PokerStars UK Review 2023: All You Need To Know

Peter Addison

iGaming analyst

Updated: 3 April 2023

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The name of PokerStars has been one synonymous with gambling for a heck of a long time – since 2001 in fact. During the online poker boom of the early-to-mid 2000s PokerStars became the global number one poker platform, but then was hit in 2011 by the US’s clamp down on online gambling. PokerStars still continued globally and has retained its position as the world’s number one online poker site now for over two decades. PokerStars now has a triple presence in the UK – poker, a sports book and an online casino. It’s the latter we are going to be running our discerning eye over with the PokerStars UK casino. Keep on reading our Pokerstars UK review.

100% Bonus Up To £200 + 100 Free Spins

29/03/23

100% Bonus Up To £200 + 100 Free Spins

• Good loyalty program
• Plenty of slots and casino games
• Vibrant live casino with plenty of tables

9.9

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New casino players only. Min. deposit £20 with code ‘FIRST200’. Debit card (Visa or Mastercard) only. Selected Slots only, 7 day expiry. Wagering requirements apply, 5 redemption points per £1 to clear bonus. Game contributions vary. Maximum bet £5 per round. Terms apply. 18+ Play responsibly. BeGambleAware.org

Deposit Method

• VISA

• MasterCard

• Maestro

• Bank Transfer

• Trustly

• Skrill

• Neteller

• PayPal

• AstroPay Card

• Paysafecard

Regulated ByUKGC

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New casino players only. Min. deposit £20 with code ‘FIRST200’. Debit card (Visa or Mastercard) only. Selected Slots only, 7 day expiry. Wagering requirements apply, 5 redemption points per £1 to clear bonus. Game contributions vary. Maximum bet £5 per round. Terms apply. 18+ Play responsibly. BeGambleAware.org

What is the PokerStars UK Casino?

PokerStars Review: A Summary Of Our Experience

First up, for our Pokerstars review we found the sign-up process at the PokerStars Casino to be incredibly straightforward, which is the way things should be of course. We were certainly never stressed out by constantly form filling, and we sailed through the process.

The menus are easy to use and very responsive. You are not left waiting for logos to load as you are at many other sites. We love the fact that the current values of slots with progressive jackpots form part of the menu, so you can see which slots are currently the tastiest.

We’re not ones for slot races but you can easily see the current state-of-play in each race, and the slots that qualify for each. It’s easy to sign up for a race too.

The live casino menu is just as responsive. The ‘Card & Table’ menu too although we’re disappointed that more non-slots games are not available. This menu seems over-burdened by video poker titles too.

The cashier side was easy to use to and our Visa debit card transaction was processed instantly so we had money to play with quickly. The withdrawal process was not as fast but that’s to be expected. It was certainly faster than many other sites we’ve looked at.

Not all is great though. ‘Help’ could be more helpful and the live chat feature did not seem to be available. We were annoyed too by the constant pop-ups, even though there were for bonus chests that we were awarded. We did gain more bonus spins just by logging in, yippee!

Is Using the PokerStars Casino Safe?

You can rest-assured about your safety at the PokerStars UK Casino site. The site has been up and running in the UK since 2015 so if there were any ‘dodgy’ dealings with them, we would have heard about it, and we haven’t heard a peep.

The casino is properly licensed in the UK by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission, so you have no issues there. In the unlikely event of you encountering any problems at the site and PokerStars Casino UK is unresponsive, then you can ask the UKGC to take a look at the matter.

Of course by signing in at the PokerStars Casino and sharing sensitive information there’s always an element of risk. That risk though is minimised as the site uses industry-standard encryption tools in order to encrypt traffic to and from the site. The site’s ‘Privacy Policy’ also outlines just what they do with the information that you share with them.

BTW – If someone tries to tell you PokerStars is a scam, they’re pulling a fast one. There’s no evidence of any kind of ‘PokerStars scam’ here, and that’s the truth.

PokerStars Casino Sign Up Offer

Once you have completed your PokerStars Casino sign up, you can take advantage of the site’s welcome bonus that will net you 50 bonus spins on the ‘Tomb of Ra’ slot. Just head to your ‘Challenges Window’ and opt-in to the promotion. You do not need to use a PokerStars UK bonus code.

Deposit at least £10 and then bet £10 on any slots available at the site. Once you have completed this task, your 50 bonus spins will be released on the Tomb of Ra slot. You must complete your £10 deposit using a Visa or MasterCard debit card – all other payment methods are invalid. You will get 25 spins immediately, and then another 25 spins the day after. Your bonus spins must be used with 7 days, and you have 14 days from signing up with the PokerStars UK Casino to claim your bonus.

The best news of all is that any winnings from your free spins are paid as cash – absolutely no wagering required!

Ongoing Promotions at the PokerStars casino

Thankfully, the PokerStars Casino is not the type of casino that gives you a welcome bonus and then that’s your lot. There are plenty of promos at the PokerStars UK Casino, and below we list the ones available at the time of our PokerStars review. Always check the site to see if any new or different promotions are available, and elsewhere as you might find a PokerStars UK bonus code:

Games Offered at the PokerStars Casino

There should be enough games to keep anyone entertained at the PokerStars Casino. We have seen online casinos with a more numerous selection than here, but with PokerStars Casino the emphasis seems to be on quality, rather than quantity. This, in our opinion at least, is a good thing.

Here’s a rundown of all the titles available at the PokerStars Casino.

How to Get Started at the PokerStars Casino

As we have already mentioned, we did find it easy to get started at the PokerStars Casino. Just in case this is your first time signing up at an online casino, we are going to walk you through the entire process:

Step 1: Visit the PokerStars Casino Website

Click on the link above to be put through to the PokerStars Casino site. You will see three options – poker, casino and sports. You will want to be on the casino page but it doesn’t actually matter. Your PokerStars account will cover all three options.

Step 2: Sign Up

On the screen that will pop up, choose ‘United Kingdom’ as your country of residence and enter your email address. You are also required to select a username and password. Click ‘Continue’ when you have done all this.

Step 3: Nearly there!

The final step is just to agree to the T&Cs. Move the slider to ‘Select All’ and tick the bottom tick box to confirm your age. You only need to kick the top tick box if you want to receive PokerStars Casino marketing information.

Step 4: Confirm some details

Although your account is now set up, you will need to take some steps to make sure you can use it. The first is just to confirm your name and date of birth, as you can see.

Step 5: Nearly there (again!)

The final, final step is to confirm your address. You can add some details then select it from the dropdown menu or type it in manually.

Step 6: Make a Deposit

You can deposit straight away at this online casino, and indeed when the sign up process has been completed, you only need to click the ‘Make Deposit’ button to do so. On the screen that appears, choose one of the payment options (remember, to get your welcome bonus you need to deposit at least £10 and only via a Visa or MasterCard debit card) and either a pre-set value, or choose your own. Click the green arrow on the bottom to confirm your deposit.

7. Get Playing!

You are now free to sample all the games available at the PokerStars Casino, and use your free spins if you chose to take them and made a qualifying deposit.

PokerStars UK Casino Payment Methods

In total there are one dozen payments methods available at the PokerStars Casino, so whatever your preferences, you are sure to be able to get money into and out of your account. The most commonly used payment methods here we are sure will be a debit card (both Visa and MasterCard are accepted) or PayPal. Both Skrill and Neteller are accepted too.

One oddity – you cannot withdraw more to a debit card than what you’ve deposited. So, if you’ve deposited £20 from your Visa card and want to withdraw £30, you can only withdraw £20 to Visa. You will need to withdraw the other £10 via an alternative method.

One of the payment methods available is ‘PokerStars Top Up’. This is unique to PokerStars and are vouchers available at retailers with Payzone or Paypoint facilities. You buy the voucher IRL then use it online for your PayStars Casino account.

Below you’ll find a summary of all the payment methods available at PokerStars:

PokerStars Casino Software Providers

The PokerStars Casino is something of a rarity as it is one of the few online casino that contributes its own software. You’ll find all the PokerStars UK Casino bespoke games under the ‘Exclusive’ tab although we have to say … impressive, they ain’t.

Don’t let that put you off, though, There are plenty of superb software providers available here, including NetEnt, Microgaming and Play’n GO. As well as classics such as Starburst, Gonzo’s Quest and Rich Wilde & the Book of Dead, you’ll discover all the latest hottest slots to drop. At the time of our PokerStars UK review everyone was getting excited about ‘El Dorado: The City of Gold. Megaways’ and we’re pleased to say it’s available here.

All of Big Time Gaming’s leased Megaways slots are available at the PokerStars UK Casino too. This means you can play the Megaways versions of The Dog House, Rick & Morty or Ted whenever you fancy!

Table Games

Another oddity here – all the table games available at the PokerStars UK Casino seem to be bespoke versions. This includes all the video poker titles. On the whole they are just … not very good.

Live Casino

The live casino seems to be a mix of bespoke tables and those provided by Evolution. The interface is slick and easy to use, and the video resolution superb. You can also watch the action without playing if you want to get a feel of what’s going on. This side of the PokerStars Casino gets a thumbs up from us!

Software providers available via your PokerStars Casino:

NetEnt, Microgaming, Playtech, NYX Interactive, Blueprint Gaming, iSoftBet, Leander Games, Play’n GO. Quickspin, Playson, 2By2 Gaming, Big Time Gaming, Games Warehouse, The Games Company, High5Games, Push Gaming, Red Tiger Gaming, Live 5 Gaming.

The PokerStars Casino App

If you want to get mobile with your casino play, then you are going to want to be able to play casino games easily via your phone and tablet. The great news here is that you’ll find no issues doing so via PokerStars UK mobile casino.

The site functions perfectly well in a mobile browser, so you should have no problem in using the site on a mobile device. When we opened the page on our browser, we were offered the chance to download a ‘PokerStars UK App’. Whenever we clicked the link though, we were sent to a missing page, so we don’t know what’s happening with the PokerStars UK mobile app.

It doesn’t matter though as we found the site extremely easy to use on the phone we used it on, despite the relatively small screen size. All functions via the desktop site are also available on the PokerStars UK app.

PokerStars Casino Online – Support

Life would be great if everything was plain sailing, but even the most experienced seafarer sails his boat into rough water or even over a waterfall from time to time. If this should happen to you, then you need help, and quickly. At the PokerStars Casino we do find a decent range of helpful options, including the following:

The PokerStars Casino – What’s Hot or Not?

We like what we have experienced via our exploration of the PokerStars Casino … largely. We do not find everything about the site appealing, and we do think there is some room for improvement. Here’s a quick run-through of our main yays and nays regarding our experience at the PokerStars Casino in the UK.

PokerStars UK Review Bottom Line

We’re going to have to say that while we don’t feel there’s anything wrong with the PokerStars UK Casino, we expected something much better from such a massive gambling company. The site certainly is good enough and will impress most casino players, but this is a B+ kind of casino site as opposed to an A.

Our main moans – links to non-existing pages and the fact that some of the pages had monetary values in USD as opposed to GBP. Both of these aspects of the site are a little confusing and – we feel – could easily be fixed.

We cannot, however, fault PokerStars Casino UK’s generosity. When we signed up they doubled our free spins and via a ‘bonus chest’ we got extra spins added on top. There was no quibble with the money we won – no wagering and straight to our cash account.

In short, the PokerStars Casino really does have a great deal going for it. We just think it could be a little bit more …

PokerStars UK Review – Casino FAQs

Peter Addison

iGaming analyst

Peter is an experienced iGaming wordsmith who has been working in the industry since 2013. He has written more words on all aspects of iGaming than he cares to remember, and has provided content for many big industry names. When not writing Peter can be found out running or gaming on his Xbox. Peter’s articles have been featured in numerous high-profile online publications such as Right Casino and Which Bingo

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