List Of Rival Casinos For Canada
Contents
Here we have gathered a complete list of Rival Casinos accepting UK players. Each of the Rival powered casino sites listed show their first deposit offer of which some are exclusive to this website. Our in-depth guide also gives company names, licensing, slots, minimum deposit and much more. We are in no way connected to Rival as a company and we are purely a fan site.
About Rival Casinos
Rival is a casino platform and games software design company which is 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 own web address is called Rival Powered in order 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 has around fifty different operating online casinos. Originally aimed at the American market, regulatory changes there mean Rival’s target market is now more internationally focused.
The company’s organisation and management structure is more than a little opaque, but it appears to have its headquarters on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, from which its holding company also operates.
Rival also appear to be responsible for additional offices on the neighbouring island of Malta, and on the Caribbean island of Curacao. Curacao is an administrative oddity, which despite being situated just off the north coast of Venezuela, is actually part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. However, it is largely independent, with its own functioning government. The closest equivalent in terms of international status would be the UK’s own overseas territories, such as Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands. All these territories are effectively self-governing, but with their ‘parent’ countries still providing the ‘Head of State’ and remaining 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, whereby it designs the software template which new casino operators can licence in order to set up their own casinos quickly and efficiently. These can then be run on Rival’s own 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 other online casinos as well as its own.
Welcome Bonus 100% Bonus Up To $500 + 20 Bonus Spins |
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Visit Site | Welcome offer 100% up to $500 and 20 Free Spins on 1st deposit. New players only. Bonus expires after 30 days. WR 35x. Full terms apply. |
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Welcome Bonus 200% Bonus Up To $4,000 + 50 Bonus Spins |
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Visit Site | Welcome offer 50 Free Spins on Sands of Space and 200% Match Bonus up to $4000. Code 200BRIGHT required. All offers are available in USD$. Bitcoin is accepted as a deposit currency. Master Card and Visa Deposits are accepted. Full terms apply |
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Welcome Bonus 150% Bonus Up To $500 + 100 Bonus Spins |
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Visit Site | Brand new CA$2,500 and 100 Free Spins Welcome Package over 3 deposits, starting with 150% up to CA$500 on 1st deposit. New players only. Minimum deposit CA$20. As soon as you make your first deposit and your account has been verified, you will be granted 20 free spins for the next five days. You can cash out Bonus Money after you have wagered a total amount of 90 times the Bonus Money you have. Plus spin the Bonus Wheel once a day to find out what random exclusive bonus you’ll get on your next deposit. Full terms apply. |
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Welcome Bonus 200% Bonus Up To $500 + 100 Bonus Spins |
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Visit Site | Brand new CA$2,000 and 100 Free Spins Welcome package over 3 deposits, starting with 200% bonus up to CA$500 and 100 Free Spins on 1st deposit. New players only. Plus spin the Bonus Wheel once a week to find out what random bonus you’ll get on your next deposit. Minimum deposit CA$15. Any winnings you make will be added to your Bonus Money balance. Welcome bonus has a wagering requirment of 40x the bonus amount. Full terms apply. |
The Rival Casino Platform
Rival’s casino platform is branded ‘Casino Controller’, and it offers a comprehensive suite of services to would-be casino operators. This effectively functions as a bespoke ‘back office’, fulfilling all the administrative tasks required to successfully run an online casino. These include services such as data analytics, which enable casino operators to construct bespoke marketing, advertising and promotional plans which are intended to appeal to their own players and attract new customers.
The platform also takes care of banking and payment activities, with particular attention paid to regulatory compliance requirements and fraud prevention. It also operates its own call centre. This means that all the licenced casinos on its platform can take advantage of 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 the services they actually need. 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 really is something for every taste. There are approaching one hundred different titles in standard five reel format alone. Although these cover just about all the popular slot genres, themes produced for the international market seem a little 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 have titles such as Cleopatra’s Coins, Shamrock Isle, Fruit Splash, Golden Gorilla and Mystic Wolf – games which would not be out of place on 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 are likely to 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 all around the world seem to have in common. There is a trio of Scary Rich titles, which fans of the UK’s cheesy Hammer Horror genre may well 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 available in progressive jackpot format, including Diamond Rhino, Money Magic and Strike Gold.
There is far more to the Rival range than simply standard format five reel spins though. 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 continue to be a Rival speciality though, with Dr. Acula, Eggstravaganza, Snow Wonder, Win Mill and Win Sanity also 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 side of the casino, Rival produce 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 does still release new titles at a relatively steady rate of around a dozen new games per year.
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 when compared with 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 around the world, without requiring any additional licencing arrangements. Crucially, a further important consideration for casino operators is that Curacao has relatively low tax rates when compared with other potential licencing territories.
The problem from the point of view of many Europe based players is that it is not a jurisdiction which is 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 will not receive the protection and dispute resolution services which 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 too. Historically, casinos licenced and registered via the CGCB do not have the best reputation for reliability and trustworthiness. Many have simply 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, nor with 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, nor is it illegal to play on such casinos. However, players who do choose to play on such casinos do not enjoy the legal protection and regulatory oversight that playing on a UKGC licenced casino provides them. This is always worth bearing in mind if you are considering playing on 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 to be a little 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 of course (and I’m not offering it), but 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 the likes of NetEnt and Microgaming, Curacao registered casinos are probably not going to 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 really 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 same old, and start to look 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 you 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 that you need to ask the question: can you trust this casino? Do a bit of 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 do 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 for you 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.