Rival Casinos For The UK
Contents
Here, we have gathered a complete Rival Casino list accepting UK players. Each Rival casino site listed shows its first deposit offer, of which some are exclusive to this website. Our in-depth guide also gives company names, licensing, slots, minimum deposit, etc. We are not connected to Rival as a company but are purely a fan site.
Rival Casino List
This list of Rival casinos accepts players from the UK. Some casinos have games from Rival rather than using their platform.
Welcome Bonus £50 No Deposit Required - 100% Bonus Up To £1,000 |
Visit Site | Welcome offer £50 Free Chips to play on Lucky Jackpots on signup. Plus 100% NO WAGER BONUS on your first deposit using credit card. 30X wagering requirement (60X for table games and video poker), based on the amount of your deposit plus bonus, and no limits on how much you are allowed to withdraw. Bonus amount is non-cashable and will be removed from the amount of your withdrawal request. You must play all spins before switching games. Free spins have 5x additional wagering requirements and no added restrictions on withdrawal. Standard rules apply. |
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Welcome Bonus 200% Bonus Up To £3,000 + 75 Free Spins No DepositCocoa is a fairly new Rival casino site and accepts Bitcoin to stay anonymous. In fact, Bitcoin payments mean you get a bigger bonus! |
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Visit Site | Exclusive welcome offer 75 Free Spins on Hail Caesar on sign up, no deposit required. Plus choose between a 200% Deposit Bonus or 100% Cashback as a Welcome offer. Minimum deposit for 200% Bonus is £25. Maximum Bonus is £3000. Bonus only valid for Rival Slots – Video Slots and 3 Reel Slots 35x deposit + bonus playthrough required. An increased level of Deposit Bonus can also be claimed for large deposits – 230% up to £1147.7 for a minimum deposit of £300 and 280% up to £4200 for a minimum deposit of £500. T&Cs apply. |
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Welcome Bonus 200% Bonus Up To £3,000 + 50 Free Spins No DepositBigger bonuses available for Bitcoin payments at this Desert Island themed Rival casino. |
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Visit Site | Exclusive welcome offer 50 Free Spins on Majestic Mermaid Treasure, no deposit required. Plus choose between a 200% Deposit Bonus or 100% Cashback as a Welcome offer. Minimum deposit for 200% Bonus is £25. Maximum Bonus is £3000. Bonus only valid for Rival Slots – Video Slots and 3 Reel Slots 35x deposit + bonus playthrough required. An increased level of Deposit Bonus can also be claimed for large deposits – 230% up to £1147.7 for a minimum deposit of £300 and 280% up to £4200 for a minimum deposit of £500. T&Cs apply. |
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Welcome Bonus 200% Bonus Up To £3,000 + 75 Free Spins No Deposit |
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Visit Site | Exclusive welcome offer 75 Free Spins on Hail Caesar, no deposit required. Plus choose between a 200% Deposit Bonus or 100% Cashback as a Welcome offer. Minimum deposit for 200% Bonus is £25. Maximum Bonus is £3000. Bonus only valid for Rival Slots – Video Slots and 3 Reel Slots 35x deposit + bonus playthrough required. An increased level of Deposit Bonus can also be claimed for large deposits. T&Cs apply. |
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Welcome Bonus 200% Bonus Up To £3,000 + 75 Free Spins No DepositUK players accepted at this Rival casino and a vast selection of unique slots. Instant Bitcoin deposits available. |
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Visit Site | Exclusive welcome offer 75 Free Spins on Hail Caesar on sign up, no deposit required. Plus choose between a 200% Deposit Bonus or 100% Cashback as a Welcome offer. Minimum deposit for 200% Bonus is £25. Maximum Bonus is £3000. Bonus only valid for Rival Slots – Video Slots and 3 Reel Slots 35x deposit + bonus playthrough required. An increased level of Deposit Bonus can also be claimed for large deposits – 230% up to £1147.7 for a minimum deposit of £300 and 280% up to £4200 for a minimum deposit of £500. T&Cs apply. |
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Welcome Bonus 300% Bonus Up To £3,000 + 30 Bonus Spins |
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Visit Site | Welcome offer 300% Slots bonus plus 30 Free Spins on Ten Times Wins and a 100% cashback on your first and second deposit. Code BIGEVENT required. The code BIGEVENT is valid on the first two deposits. The minimum deposit is £25+ on slots and specialty games only. PT X 40, no maximum cashout. Cashback is given in the form of a Free Chip, PT x50, maximum cash out x5, to be claimed in Live Chat. Terms apply. |
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Welcome Bonus 250% Bonus Up To £1,000 |
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Visit Site | Welcome offer 250% Slots Match on 1st deposit using code OMERTA250 followed by 300% Slots Match on 2nd deposit using code OMERTA300. OMERTA250 and OMERTA300 codes are valid once for new players on slots and specialty games only, hold playthrough x40, no maximum cash-out. Both coupons are activated on a minimum deposit of $25+. OMERTA300 can be claimed only after playing with OMERTA250. |
About Rival Casinos
Rival is a casino platform and games software design company focused on the North American online gaming market. There are several similarly named companies in the gaming and information technology markets, so it is easy to confuse them. Indeed, this particular organisation is well aware of the problem as its web address is called Rival Powered to attempt to differentiate itself from its ‘rival’ rivals.
Founded in 2005, the company has developed a wide range of online games. It has also developed its own ‘white label’ platform, which, at the time of writing, had around fifty different operating online casinos. Aimed initially at the American market, regulatory changes mean Rival’s target market is now more internationally focused.
The company’s organisation and management structure is more than a little opaque. Still, it appears to have its headquarters on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, from which its holding company also operates.
Rival is also responsible for additional offices on Malta’s neighbouring island and Curacao’s Caribbean island. Curacao is an administrative oddity, which, despite being situated just off the north coast of Venezuela, is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. However, it is mainly independent, with its functioning government. The closest equivalent in terms of international status would be the UK’s overseas territories, such as Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands. All these territories are effectively self-governing, but their ‘parent’ countries still provide the ‘Head of State’ and remain responsible for their territories’ defence and foreign policy.
The company is focused on two separate but linked strands of the online gaming industry. It has a ‘white label’ design function, designing the software template new casino operators can license to set up their casinos quickly and efficiently. These can then be run on Rival’s software platform. It is also a prolific online games provider, designing a wide range of casino games. Most of these are slots, but the company also produces a variety of other, more traditional casino formats. These games are available on different online casinos as well as its own.
The Rival Casino Platform
Rival’s casino platform is branded ‘Casino Controller’, offering a comprehensive suite of services to would-be casino operators. This functions as a bespoke ‘back office’, fulfilling all the administrative tasks required to run an online casino successfully. These include data analytics services, enabling casino operators to construct bespoke marketing, advertising and promotional plans to appeal to their players and attract new customers.
The platform also handles banking and payment activities, particularly concerning regulatory compliance requirements and fraud prevention. It also operates its own call centre. This means all the licenced casinos on its platform can use a full suite of customer support services. These include e-mail, telephone and live chat support.
Licenced casino operators can choose which services they wish to offer their players. This enables them to budget accordingly – only being required to pay for their services. The platform is also flexible in another way: the company’s games can be offered to casinos operating on an alternative platform, plus, of course, casinos on the Rival platform can choose to offer games from other software providers.
Rival Slots & Casino Games
With approaching two decades of history behind them, Rival have a vast array of different games in their portfolio. On the slot front, there is something for every taste. There are approaching one hundred different titles in the standard five-reel format alone. Although these cover just about all the popular slot genres, themes produced for the international market seem more varied than the somewhat stereotypical tastes catered for on this side of the pond.
This means that standard European and United Kingdom topics are covered, but not to the same depth as that provided by Continental and British-based software providers. Rival has titles such as Cleopatra’s Coins, Shamrock Isle, Fruit Splash, Golden Gorilla and Mystic Wolf – games which would not be out of place in any casino targeted at the UK gaming market. But if you are looking for a broad choice of alternative Egyptian, Irish or fruit-focused titles, you will likely be out of luck.
Instead, there is a more diverse choice of topics, which can make a refreshing change from the more conventional European fayre. Typical titles include the puntastic Alien Spinvasion, Catsino and Zombiezee Money. Indeed, the gothic horror theme is one that players worldwide seem to have in common. There is a trio of Scary Rich titles, which fans of the UK’s cheesy Hammer Horror genre may enjoy.
Other games include the doomtastic Nuclear Fishin’ and the animated Dog Pound Dollar$, which is about as far from Battersea Dog’s Home as you could hope to get. Around half a dozen of the company’s slots are also in progressive jackpot format, including Diamond Rhino, Money Magic and Strike Gold.
However, there is far more to the Rival range than standard format five-reel spins. Vintage and Classic slots fans are also well catered for. There are around forty alternative three-reel titles to choose from. These include titles like Big Bang Buckaroo, Diamond Cherries, Midas Touch and Merlin’s Mystical Multipliers.
Punning titles remain a Rival speciality, though, with Dr. Acula, Eggstravaganza, Snow Wonder, Win Mill and Win Sanity among the three reel options. Numbers are another regular feature, with titles like Jackpot 5 x Wins, Sensational 6’s and Loco 7’s.
Meanwhile, on the traditional casino side, Rival produces a small range of card and table games. These include a variety of formats of Blackjack, Poker and Roulette.
While the company’s efforts do seem to be targeted more toward its platform and white-label operations, its gaming software design department is still hard at work. Rival still releases new titles at a relatively steady rate of around a dozen new games yearly.
Rival casinos are licenced and regulated via the Curaçao Gaming Control Board (CGCB). Licencing via the CGCB holds several advantages for casino operators. It is inexpensive compared to most alternative licencing authorities, and it can be a relatively swift process, with a licence granted after around a month if things go smoothly.
Holding a Curaçao licence also enables a new casino to begin operating in most countries worldwide, without requiring any additional licencing arrangements. Crucially, a further important consideration for casino operators is that Curacao has relatively low tax rates compared to other potential licencing territories.
The problem from the point of view of many Europe-based players is that it is not a jurisdiction recognised by many European authorities. This is the case with the United Kingdom, which means that UK based players who choose to play on casinos licenced via Curacao are not covered by the regulatory powers of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). This is important because if such players were to find themselves in dispute with a Curacao licenced casino, they would not receive the protection and dispute resolution services the UKGC provides via its licenced casinos.
Indeed, from the typical online casino player’s point of view, this is the downside of the swiftness and relative cheapness of the Curacao licencing procedure. It’s great for casino owners, who can start operations quickly and easily, but they can also close and disappear pretty swiftly. Historically, casinos licenced and registered via the CGCB do not have the best reputation for reliability and trustworthiness. Many have ceased trading, leaving many disappointed players without their hard-earned winnings.
Furthermore – it gets worse – the CGCB rarely intervenes in such disputes, meaning that players are effectively left ‘high and dry’ without the ability to appeal to the licencing authority or any realistic alternative way of fighting to get their money.
From the UK player’s point of view, Curaçao licenced casinos effectively operate in what is known as the ‘grey market’. Casinos regulated via the UKGC’s recognised licencing authorities are ‘whitelisted’. These territories include the Channel Islands (usually Alderney or Guernsey), the Isle of Man, Gibraltar and Malta. All these regulatory authorities are recognised by the UK Gambling Commission and fall under its jurisdiction.
Online casinos which operate without a valid licence (these are very rare) are ‘blacklisted’ and are operating illegally. The ‘grey market’ is effectively somewhere between the two. It is not illegal to operate such a casino in the United Kingdom market or play on such casinos. However, players on such casinos do not enjoy the legal protection and regulatory oversight that playing in a UKGC-licenced casino provides them. This is always worth considering if you are considering playing at a Curacao-licenced casino.
Advantages and disadvantages of playing on a casino licenced by the CGCB
In addition to these regulatory and consumer protection issues, there are other factors to consider when deciding whether to play on Curacao licenced casinos such as Rival’s. One noticeable trend is that the typical Return to Player Rate (RTP) seems slightly lower on Curacao licenced casinos. I haven’t done a detailed statistical analysis, but it seems apparent that, on average, RTPs are around 1% lower on slots than you would expect to find on UK-licenced games.
This may not sound like a lot, but it means that over the long term (RTPs are calculated over a very long term), or if you are spending a lot of money, 1% could represent a large chunk of your stake money and winnings. Casino players are not necessarily looking for investment advice (and I’m not offering it). Still, over the longer term, on average, you’ll get more of your hard-earned stake money back in winnings if you play on a UK market-compatible casino.
Another factor could be an advantage or a disadvantage, depending on your point of view or playing preferences. Because Curacao-licenced casinos are predominantly aimed at markets outside the UK and Europe, they do tend to feature different games from those usually found on UKGC-licenced sites. Therefore, if you are looking for the usual popular favourite games, such as those provided by NetEnt and Microgaming, Curacao-registered casinos will probably not appeal to you.
On the other hand, if you are the type of player who gets a bit jaded by finding all the same games appearing on every site you try, a Curacao-licenced casino could be a breath of fresh air. The quality of graphics, gameplay and special features of their games tend to be just as good. It’s just that there seems to be a lot more variety and originality to be found there when compared with the somewhat homogenous offerings of our own market’s sites.
Therefore, if you are tempted to scream the next time you spot yet another pharaoh, pyramid, shamrock or rainbow-festooned slot and are looking for something away from the usual mainstream fayre, a Rival casino could be just the place for you.
All gambling is about risk. Your attitude to risk will determine your playing style and spending profile. Do you prefer to stick with ‘tried and tested’ mainstream casinos? Do you like to stick with your familiar favourite games, or do you get bored with the same old and start looking for novelty and new thrills?
Deciding to play on a Curaçao licenced casino adds another layer to that risk. Casinos like those on the Rival platform are not covered by the jurisdiction of the UK Gambling Commission, so the minimal ‘safety net’ that this UK government body provides is absent.
However, playing on a Curaçao listed casino is not ‘illegal’. These are legitimate businesses, properly licenced – just not recognised by the UK Government’s gambling regulator. From a player’s point of view, though, it is worth remembering that a Curacao licence does not offer much protection. If there is a dispute with a casino, appealing to the Government of Curacao for support is unlikely to get you very far.
This means you must ask the question: can you trust this casino? Do some background research before signing up to play on a Curacao-listed site. Check online for criticism and previous reports of bad behaviour and poor payment practices before parting with your hard-earned money.
If you decide to take the plunge, one thing is for sure: you will find games you have never seen before, with plenty of variety and novelty to explore. Casinos on the Rival platform are a great place to start, with a varied mix of contemporary and classic slots, plus a good selection of traditional casino games too.