PlayNow is the official and legal casino for Canadian players who reside in British Columbia or Manitoba. This is the only provincially run online casino for these residents. There are plenty of great casino games and jackpots up for grabs and the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) have been working hard to ensure that their players get the most from the site. The site was launched in 2004 for players from BC but in January 2013 players from Manitoba gained access to their own site. The online casino features a range of Vegas style games, sports betting, lottery, bingo, and poker games that can be accessed via PC and mobile devices including iPhone and iPad.
New players from British Columbia or Manitoba who sign up for a real players account at PlayNow can claim a $100 bonus. You need to use the bonus code CASINO100 and make a first deposit of a minimum of $100. This is quite steep when compared with international online casinos that accept players from Canada. If your deposit is less than $100 you will not be eligible for the bonus. You also need to make a cumulative spend of $500 before you automatically receive your $100 free casino credits. The wagering requirements are 30x.
There are plenty of other promotions available for players who enjoy lottery, poker, sports betting, or bingo. The promotions page of the website contains all the information you need on these including the chance to get a free bet of up to $50 on sports betting. Poker fans can take part in some fantastic free rolls and special offers to. We do advise that you check out the terms and conditions of all promotions first so that you know exactly what to do.
When choosing to sign up with any online casino it is important to know that facts. This includes the advantages and disadvantages that any site may have. With PlayNow, there are a number of advantages including:
Of course, there are some disadvantages that players will need to be aware of too and these include:
The PlayNow casino uses Spielo G2 software which features over 100 great games. This software company has over 20 years of experience in the industry and has made many mergers and acquisitions over the years including GTECH which was rebranded as IGT after a merger in March 2014. The casino is available in no download instant play, and mobile. This means that all games can be enjoyed in your browser on both iOS and Android devices. The graphics are stunning on the retina display of the iPhone or iPad and the integration of touch and swipe features on the mobile games is excellent.
The PlayNow site allows players to access their online gambling services via their mobile devices. This means that you can play all your favorite games on your iPhone, iPad, Android smartphone or tablet. There isn't a dedicated casino app but you can access all the features by visiting the site through your mobile browser. The mobile casino includes a menu tab where players can gain access to all their account information as well as manage their account. You will also find recommended games in the menu tab on the mobile casino. New games are being added to the mobile casino on a regular basis too.
Unfortunately Play Now casino doesn't have a live dealer section. We don't know if this is something that BCLC are considering adding to their casino line-up either. It is a shame as live dealer games are proving to be very popular with gambling enthusiasts.
There are over 100 titles to choose from at PlayNow casino but one thing that online gambling fans will notice about the games is that they aren't the usual brands they are used to playing. You won't find the most popular slots here but you will find a lot of unique and exciting games. The Las Vegas themed slots games include free spins, wilds, multipliers, bonus round and more. Another plus is that because the games are only available to residents of BC and Manitoba, players have a better chance of winning a progressive jackpot.
Players can enjoy a wide selection of games including slots, blackjack, roulette, baccarat, video poker, and more. The games are all unique IGT titles including popular titles like Jacks or Better, Jokers Wild, Cleopatra, Star Trek: Against all Odds, Wolf Run, Chain Reactor, and Siberian Storm. There are some great arcade games to enjoy too. The casino games are divided into different categories and these are: PlayNow Exclusives, blackjack games, table games, new games, 9 line slots, 20 line slots, free spin slots, progressive jackpots, video poker, reactors, arcade, scratch cards, and all slots.
PlayNow does not publish the RTP for their games but the return to player percentage for all IGT games is available online. The highest RTP titles include Texas Tea Slot at 97.35%, Wheel of Fortune at 96%, Monopoly at 96.01%, and Bitten at 95.02%.
There are a total of 23 progressive jackpot games at PlayNow casino including - Astro Fruit, Cash Machine, Cash Drop, Chain Reactors, Robin Hood, Road Trip, and SuperCubes. To date there have been some great wins too and you can read all about these on the Winner's page of the website. These include Maya Ambroziewicz who won the $145,400.60 Chain Reactors Super Trails Progressive Jackpot, a player by the name of Graeme won the $525,736.26 Cash Drop Progressive Jackpot and Bill Symons won the $363,251.08 Supercubes progressive jackpot.
Managing your account at PlayNow is easy. Deposits and withdrawals can be made using verified Visa, MasterCard, Interac Online and Online bill payment. This may not be as many options as international casinos but there are some great security features available including a weekly transfer limit that players can set. This allows players to have control over how much money they can transfer from their bank to their casino account each week. There is a minimum deposit amount of $5 for all deposits. It should also be noted that the BCLC imposes a pre-set deposit limit on all initial deposits with a 24-hour delay for increase requests.
The customer support team can be reached via email, live chat and telephone. Live chat is available from 7am to midnight PST each day. Support for poker is available 24/7. The staff are very friendly and helpful in all areas.
PlayNow is very strict when it comes to age and there are residency controls in place to ensure that only players from BC and Manitoba can register for an account. They use the latest encryption technology as well as GameSense a feature that helps players make informed choices about games, odds, and the potential risks involved in online gambling. The site is safe and secure but they are not independently audited by the likes of eCOGRA.
The site has been online in BC since 2004 with PlayNow for Manitoba coming on stream in 2013. We haven't been able to find any complaints for this site. This is a good thing and shows that BCLC are doing a good job with their provincially run online casino.
There are too many restricted countries to list here so it is easy to just say that PlayNow is only available to Canadian players who reside in British Columbia or Manitoba. Everyone else is prohibited from opening an account.
The things that make this online casino stand out from the rest is that it is the only legal, provincially run online casino for residents of Manitoba and BC. Players can play in CAD and they have a better chance of winning jackpots. All the banking options are Canadian friendly and the support team are based in Canada too.
PlayNow is a good choice for anyone looking for a legal, provincially run online gambling site in British Columbia or Manitoba. The software being used is excellent but the promotions are lacking when compared with international brands. We are hoping that BCLC will work on adding to this. The site is safe and regulated and is available in instant play and for mobile devices. It offers casino, bingo, lottery, poker and more and is solely for the use of Canadian players. If you don't mind the lack of variety then this is a good site to choose.