Island Casino review: rules, support, sign up, free bets, site

Island Casino is not only an online casino but also a betting company. The bookmaker was founded in 1996, so it is a true veteran of the gambling industry in the region. Throughout its history, Island Casino has been an offshore company with its headquarters in Costa Rica. Consequently, the bank obtained its license in that country as well. The ban on gambling activities in the U.S. in 2006 has not shaken the activities of the bookmaker. After all, it already operated in an offshore format.

It should be noted that there are several similar bookmakers on the market: Island Casino, 5dimes and Sportsbet. They all use the same betting interface and are run by the same company. If one of the sites is down, visitors are redirected to the other two websites.

The site is now available in English, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, Korean, German and Chinese.  The company targets mainly US customers. This bookmaker’s attitude to players from the former Soviet Union is not friendly, so we do not recommend opening an account with Island Casino. The bookmaking company is restricted in the United Kingdom and France.

Layout

The Island Casino bookmaker’s website can be accessed at www.islandcasino.com. Looking at the design of this website, it is hard to believe that it is a betting site. It looks more like a gambling information site. You’ll see sections like Island Casino Sportsbook, Live betting, Casino, Banking and Rewards at the top. The design of the Island Casino resource, as well as almost any other American one, is very simple. The portal has contact details, betting content but doesn’t have a search engine. On the technical side, the website works perfectly. There are no problems with navigation.

The player has an opportunity to change the odds format from American to European. However, the site itself is often unable to process the player’s commands. There is a mobile version available for Desktop. For guests, there is only a basic guide to using the site, and once you are registered you will have access to a line and the full features of the resource.

Services and Live

Island Casino’s betting line is 100% the same as that of bookmaker 5dimes. They use the same processing systems and platform. The betting company focuses on popular North American sports leagues: the NHL, NBA, MLB, NFL, as well as college sports (NCAA). In total, there are around 20 sports on offer at Island Casino, half of which have been lumped into the Other Sports category. The main disciplines are American football, basketball, baseball, hockey, football, golf, tennis and martial arts. The betting company may surprise you with some unusual bets: competitive eating (speed eating).

Island Casino has a casino section (including a live casino),  but apart from that, there are other gambling services on the portal: lotteries, raffles, mini-games, poker and bingo.

The biggest number of events and leagues, oddly enough, is represented in football (soccer). The office covers about 30 different regions. They are mainly European and South American championships. The most exotic league on the list is the South African championship. 

In hockey, there are only a few leagues, and the lineup is just as poor. In tennis, there is a lineup for ITF tournaments.

All bookmakers in the 5dimes group, including Island Casino, feature low margins of only about 4%. In some markets, you can even find combinations of 1.95-1.95 on equally likely outcomes.

Live line

Island Casino’s betting interface contains two LIVE betting sections: Live Betting Ultra and Live Betting Extra. The second version is more comfortable for the European bettor and doesn’t differ much from the entire Island Casino interface. Betting Extra can offer players a match centre, which displays only the score of matches. The office runs no more than 100 LIVE events a day. Most of them are football, tennis, basketball, hockey, American football or baseball. The odds can be updated manually. The section is often empty and live odds change with long delays. When a player opens the Live section, he has to re-enter his username/password. The company has its strengths, but live betting is definitely not one of them.

Freebies, bonuses and promotions

All of the 5dimes group’s companies offer a similar bonus to new customers. A new customer of Island Casino bookmaking company can get a welcome bonus for the first deposit if the amount exceeds $50. The rate of the bonus is 50%. That is, for a deposit of $400, a new player will receive a $200 bonus. For wagering, it is necessary to scroll through the funds in the account five times. If the amount of the first deposit exceeds $400, the player will receive a bonus of $200 + 20% of the rest of the deposit. The maximum bonus can be as high as $520.

Customer care

User support is provided by phone – there are seven different numbers at once for different kinds of questions. Other ways to contact the support team is either by live chat or by e-mail at [email protected]

The Help centre provides you with most of the information. Otherwise, Island Casino‘s 24-hour support team is at your disposal. There is live chat as well. The only thing that may be discouraging for foreign bettors is that you need to be fluent in English.

Registration 

The Island Casino bookmaker’s customer can be a citizen of almost any country in the world. This includes players from most post-Soviet countries. The exception is Ukrainian gamblers. To open a new account a potential client must specify the standard data: name, surname, email address, telephone, address of registration, as well as set a password. After registering, it is necessary to confirm your identity through a verification procedure. A player can only have an account at one of the 5Dimes group offices.

Financial information

Island Casino currently accepts 12 currencies such as USD, CAD, GBP, EUR, ZAR, MXN, NOK, SEK, HTG, AUD, PEN and JPY. 

You can make a deposit at Island Casino bookmaker via VISA, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, Diners Club cards, Bitcoin, Ria and MoneyGram. If you decide to deposit via bank cards, the process is instant. Bitcoin, Ria and MoneyGram process may take up to 2 hours.

Bitcoin, MoneyGram and bank transfer can also be used for withdrawals. Usually, this procedure takes from one day to 3 days, or in the bank transfer case – it can take up to 6 business days. . At Island Casino, withdrawals without a fee are only available when withdrawing more than once a month. You will be charged $10 if the withdrawal amount is above $250. If you use a bank transfer method, $80 will be charged by the Bookmaker. The minimum possible deposit at Island Casino is $50 for cards. For Bitcoin, it is $25.  

Reliability, Integrity and Safety

Island Casino uses 128/256-bit Secure Socket Layer Digital Encryption to protect your transaction details. Such Internet security standards for online transactions are demanded by most financial institutions. 

What does the site not have?

The loading of the offerings update for wagering takes too long.  We would recommend broadening the choice of payment systems and considering a reduction of the withdrawal fees. Overall the design is quite dull and quite basic in comparison to the company’s competitors. The Costa Rican bookmaker has a strong track record and a fairly wide customer base. However, European bettors will not be very interested in this bookmaker. The company offers a weak line and narrow event coverage.