PokerStars Casino Review: 7 things you should know before playing

PokerStars is a big name in online gambling. They’ve been around for many years – including in Great Britain.

They obviously offer poker but we’ll be looking at their casino platform. Overall, PokerStars is a pretty good online casino with fast withdrawal times, a good library of games, and more features.

But are they a top online casino UK? Read our full PokerStars Casino review to find out exactly what to expect as a UK player.

1. Is PokerStars legit?

PokerStars is a legal online casino in the UK. That’s because the website is listed on Stars Interactive Limited’s license from the UK Gambling Commission.

All gambling sites that want to operate in the UK must have this licence – such as those on Gamblermaster UK. This ensures they are operating legally.

So this licence proves that PokerStars Casino UK is completely legit and not a scam.

PokerStars is currently owned and operated by Flutter Entertainment. They own many other big online casino brands in the UK.

Flutter is a publically-listed company on the London Stock Exchange. Being publically-listed means they are constantly put under the spotlight to ensure they are operating fairly and properly.

2. Is PokerStars verification fast?

PokerStars must verify all UK players before allowing them to gamble. They are required to do this by the UK Gambling Commission as part of their licence requirements.

They will try to do this automatically as soon as you sign up. They will try to match the personal information from your registration form with a variety of databases. If a match is found then you might be automatically verified which will allow you to play with no documents required.

But automatic verification at PokerStars Casino UK does not always work. This can happen if no database match is found – or if any information is incorrect.

You will then be asked to provide ID documents to verify your identity. Usually this means sending a copy of your:

• Driving licence
• Passport + utility bill/bank statement

These documents will be used to prove your name, age, and address.

In terms of time, PokerStars is a quick verification casino. As long as your documents are clear and recently dated, you should be verified the same day you provide them.

3. What’s the PokerStars withdrawal time UK like?

You will usually receive a withdrawal from PokerStars Casino UK between 24 hours and 5 working days after putting in a payout request. The exact timeframe depends mostly on your verification status and what withdrawal method you use.

As soon as you request a withdrawal, PokerStars will need to approve it. This is done partly to prevent fraud and other crimes. It’s possible for PokerStars to be a no ID verification withdrawal casino UK. This is when no verification documents are needed to process the withdrawal. PokerStars will usually approve your withdrawal within 24 hours if no verification checks are needed.

However, if these checks are required then the approval time can be delayed – sometimes for several days. You will need to send in the required documents before your payout is approved – there’s no getting around this.

Once approved, the time it takes to get your payout from PokerStars Casino UK depends on which withdrawal method you use:

• PayPal: Within 24 hours
• Visa Direct: Within 24 hours
• MuchBetter: Within 24 hours
• Skrill: Within 24 hours
• Neteller: Within 24 hours
• Standard Visa: Up to 5 working days
• Mastercard: Up to 5 working days
• Bank Transfer: Up to 5 working days

PokerStars is a Visa Direct casino which means payments can be completed the same day – often instantly. You must be using an eligible Visa card for this to work.

However, there are other fast payout methods too. PayPal is one of the most obvious but we’ve also listed PokerStars as one of the top MuchBetter casinos in the UK at the moment too.

Because of these quick times, we’ve listed PokerStars as a fast withdrawal casino UK at the moment.

4. What bonuses are there for new UK players?

A PokerStars Casino bonus is available for new UK players who make a first deposit:

• 100% up to £500 + 50 Free Spins
• Bonus code – FIRST500

New casino players only. Min deposit £20 with ‘FIRST500’ required. Max deposit £500. 5 redemption points per £1 required to convert Casino Instant Bonus into cash. Casino Instant and Free Spins expire in 7 days. Selected Slots only. Terms apply. 18+ Play responsibly. BeGambleAware.org. 

PokerStars has one of the best online casino bonuses for UK players as you can get up to £500 in extra bonus money. Most other bonuses don’t go beyond an extra £100.

If you continue to play then you’ll be able to get more offers. For example, it’s possible to find PokerStars bonus codes for existing players. These can be found within your account.

5. Any no wagering at PokerStars Casino UK?

Despite previously being a no wagering casino, PokerStars have added wagering requirements back to their bonus. So this is a pretty bad point of our PokerStars Casino review. It means it will be very hard to actually win any real money from the first deposit bonus.

Looking for a fully no wager casino? MrQ Casino never has any. View our MrQ Casino review for more.

6. Are the slots & games good?

PokerStars Casino UK have a decent library of slots and games available. At the time of writing, there are several hundreds of games available.

They have also partnered with most major game providers – like NetEnt, Microgaming, Playtech, Relax Gaming, and more. But there are a few major game developers still missing. This is something they could improve on in future.

7. What do players say about PokerStars Casino?

At the time of our PokerStars Casino review, they had a mainly negative rating on TrustPilot:

However, quite a few of these negative reviews were about the gameplay:

You should always know that you are playing games of chance at PokerStars. You are never guaranteed to win. In fact, you are more likely to lose – especially in the long run. So you should only gamble for fun.

Therefore, we think the PokerStars score on TrustPilot isn’t a fully accurate reflection of the platform overall.

PokerStars Casino review summary

Overall, we think that PokerStars Casino is a great site with many quality features. The most positive parts are:

• Fast withdrawals on average
• Range of payment methods
• Good selection of games – despite a few major game providers missing

If you do play, make sure to leave your own PokerStars Casino review on this page.