Golden Riviera is a relatively new casino in an industry that is now about 5 years old, but it seems to
be gaining momentum all the time and winning over players from the bigger casinos with a combination of
good promotions and a reliable software partner. I had never actually played here in the past, so when
their new bonus schedule came down the pipe I thought it was time to give them a try.
First Impressions
The website certainly isn't the nicest on the market, but it doesn't look horrible or unprofessional and
there is a good amount of information available for first time players. For those of you who like to get
playing right away there is an immediate popup to let you know about the shockwave games you can play
right in your browser with no download.
Download and Installation
I took the popup up on it's offer and clicked the link to play the shockwave version of the casino,
powered by Microgaming. The software was very quickly up on my screen because I have a fast connection,
but it might take a little longer for some of you, especially if you have to install shockwave first.
The registration process was one of the easiest I have ever encountered, and it was less than five
minutes before I was actually looking around the interface. "No more download casinos for me!", I was
thnking.
The Games
The software interface has a cartoony feel that is not all that impressive to me. The blackjack table is
very nice and plays well, as do the slots, but I didn't think much of the graphics for the scratch
cards, roulette, craps and video poker. I guess if you want to get the really nice software you have to
do the full download and install - you get what you wait for! I played blackjack for a while and to
start with I was quite miffed at how often the dealer was pulling a soft 19 out of the hole to pip my 17
or 18 and I was soon down by a few hundred bucks, but I stuck with it and the luck evened out and I
ended up slightly up on my initial investment, so no harm done. In this release of the Microgaming
software they have thrown in a new twist on the simple scratch card games where you can have 5 cards
dealt and then you turn each of them over individually and try to get three of a kind. It is a strange
mix of basic poker and nevada tickets but I quite liked it for a change on the old staples. Overall the
games played fairly and they are what you would expect from a Microgaming casino - functional and slick
without being overwhelmingly nice.
Banking, comps, and payouts
The banking system is the same as most Microgaming casinos, so there are no surprises when you sign up,
us veterans are getting used to the basic accounting system on the net these days. Where Golden Riviera
does pick up Brownie points is on its new comp program. In an online gaming world where the best comps
ended a year ago and the casinos started holding their cash a little closer to their chests, Golden
Riviera has come up trumps with a $30 bonus for your first purchase of $20! That's right, they will comp
you more than you purchased, very nice to see! They also have the 100% bonus that is so common these
days on your first purchase of $50, your first purchase of $85 and your first purchase of $100. Beyond
these initial deposit promos they also offer ongoing special promotional days, trivia contests and
loyalty comps for returning players which you can read about here.
Conclusion
Golden Riviera is not a casino that bowled me over, but it certainly
seems to be a safe bet to me. They have an average payout percentage
of 96.72%, their software is rock solid, and you don't have to
download to play. If you want a bit of a change and a nice sign
up bonus, give Golden Riviera a shot - I did.
