The online casino scene in Ireland is booming, but how do you know whether you’re signing up with a great casino or not? Especially with so many options popping up all the time, it’s important to have some criteria and be able to compare them.
To help you, we’ve compiled a list of Ireland’s newest online casinos. After you have reviewed the list, we’ll tell you about our selection criteria so you can learn how we picked the best ones out of the bunch.
CrownPlay
They might be a newcomer, but CrownPlay is already making a splash in the Irish online casino market. They boast a massive library of 10,000 games, consisting of online and progressive slots, casino and live table games and scratch cards. Their games are backed by reputation too, because CrownPlay offers games developed by industry experts such as NetEnt and Pragmatic Play.
CrownPlay’s customer service is also top-notch, with 24/7 live chat service available. They can assist via email if necessary, although their response takes a few days. If you have a minor problem and don’t want to chat with customer service, CrownPlay’s extensive FAQ may have the answers you need.
Lucky7even
You don’t need to worry about how to pronounce their name once you see Lucky7even’s modern aesthetic on their homepage. With a fast-loading page, well-organised links and a nice layout, it’s easy to see why Lucky7even is quickly climbing the ranks.
One thing that sets Lucky7even apart from its competitors is its acceptance of cryptocurrency in addition to fiat currency. They even offer games that accept crypto as payments and games made exclusively for such payments. Lucky7even truly ensures that customers of all preferences feel welcome at their casino.
LalaBet
The bonuses don’t end at LalaBet upon signing up. Aside from their generous welcome bonus, LalaBet players also enjoy loyalty bonuses, along with seasonal rewards such as Monday Live Reload which provides a 25 per cent deposit bonus when reloading on Mondays, Wednesday Free Spins where you can claim 100 free spins when depositing a minimum of €50, and Friday Reload which provides a 30 per cent bonus when reloading on Fridays. They also have a Daily Cashback program for up to 20 per cent cashback on your losses, and it takes three days for the cashback to clear.
Another advantage of LalaBet is its dedicated mobile app, which runs much quicker on smartphones than its website. App users enjoy an exclusive set of bonuses, which incentivises you to switch. Withdrawals made through the app are also processed quicker than if you request one from their site.
GoldenBet
GoldenBet lives up to its name by being one of the few Irish casinos that accepts cryptocurrency as payment, along with traditional payment methods such as Visa/Mastercard, Skrill and bank transfers. Although their games section isn’t as large as some others, GoldenBet makes up for it with variety by offering minigames and instant win games alongside slots and table games.
You’re in luck if you don’t like casinos with overly flashy layouts. GoldenBet presents itself minimally, instead opting for a black background with neatly placed tabs on its page. Their search function also features an excellent filtering option, so you can easily find games that suit your preferences.
Hugo Casino
Don’t let Hugo the bird’s mean mug scare you away, because Hugo Casino is actually worth your time.
The first thing you’ll notice when navigating Hugo Casino is its excellent layout. It’s clean and pleasing to the eye while retaining a certain charm and playfulness to it. Hugo, the casino’s mascot, pops up occasionally as you navigate around.
Their games section is also top-notch, offering classics such as slots and live table games. To mix things up, Hugo Casino also offers bingo and instant win games.
Don’t worry about their customer service either because Hugo’s customer service team is excellent. They’re available via live chat 24/7, and the staff are knowledgeable. You can also email them if you’d like, but there’s no phone number for you to ring if you prefer speaking on the phone.
How do we pick the best new online casinos?
Picking the best new online casinos requires a lot of work. This includes examining welcome bonuses, signing up for an account at each casino, and thoroughly evaluating their game offering and customer service. Those are just the preliminary steps, so here are the aspects we examine in detail for each online casino we review:
Bonus types and amounts
Online casino bonuses may seem generous initially, but some hide a great deal of fine print away from plain sight. When you realise the stringent requirements just to get a drip-feed of your bonus, it’s too late to back out.
We try to avoid including casinos like that on our list. You shouldn’t have to jump through hoops just to get your bonus. We pick casinos with straightforward bonus requirements so you can get straight to playing. Of course, we’ll also pick the most generous ones for you, so you won’t miss out on anything.
Casino features
Aside from bonuses, online casinos live and die by their features. A beautiful homepage is one thing, but it’s useless if it is hard to use or lacks basic functionality. When creating our list, we analyse a casino’s layout. Some questions we ask are: Are the menus neatly tucked away, or are they all over the place? Is getting assistance if you’re having problems easy, or do they make you go through several pages before you can even find an FAQ page?
We also thoroughly test their search functions to ensure you can easily navigate their games library. For example, if we’re trying to play a game or two while travelling, we don’t want to spend time sifting through the results. We want to find a game quickly to settle down and play.
If the casino has a dedicated mobile app, we apply the same tests to compare its functionality with the website and see if it’s worth using the app.
Game variety
It’s easy to be impressed by the number of games an online casino offers, especially when that number extends well into the thousands. But what use is there in having thousands of games if all that’s available are online slots?
When evaluating a new online casino, we carefully consider what games they offer. Slots are the most common titles, but we also want to make sure they have enough variety. Do they have any progressive slots or mega jackpot slots? Are all of them original concepts, or do they have licensed tie-ins? We also check if they offer table games (live or online), trivia games, scratch cards, and whatever else they could add to their library.
User experience
This one takes the longest to evaluate, but it’s the most critical aspect. That’s because we want to make sure you’re well taken care of after you’ve signed up and played at an online casino.
We look at how easy the operator is to contact by live chat, email and phone and how quickly they respond. We also examine their responses: Are they friendly and helpful, or are they just throwing canned answers at you? Are their rules fair and explained well, or do they always seem to have a loophole? This helps us make our decision and craft a valuable list for players to take advantage of.
