William Hill is one of the better known sports
books in the UK and having a landbased company
gives me a slightly safer feel as I deposit
my hard earned money into their online casino.
Of course, just because a reputable landbased
operation has a online component, doesn't
mean that it will be a good gaming experience.
But that's what I'm here to find out.
URL: www.williamhillcasino.com
Software: Cryptologic
Software
Type: PC download and install. Flash version
available.
Accepted Deposit Methods:
credit card, debit card, cheque, bank transfer,
Neteller.
Customer Service: Live
Supoort / Email / UK phone number
Auditor:
PriceWaterhouse Coopers.
Payout %:
97.44%
The Bonus
Bonus Amount: $80 match
bonus for new users. (must deposit $80 or
more all at once.
Bonus Wager Requirements:
must wager $2400, Roulette, Baccarat and Craps
do not qualify.
I deposited $80 via Neteller and my account
was credited right away with the deposit and
$80 bonus. Right away is very good.
One of the features available is that you
can check your account details and see how
much more you have to wager in order to meet
your bonus wager requirements. This is extremely
helpful. I don't know how many times I've
lost back a bunch of cash because I kept playing
having no idea how much more I had to gamble
to cash in my bonus and winnings.
The Games
I started off playing some blackjack, which
at William Hill Casino is based on Atlantic
City rules. The cards are dealt quickly and
there is a rebet button, a handy feature.
The only complaint I have about the game is
that it doesn't warn you if you try to hit
on 20. I know, I know, you have to be stupid
to hit on 20, but sometimes you hit the wrong
button and I think this is a very useful feature
-- though hardly anyone does it. The other
complaint I have is that it doesn't show you
the dealer's hole card when you bust. This
doesn't change the fact that you've lost but
is slightly annoying as I like to see "what
if".
Next, I move on to one of my favorite games,
Video Poker. Jacks of Better is the only way
to go for me and this one has the Royal Flush
at 4,000 coins. I can't stand video poker
machines where the Royal Flush is 5,000 coins
because it means you're getting short changed
on the full houses, flushes, and straights.
In any case, I play about 100 hands of video
poker. The game is pretty good but I prefer
the Microgaming (another popular casino software)
version. I do like that it gives you the option
of playing 3, 5 or 10 hands all at once in
"Power Poker" style. My two complaints are
that there is no auto-hold function and that
there are no 50c machines. I don't like to
jump from 25 cents to $1.
At this point, I discover a nifty feature
that shows you the number of bets you've made
in a particular session and how much you wagered
and the final result. So, by clicking on Game
Log, I find out I've lost $30 in Video Poker.
I play a bit more of slots (Aladdin's Lamp
- worthless) and some Let it Ride poker. After
checking that I have fulfilled the bonus wagering
requirements, I play some more blackjack and
end up at $200. Not bad for a $80 deposit.
The Withdrawal
William Hill Casino does this strange thing
where you have to convert your balance to
casino chips, then convert it back to your
balance when you're done playing in the casino.
I didn't know this and tried to withdraw my
$200 and slightly panicked when I saw my balance
at $0. It turns out that I had to quit my
casino session to convert the casino chips
to my account. ( I emailed customer help about
this but discovered the answer before they
got back to me. More on this in the next section.)
In trying to find out why I had a $0 balance,
I stumbled upon a little note that said "The
Account withdrawal function is suspended for
a 72 hour period from creation, to enable
us to establish that the account holder is
genuine." For whatever reason, my account
still allowed me to withdraw so I did. I just
figured that they would hold my payout for
72 hours. Turns out, my Neteller account was
credited the very next day, less than 24 hours
after my initial deposit. Success!
Customer Service
The William Hill Casino support site states
that they are having longer than usual response
times due to the popularity of their casino.
This did not auger well for getting a response
to my email quickly. However, they did get
back to me within 24 hours.
There is also a "live chat" support line that I tested out but since my request
wasn't answered within 10 minutes, I gave up, especially since I didn't really
have a question.
Final Thoughts
William Hill Casino has a lot of useful features
as far as account maintenance and looking
up wagering details. I find the games in the
Boss Media software to be a little slow and
I'm not a big fan of their "casino floor"
method of displaying the various games; but
there is a Games menu that lets you shortcut
to the exact game you want.
The bonus was decent ($80 at 100%) and was
very quickly credited to my account. Withdrawing
was painless and quick, although there is
that supposed 3 day waiting period for new
members, which somehow I wasn't subject to,
but hey, I'm not complaining.
Overall, my experience at William Hill was
a good one. It could've been much better if
I hit a royal flush, but hey, +$120 is pretty
good for one day.
