refer-a-friend program, exclusive social media promotions and tournaments, this brand could be considered a synonym for excellence. Casino Brango is a sister site, and it has been active since May 2017 with the same recipe for success. After all, why change a winning combination?!

Created by a team of veteran gamblers, Superior Casino launched in 2006, and its reputation remains unblemished. Superiority is achieved by quality software with easily accessible games, promotions, exclusive tournaments, transparent cashout policy and highly trained customer service agents that are available every step of the way.

With a solid name and firm reputation, there is no reason for this brand not to have an even brighter future. 24VIP, sister site to Superior, launched in 2017; with video slots as their primary focus, they offer over 150 titles, from basic 3-reel to 3D releases.

Their representative is very engaged in communication with players on LCB forum threads, fast in responding to all players’ questions and so on. We partnered with both casinos to provide high-quality promotions, exclusives and tournaments to our members in 2018.

Accomodating US Players

The group of casinos LCB has had a long and great partnership include (among others) Bovada and Café Casino. Both are dedicated primarily to American players. Online gambling is a tricky business in the US, and local players don’t have a huge variety of sites where they can securely place their bets. Creating a safe corner in the iGaming community is one of the greatest traits of these operators.

After opening in 2011, Bovada became one of the most popular sites, offering slots, table games, sports and horse races. They also have poker tournaments, refer-a-friend program, interesting exclusive bonuses made in collaboration with LCB, and are Bitcoin-friendly.

One thing that sets Café Casino apart from all others is the fact that it is devoted exclusively to the US market. With their unique gaming platform and top software providers, as well as exclusive offerings, daily cashbacks, weekly prize draws and loyalty program, it’s no wonder this site is one of the top dogs in the virtual world of gambling.

You’ll be glad to hear that partnership between these two brands and LCB is going to continue, so keep an eye on our bonuses page for some great offers.

Always at the top and accommodating US players, Liberty Casino has been a reliable partner throughout the years. With excellent game offers, professional online customer service, easy depositing and withdrawals, great tournaments and promotions, Liberty is the number one brand for many players.

US players can also enjoy great offers from Sloto ‘Cash, Lucky Creek and Bet365. Sloto ‘Cash is well-known among players around the world for their generous perks like high- roller bonuses, promotions on a daily basis and you can even claim some nice exclusive rewards on LCB like sign-up and no-deposit treats.

Those of you familiar with the online gaming world have probably already heard of Intertops. After more than two decades in the business and two great casinos under its belt – Intertops Classic and Intertops Red, this brand is one of the most trustworthy in the industry. Both are very popular among the US players. With 4.4 in ratings, based on around 450 votes and 150 comments, they are always sought-after in LCB Shop.

New Fancy Additions To LCB Shop

We at LCB have proven time and time again, just how much we care about our members. As a way of showing our appreciation for their engagement and feedback, we regularly add some nice rewards to our shop catalog.

One of the newest additions is Slots.lv. This brand joined our library only recently - it’s available to the American players, has more than 400 slots as well as video poker and other casino games. They are constantly adding exclusive bonuses and creative promotions. Slots.lv has 4.4 score and an impressive collection of mobile games. It’s compatible with both iOS and Android devices.

Great collaboration with Roaring21, Casino Max and CherryJackpot brands is continuing in 2019 and all three platforms have offers in LCB Shop.

Also available in the shop is Shadowbet. Relatively new to the virtual world of gaming, this venue opened its doors in 2016, and very soon it was clear that they mean business. An army of loyal players is the greatest testament to the outstanding work they have done in the past couple of years. With that in mind, and their general offer, which includes a decent collection of games, well – set security measures, amazing promotions and a unique rewards program, VIP perks and responsive representatives, Shadowbet was awarded our Seal of Approval in June 2018.

Another perk for being an LCB member comes in the form of our Reward Program. Make a first deposit at any of the listed casinos on our LCB member reward page and receive LCB chips. Those chips can be used for purchases in our shop. Recently added to the list are Bet247, BetChain, Dunder, EvoBet, Wildblaster, Meridianbet, LibraBet and Wishmaker casinos. Make sure to check out the page, find the brand to your liking, and those chips will soon be finding their way to you.

Fresh Affiliates On Board!

We are always happy to report about bigger and better bonus exclusives!

In 2019, we are continuing our partnership with Joo and Konung and you can find explicit offers like spins and sign up deals, as well as 2nd and 3rd deposit boosts on our site. Konung is also featured in our geo-located shop.

After that category, we now have an exclusive sign-up treat for TonyBet, while Happy Luke and Live House are preparing some amazing introductory percolates for us in 2019.

Embracing Digital Currency

More and more brands are adding cryptocurrency to their list of available payment methods. Deposits and withdrawals are made more easily with Bitcoin, the world’s most popular virtual currency. Still, there are two sides to every coin, so make sure to check our article on the good and bad sides of BTC.

We already mentioned the “Probably Fair” system, as well as the interview we did with SOFTSWISS, that gave us some great insight into this technology. One of many such conversations was also conducted with Olle Dickson, marketing manager of BitStarz.

This popular brand is among the top-rated casinos for Bitcoin users and it has an extensive game collection, support agents who are always eager to help, amazing bonus offers and can also be found in our shop.

In addition to these brands, digital currency is also supported at Oshi, Bet Chain, mBit, FortuneJack, RedStag, Lincoln, UpTown Aces and many more. They all have high ratings, nice game selection and great bonuses.

Stepping Into 2019 Be Like...

To sum it up, 2018 was an amazing year! We welcomed a lot of new outlets, well-established brands proved their worth once again and definitely cemented their positions at the top. Some were able to rise above their past mistakes and show themselves in a new light.

We are hoping that 2019 will bring its own set of surprises, or some interesting changes when it comes to iGaming legislation, but we are also excited about all the new offers coming to our portal. Let’s see what we DO NOT expect...

The Fight Is On!

The other part of the story takes us to outlaws and desperados of the industry, online betting shops that went rogue for the reasons known only to their unjust owners. It is no secret that everybody wants to snatch a piece of the cake, regardless of the trade, but still...

...venturing into exploitation of players by taking advantage of unregulated markets or confusing them and leading to believe that amassing huge piles of cash is just around the corner, is a completely different thing.

This crusade has taken its toll on the industry long time ago, and we’re proud to have shared our “savoir faire” in this refute – our directory is one of the first redeemers of an everlasting conflict with corrupted online casinos, as we have reviewed, uncovered tested, reassessed and ultimately blackballed all those brands responsible for mocking the industry, and what’s more important – the players!

Although there isn’t a valid (or even worse) certified system that would punish rogue casinos and their reckless owners, we have come up with a method to offer justice to disadvantaged punters and continue our committment to this important mission with more devotion than ever!

Let’s take a closer look at some of the warning reports and their results, as well as how our investigations unfolded over the past year.

For a Few Dollars More

In order to avoid confusion, players are always advised to go through casino’s terms and conditions, and this should become a rule for everything else in life. As a matter of fact, making sure that “online outlets” are offering legal betting services for the money their players provide, is similar to checking your new tablet’s features right after the purchase.

Of course, T&Cs represent a language that hardly anyone likes to practice or be in contact with, which is why it exemplifies a perfect tool for tricking naïve newcomers into a bottomless crevasse.

However, what is really devastating for the industry and the business itself, is that some brands, who were once considered to be a good site, are making sudden policy changes for a few a handful of dollars, risking not only being blacklisted by major review directories like ours, but also suspended by the regulators or crucified in the media (worst-case scenario).

One of such platforms in 2018 was Mira Casino, a flash-based site fitted mostly with traditional table games and “slots”. The venue’s troubles started when its license abruptly expired, which automatically set off an alarm over at Affiliate Guard Dog, independent safety department, devoted to chasing down rogue casinos. The story didn’t end there, as further investigation has shown – no T&Cs available, no details on VIP program, fake telephone support and even malware-infected download client... complements of the black market, from A to Z.

Another such brigand is 22Bet Casino, which earned a blacklisted status in November 2018 for denying withdrawals to players. They launched with us as a totally trustworthy platform, but very soon started promoting “evasive tactics”, including avoiding payments and disadvantaging customers with unresponsive support, disrespectful interaction and other predatory behavior…

The month of October was the busiest in terms of tracking and hunting down rogue venues, and it might surprise you to know, that we effectively caught 5 platforms deeply involved in murky operations back then. After finding out that Play7777 Casino had engaged in the fake games trade, other partners in crime started coming to the surface, almost night after night.

Next in line was Planet Casino, accused of cashing out winnings only to VIP players. They also ventured into paying out smaller amounts than previously claimed, making them a non-trustful source for further placement of deposits, to say the least.

Luckily, the new management was put to the test soon after, and our directory decided to give them a second chance…

You know what BlueLions Casino, Pravda Casino, and Big Dollar Casino have in common? The answer is pirated software, only the last one felt the consequences of our Warning Sign the most, and immediately decided to straighten things out. Now on probation period, we still believe the players’ trust will be earned again, but keeping both eyes wide open is, of course, still a MUST.

Fake It till You Make It?

As our list of betting hubs who tumbled down the rabbit hole of corrupted brands in 2018 unfolds, one particular word starts to manifest more often than the others – fake. It seems that the vast majority of platforms uses the same pattern when it comes to cheating and conning - pirated software, since it obviously represents the easiest way of defrauding newcomers to the bogus entertainment vertical.

Let’s take a look at some of the headlines and go through the details…

If we make a short retrospective survey of “Casino MGA Takes Software Piracy to the Next Level” it might shock you to learn that the venue had manufactured a fake license – one that, in reality, works perfectly fine with fake slots, it would seem. Not only that, the shop had even fabricated “new” games, that are “virtually indistinguishable” from the original products, hosting them on an unknown source and domain.

Their partners in crime from Casino60 and Sekabet Casino have all done exactly the same – launched a batch of Netent, Wazdan and Quickspin software with a distinguishable “sham” trademark, recognized only by the professionals of the iGaming industry and aggregators themselves.

Now, there is also (sometimes) a positive aspect in these stories and, as in all things gone bad at some point, they too require a herculean redemption. Discontinuing pirated games is a good way to start, but keeping it that way is an even greater challenge. Why? Well, once the trust is broken, it takes time to repair it and additional efforts are needed if you really want to succeed… the trouble with this is consistency.

That leads us back to the heading and its true hidden meaning – how long until you get caught?

Of course, we could talk about blacklisted casinos all day long, but that isn’t really our thing. It’s far more important to act on time and inform the community about the latest misdemeanors, as it exemplifies the strongest weapon against the fallen, whose number can sink only by staying loyal to the good cause and keeping safe, aware and up to date.

Keeping The Gaming Community Alert

To wrap it up, we’re not going to brag how many “bad guys” we have “taught a lesson”; it’s vital that our members and players around the globe stay protected and in the know, to avoid being bamboozled, duped, hustled and taken advantage of.

This can only be done by sustaining a 24/7 surveillance of the market, making sure that none of the soon-to-be-kickstarted vague casinos dare to hazard or jeopardize affiliates, gaming community or plague the players’ drive to and passion towards wagering.

We’ve said it on so many occasions, but here’s a reminder to all those who think that hoodwinking of players is something to think about with regards to long-term profits:

“If you are looking for ransom, we can tell you we don't have money. But what we do have are a very particular set of skills, skills we have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make us a nightmare for people like you. If you let our players down, that'll be the end of it.” courtesy of Mr. Liam Neeson, Taken (2008).