Fortune Room Casino is the debut casino of the Fortune Lounge group, which has one of the longest standing legacies in the online casino industry. Having been in operation for over 5 years, they are possibly the largest group around, have a great deal of experience in the operation and promotion of casinos and their reputation definitely precedes them. To add to this, the name Fortune Room Casino inspires notions of good fortune, luck, entertainment and excitement, all with a hint of destiny…and after hearing so much about this casino; I couldn’t wait to see if perhaps I’d have a chance to change my fortune!
I somehow expected Fortune Room Casino to look a great deal different than it does…I can’t quite put my finger on why but I expected something a little more ornate with a whole lot more flair. For the most part it is very salesy, but that said, the promotions and special bonuses advertised here are vast and quite appealing. Also, their experience obviously comes into play in the layout and design of the page because all the information you’ll ever need regarding getting started, banking, support, promotions etc. is right at your fingertips and of course, its eCogra certified which adds to my peace of mind.
That was all I needed to be convinced to play, so I decided to get started!
Getting Started
As with most other Microgaming Casinos, Fortune Room Casino presents you with the option of downloading their casino or playing their no download Flash version known as the Lite Casino. I’ve come to realize that the download versions for the most part, include way more features, so I opted to download the casino. The Fortune Room Casino download software is rather heavy at 7.48 Megabytes, so make sure you have disk space on your PC and some time to spare. If you’re using a dial-up connection there is no need to worry, Fortune Room Casino offers you the option of ordering a CD which contains the casino software and they will ship it to anywhere in the world. This is truly a mark of their professionalism and dedication to players everywhere but does mean you may have to wait a while…from what I can determine though, it will be worth it.
Once my download was complete and the software installed, I decided to take a detailed look at what welcome bonuses and promotions where on offer at this casino.
Welcome Bonus and Promotional Offerings
Fortune Room definitely offers you a wealth of promotions and bonuses, and you’re sure to find something that appeals to you within these. When visiting the casino, you won’t be able to miss Fortune Room’s latest promotional offering for new players…the 1000% Bonus Makeover, not only because it’s so prominently displayed, but also because of the sheer size of it!
Essentially, all you have to do is open a new account and deposit $50 in order to receive up to $500 free. How it works is that every dollar won is equal to a 1% purchase match, so for example, if your closing balance is equal to $212, then you will receive a 212% purchase match, with 1000% as your maximum bonus. As with all bonuses, terms and conditions apply and unless otherwise explicitly stated, all deposit match bonuses at Fortune Room have wagering requirements of 15x for both the deposit and bonus amounts and wagering requirements for withdrawal purposes will be counted from the time promotional bonuses are added to the casino account.
There is also a bonus offering of 100% for those opting to use the Lite (Flash) Casino version and promotional codes need to be submitted in order to redeem this.
Another great offer is the International Casino Games 2006/7 promotion where you stand a chance of winning 1 of a 100 sets of double tickets aboard a luxury Caribbean Cruise, where you’ll compete for $250,000 Grand Prize in cash.
Other bonuses include, deposit bonuses for players using Click2Pay, FirePay or Neteller deposit options.
All in all, these are some of the best promotional offerings I’ve seen in ages, and while I can’t go into all the terms and conditions here, please make sure you read them so that you’re aware of what is required to be eligible for these. I decided to take advantage of their Makeover bonus (my finances definitely need a facelift after all the casino testing!) and then took a look at what their Players Club had to offer.
Fortune Lounge Players Club
As part of Fortune Lounge, Fortune Room offers free entry into their Players Club. This is a rewards program that promises generous rewards and exclusive member’s only benefits. As a member of the Players Club you will earn valuable Fortune Points for your play at the casino and you are also entitled to a range of benefits including regular promotions and essential gaming information updates. As your membership status increases (dependant on game play, duration and loyalty), so too will your benefits.
Thoroughly impressed and determined to reach Platinum status which would earn me Bonus Points which translate into more cash every week, I headed off to try out the games.
Making the deposit
Once in the casino lobby, I made my way to the cashier in order to deposit the $50 I’d need to claim my bonus. I elected to do this via Neteller, but noticed that like other casinos out there, Fortune Room offers a host of deposit methods including Credit Cards, Bank wire, Click2Pay and FirePay as well as the more unusual U-Cash and Payspark methods. Non US methods are not evident and UK Maestro cards amongst others are not accepted by this casino, and only US$ accounts can be registered, which may put you off if you live outside the US and prefer to wager in other currencies.
I’m happy to wager in US$ and managed to make my deposit quickly and easily with no complications…now for the fun stuff!
Getting into the Games
The games lobby at Fortune are set out like all other Microgaming casinos, grouped by type, with a preview window enabling you to see what you’ll be playing if you choose them. The software is truly my favorite, presenting you with razor sharp graphics, lifelike audio and generally flawless game play, which means that you have a truly entertaining gaming experience.
While there is an impressive array of games available at Fortune Room, not all the games available at other Micro casinos are present. This is especially evident when it comes to the newer versions of Table Games such as Blackjack. After browsing around for a while I decided to get playing.
Slots
I always like to make sure I meet the wagering requirements for my bonus, which generally means I have to stay away from Roulette and craps, so I headed off to the Slots section of the lobby. Their slots selection is very impressive and includes a range of machines from classic 3-line machines to the latest Multi-line Video and Bonus slots. Unlike other casinos, Fortune Room has huge betting limits and allows bets up to $125 a spin on certain games! Which is sure to please big spenders and highrollers alike! I on the other hand, am not quite in that league just yet so I just enjoyed a short flutter on a couple of the lower limit games and I like to think I had just as much fun with half the stress! Either way, it’s great to have options and you’re sure to enjoy hours of entertainment.
After a couple of hours on slots and a rollercoaster of wins and I losses, I guiltily moved along to try and recoup some semblance of a balance (bearing in mind that reaching a $0 balance would render all promise of a bonus null and void). Next on my agenda was Video Poker.
Video Poker
Video Poker is definitely one of my preferred games when going a long way on a little bit of cash is involved…you always get alot of play for your money and Fortune Room has a vast magnitude of games for you to play. Upon browsing the listings I noticed that all of the classic favorites where there, including the ever popular Jacks or Better and Aces and Faces Video Poker. There are also the newer progressive offerings of Deuces Wild Progressive Video Poker and both single and multi-handed variants of all of these.
As usual, the payouts where great and the games feature tremendous amounts of detail, making them thoroughly enjoyable as I hopped from one variant to another. Finally my balance was exceptionally healthy and I decided it was time to hit the tables.
Table Games
As I mentioned previously, not all the table games available at other Microgaming Casinos can be found at Fortune Room, but the Table and Card games on offer include Blackjack, Roulette (Standard, European and French) as well as Baccarat, Craps and the newer 3 Card Poker variants.
Game play on each of these is really smooth, graphics are unsurpassed in their excellence and the casino audio really serves to transport you into the casino atmosphere and ensure that you thoroughly enjoy every second!
Cash-in
Not any worse for the wear after play at the table games, and upon meeting all the wagering requirements, I decided to cash-in. Withdrawals are held for a period of 24 hours wherein you have to fight the urge to reverse your request! Withdrawal options are plentiful but may be restricted by your deposit method, so just be aware of that. After approximately 48 hours, my money was returned to my Neteller account, which is not too bad at all.
Support
Throughout my Fortune Room experience, I hadn’t needed to contact support as everything had run rather smoothly but decided to test them for the purpose of this review. While there are a variety of contact options available including Live Chat and Toll free telephone numbers, I opted to test their e-mail response…which was obviously not the best option as I had to wait some time before receiving a response. I decided to follow up via telephone and was however, pleasantly surprised at the quality of support on hand who were more than able to answer the barrage of questions I threw at them and apologized for the delay in mail time response, which was enough to placate me and force me to use real time methods in future.
The Verdict
On the whole Fortune Room is another Microgaming success which is sure to appeal to all the highrollers out there. While it may have slightly fewer games on offer than the other casinos out there, its games variety is still impressive and sure to provide hours of entertainment. Their support may be a tad slow but make up for it in quality. Above all though, their promotional offerings and Rewards program (which may be the best around) definitely add a very personal touch and help you to overlook any small niggles you may have as you are treated like a VIP from the very start!
I highly recommend playing at this casino and will be sure to return myself in the near future.
