Matchbook Casino Review

Review of Matchbook Casino

Matchbook is a well known name in the online sports betting world that, after opening in 2004, established a reputation for servicing predominantly American punters. However after being sold to new owners in 2011 the site was revamped with a European and Asian focus and all its prior American customers were no longer welcome. These days Matchbook is a United Kingdom Gambling Commission regulated sports betting exchange with a casino sub-section, and it was that part of the site that I was most interested in testing out.

Software and Game Selection

Matchbook Casino has a dedicated web-based platform for its betting exchange and casino, which means that you don't have to download any software to register, deposit, play, or withdraw funds from the casino. This is backed up by a pretty decent mobile site, which actually feels a lot more intuitive to use than the standard desktop interface. Signing up for an account at Matchbook was painless, taking only a minute or so of my time. I was able to deposit money very quickly using my Neteller account, and was up and ready to play within minutes.

The casino offers Net Entertainment slot machines, so you'll get the chance to play all of the company's big name slots like South Park, Jimi Hendrix, Gonzo's Quest, Starburst, and dozens more. These are some of the best designed and most fun to play slot machines in the world today. However it was disappointing to see that Net Entertainment's famous progressive jackpot games like Mega Fortune and Hall of Gods are not available for play at Matchbook. The selection of slots are being extended with the recent addition of games from Red Tiger Gaming.

Matchbook also offers a good selection of table games, some of which are proprietary versions that have been developed in house. The game available include variations of Blackjack and Roulette, Baccarat, Casino Hold'em, Pai Gow Poker, and Caribbean Stud. There are also several video poker machines to play with the specific variations being Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, All American, and Joker Wild.

It is hard however to escape the impression that the site's bread and butter is their betting exchange, which allows you to both back (bet on) or lay (bet against) competitors in the numerous sporting competitions that go on around the world each day. It prominently features its "Colossus" bet which tasks you with correctly picking the winners in some outrageous multi-bet challenges for a chance of winning up to €10 million. These challenges include things such as picking the scores of seven football fixtures played over a weekend, or pick all 15 results from a set of fixtures.

Banking and Customer Support

The banking system is what I would call adequate, with Matchbook accepting a small number of funding options, including deposits and withdrawals through Visa, Neteller, Skrill, Paysafecard and bank transfers. While the list is not extensive, the withdrawal speed was quite good. I made a deposit, declined to take a bonus, and then spoke to support about verifying my account. I submitted my documents before I started playing and they were approved by the time I withdrew to a Neteller account later that night, and then I went to bed. I was pleasantly surprised to find the money was back in my Neteller account by the next morning. I noted that the terms specify that large wins of over €100,000 may be paid in instalments over a period of 10 months.

The site discloses that the account funds of customers are held in accounts that are separate to those used for the day to day running of the business. However they only meet the criteria for "basic" level of protection according to UKGC standards. This means that the funds are not protected from being claimed by other creditors in the event of insolvency.

Customer support at Matchbook is available through email, telephone, and live chat. Both times I paged support through chat, I had a rep contact me within ten seconds. As mentioned earlier, they were able to help me get my documents verified up front as I prefer to do that before I withdraw in order to expedite the process.

Security, Fairness, and Responsible Gaming

Access to Matchbook's website, betting exchange and casino is encrypted using SSL technology at all times. As expected this is also the case when you are transaction with the casino's cashier. This encryption ensures the privacy of both your betting activity and your personal information while it is in transit between your computer and their server.

Each of the Net Entertainment games, which represent the majority of the titles at the casino, provide their theoretical return to player (RTP) percentages inside their in-game help files. Matchbook itself does not report any consolidated payout figures or independent audits of its payouts.

Responsible gaming is given a dedicated section in the rules and regulations section of the site and I found that, in accordance with UKGC regulations, you have the ability to limit your gameplay, fund transfers, and time spent on the site through your account settings. There is also an option to self-exclude and the site has a clear explanation of the consequences and procedures for doing so.

Conclusion

Matchbook's modern guise as a betting exchange with a casino on the side will be of most interest to those of you who like to indulge in frequent sports betting and/or trading. Its casino is lacking compared to specialist multi-provider casinos due to its limited choice of slot machines. Despite experiencing no trouble in our testing of the site, the recent suspension of its UKGC license is a significant concern that means we can only recommend that you avoid this bookmaker until such time as its licensing issue is clarified one way or another.