A review of Mansion Casino

2 April 2010

By David Newstead

The Mansion brand may suffer a little as far as fame, coming into the internet casino game a little bit later than power players such as UK rivals like Ladbrokes, William Hill, and Coral, but it is pretty clear from its marketing campaign that this is one company that is out to claim the title king of the hill. The site has agreed to sponsor that Tottenham Hotspur over the next four years, a move that should pay dividends as far as showing off the brand to the masses. Aside from sponsorship deals, Mansion is already getting attention with its flexible one stop shop for Internet poker, casino, sports, and sports exchange betting. If you're looking into the Corporate History section of the Mansion website it's likely you're not coming up with much, but what is known is that the site is based out of Gibraltar, and holding one of that area's strict gaming licenses is no small feat. The fact that it does so is testament to the fact that the site has proven itself worthy of a good reputation for security and honesty. The Mansion states that its site is where the world plays, but how does it stack up as far as spacious living quarters for global gamblers?

Well, it's likely that right away you will see that the Mansion's branding campaign is in full swing on its website, one of the busiest we have come across. There are invitations aplenty that encourage visitors to sample any of the options set on the Mansion's lengthy table, but the busyness of the site does not detract from its navigability, which is still very clear. There is a clearly tabbed home page for each of the gambling options the Mansion Casino offers, and of course we chose the casino link for our search. We noticed right away that Mansion keeps a tidy house, with the different games offered neatly broken up into genres of table games, video poker, slots and keno. A great feature for internet casino newcomers is the detail link which allows players access to information on how the game is played with all relevant rules and a few strategies outlined. In addition the published content on the home page is well placed and easy to navigate as well. As for the Mansion Casino's commitment to world gamblers, the amount of currency options and language choices continue to back up their play.

Of course, the makeup and appeal of the website is but one half of the overall experience an online gambling site encompasses. How does the Mansion stack up when it comes to the actual gaming experience? Well, all of the games featured at the Mansion are non-download, instant play versions, with the gaming software that powers the site built in house. That's an incredibly innovative approach in an online gambling world that relies on third party software and thus although there are many different options, each experience tends to look the same. But how do these games stack up against major established players such as Cryptologic and Microgaming? Well, fairly well. The games play very well, with smooth animation and controls that are intuitive. There are also useful user options that allow a player to adjust both sound and game speed. One big disappointment was that at the time of the review, Mansion did not include craps among its games. On a more positive note, players can try out free versions of the games before deciding to download, although it will be necessary to register an account with the site.

When it comes to Mansion's statement of allowing the world to play, they fell short as far as platform compatibility. Mac users are unfortunately not a part of the world as Mansion sees it, as not a single game could be played using the OSX. While it was disappointing to find that Mac users are from Mars while Windows users are from, well, Earth, this did give us the opportunity to check out Mansion as far as customer service.

Mansion certainly left no stone unturned as far as customer support is concerned, with several channels available for concerned customers. We checked out the freephone and live chat options and found that both mediums were efficient and the agents effective, although we were ultimately disappointed when it was confirmed that we couldn't run the casino on a Mac.

But enough harping on that part of the experience, on to the positives such as Mansion's player incentives. The Welcome Bonus is particularly appealing as it matches not the first deposits but the first three deposits with low wagering requirements when compared to rival sites. Slot players will also be interested in Mansion Casino's Random Jackpots a thrill; guaranteed payouts are triggered at specified sums even if you don't run a winning line!

When it comes to the world coming to play, Mansion might be stretching it a bit, especially where Mac users and Craps players are concerned. By creating its own software, however, Mansion does stand out from rival sites, many of whom use third party software that hardly allows them to stand out. The varied gambling interests that the Mansion houses is another reason why many players will find the site appealing, so it's worth considering making the Mansion your home on the Internet.