There’s a big surprise for all new Vegas Gems customers
I need to get one important fact out of the way right at the start of this Vegas Gems review, and that’s the lack of any real-money gaming. So you won’t find any deposit match offers here, or at any other sweepstakes casino for that matter. And since no deposits are available, and you won’t be able to use your bankroll for powering up your gameplay, you’re going to need something else for playing games. But don’t worry, as there’s a welcome bonus for all new players, and the innovative way in which it’s presented gave a big boost to my overall Vegas Gems Casino rating.
Forget about the usual Gold Coin and Sweepstakes Coin freebies offered by most similar gaming platforms. And you won’t usually need a special Vegas Gems bonus code either - although I always have my ear to the ground, so if anything comes up, I’ll be sure to highlight it on this page. I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy claiming this offer almost as much as using your free-to-play tokens, thanks to the way in which it’s presented.
Open your treasure chest to reveal your award
Vegas Gems is all about precious jewels, so gameplay is carried out using virtual currencies known as Shards and Gems. And in keeping with the theme, your welcome bonus is presented in the form of a treasure chest, which you’ll open to reveal up to 1,000 Gems. There’s the first of your daily login treasure chests to open too, which will award free Shards and more bonus Gems. And if you decide to make an entirely optional Shard purchase, you can look forward to a 50% discount on your first purchase.
Vegas Gems is fresh and modern
With so many new sweepstakes platforms opting for dark color themes, it was exceptionally refreshing to find an abundance of purple tones at Vegas Gems, which injects a fun vibe, in keeping with the catalog of games on offer. I’ll be taking a closer look at the games and providers later on in this Vegas Gems review, where I’ll be highlighting some of the top slots from Pragmatic Play and Belatra, as well as some exclusive blockchain-inspired games.
For now, you just need to know that Vegas Gems is as suitable for casino game newbies as it is for more experienced players. The menus are straightforward, and it’s easy to find your way around with the minimum number of clicks and taps, which is always a positive! I was pleased to see an option for listing games according to their volatility, but allowing us to search for games by name would have been useful - and I’m hopeful that a search box will be added in the near future.
I checked out the Vegas Gems Casino reviews on Trustpilot, where the platform has achieved a 4.4* rating from current players. There was plenty of praise for the helpfulfulness of the customer support team, and the speed of prize redemptions, which is always a positive sign! There were a few moans from not-so-satisfied players, but closer investigation usually reveals that the loudest critics have failed to abide by the platform’s terms of service and sweepstakes rules.
Mobile-first gameplay at Vegas Gems
When only the
best sweeps apps
will do, betting.co.uk is your go-to friend with a list of reliable options. But I’m increasingly finding that app downloads simply aren’t required to enjoy playing modern games on your smartphone. During the course of my Vegas Gems review, I identified an option for downloading an APK file directly from the platform, but it’s really not necessary - this is a platform optimized for all your devices, offering a seamless gaming experience across all operating systems and screen sizes.
Vegas Gems mobile optimized site
Vegas Gems welcome and daily bonus
A choice of payments and Vegas Gems prize redemptions
You don’t have to buy any Shard packages to enjoy everything that Vegas Gems has to offer, but as I pointed out right at the start of this Vegas Gems review, there’s a 50% discount for first-timers - and it comes with bonus Gems too, so it’s worth considering. You can pay using your credit or debit card, and there’s even a choice of crypto payments, so you can also buy Shards using:
- Bitcoin
- Bitcoin Cash
- Ethereum
- Litecoin
- Ripple
- USDT.
You can buy a package of 50,000 Shards for just $4.99, which comes with 5 bonus Gems included. All price points are covered, but the most popular Shard package is priced at $19.99, containing 175,000 Shards and 21 bonus Gems.
Shards and Gems have no cash value, but Gems winnings have potential to become redeemable, once you’ve played your tokens through in accordance with the sweepstakes rules. Each redeemable Gem is equivalent to $1, and you can have your cash prize transferred to your card or bank account, or to your crypto wallet, if that’s more convenient for you.
Friendly and responsive customer support for Vegas Gems players
Checking out the provision for assistance was an essential aspect of my Vegas Gems review, starting with the site’s FAQ section. In all honesty, it’s not the most impressive I’ve come across, so if you’re hoping to find an extensive Help Center, you’re in for a disappointment. But to make up for it, Vegas Gems offers 24/7 support, which is far from standard at free-to-play gaming sites.
There’s a live chat service available, but you’ll have to go via a bot first, and at busy periods there can be a bit of a wait involved before you get to speak to a real person. You can also email the team on support@vegasgems.com, with a response expected within 24 hours.
Safety and security take top priority at Vegas Gems
There’s no point looking for an industry license at Vegas Gems, or any other
sweepstakes casino sites. No real-money gameplay means no gambling takes place, so it’s just sweepstakes regulations that apply when you register for a Vegas Gems account. You can legally sign up and play games on the platform, provided that you’re at least 18 - although a higher minimum age requirement may apply in some jurisdictions - and that you don’t live in any of the following states:
- Idaho
- Washington
- Michigan
- Nevada.
You won’t be playing games with real money, but as I’ve mentioned earlier in this Vegas Gems review, Shard purchases are available, and Gems winnings can be redeemed for real cash prizes. Data security isn’t an issue though, since the site uses SSL encryption and places an emphasis on player safety. Even though Vegas Gems is a social casino, there’s a robust responsible gaming policy in place, including information about further resources to help any players in need of additional support.
Keep opening those treasure chests for more Vegas Gems rewards
Your time at Vegas Gems begins with the opening of a treasure chest, but you can look forward to regular treats in the form of daily login treasure chests, containing random amounts of Shards and Gems. And that’s only one of the ways in which you can top up your gaming account with more virtual tokens.
There are bonus Gems included with every Shards purchase, and although this isn’t obligatory, it’s well worth taking advantage of the introductory 50% discount. Buying a Shard package entitles you to opt in to receive Bonus Rain, which is awarded every hour to eligible players - and it’s a great way of claiming an extra freebie. Be sure to opt in for email and SMS notifications too, as some of the best offers and exclusive promotions never get to feature on the platform itself.
There’s no VIP program, at least for the time being, but Vegas Gems is very much one of the newer sweepstakes casinos to have launched in the US. I’ll be updating my Vegas Gems review to include new features, as they become available, and I fully expect some kind of loyalty and / or VIP rewards to be introduced as the site becomes more established.
I’ve aimed to cover just about every aspect of the player experience during the course of my Vegas Gems Casino review, but it’s the games that will determine whether this could be a platform you’ll want to spend time on. And if you’re a fan of slot machine games, I’m confident you’ll want to know more, as there’s no shortage of high-quality games available here.
Player favorites from Pragmatic Play
If you’ve ever spent any time playing slots, then you’re bound to be familiar with Pragmatic Play, which is one of the top studios around. I was delighted to find all my favorites available to play at Vegas Gems, including:
As I’ve made clear throughout this review of Vegas Gems, all gameplay is carried out using free-to-play tokens, so this is an ideal opportunity to explore the latest Pragmatic Play releases without reaching into your bankroll. I was able to use my Shards and Gems to spin up the reels of Devilicious, where Golden Wilds activate the respin bonus mechanic and free spins come with either a 2x or 3x multiplier.
Our favorite fisherman is back too, only in Big Bass Mission Fishin’ he’s gone all James Bond on us, donning scuba gear as he pursues fish from an underwater perspective. In addition to the usual free spins mechanic, in which the fisherman Wild collects the values of all fish on the reels, there’s a special respin bonus too, with an extra crab-collecting feature to boost winning outcomes.
If you’ve played Wild Walker, you’ll know that Pragmatic can add elements of horror to a Wild feature, although the designers have gone for a completely different approach with Wildies. This treat-filled game takes place in a cafe, serving up biscuit Wilds that trigger respins, and move around the reels during the free spins bonus round. And I also need to give a shout out to Medusa’s Stone, in which random high-value symbols can turn Wild and attract multiplier values - during the free spins bonus round these Wild remain fixed in place until their multiplier is applied to a winning combo.
Top slots from Betsoft
Betsoft is another of the main providers featured on the platform, and will be familiar to keen slots enthusiasts thanks to popular games such as Wilds of Fortune and Take the Bank. This is a developer that specializes in 3D slots, although I also found some retro-style games suitable for purists. For example, Triple Lucky 8’s spins up familiar fruit symbols, for stripped-back gameplay at its best, but the designers added some extra entertainment with a Wild Respins mechanic.
I was keen to test out as many options as possible for my Vegas Gems sweepstakes casino review, finding myself particularly taken with After Night Falls, in which you’re helped by a detective to catch an infamous cat burglar as he attempts to break into various apartments. This is a game that comes packed with bonus features, including Walking Wild, free spins, a Granny Bonus and an apartment grab, which takes the form of a pick bonus round.
I also took the opportunity to try out Rockstar World Tour: Hold & Win, which takes the respin mechanic to new levels as it plays out across a 6 x 5 grid, with random bonus multipliers up to 256x. And there was more fun to be had spinning up the reels of Under the Bed, where monsters could be lurking, waiting to award multipliers in the pick bonus round. Monster World free spins come with a 2x multiplier, while Sticky Wilds add to the fun in this low-volatility game, which is designed to make the most of even the most modest of Coin balances.
More slots and exclusive games too
I also managed to track down several slot machine games from the studios of Belatra, including Book of Doom, Chef’s Sticky Fruits and Witch School. New games are always being added to the catalog, and I anticipate partnerships with even more game studios over the coming months, so watch this space!
I wasn’t able to find any traditional casino games during the course of my Vegas Gems review, but there’s no call for disappointment, as I found a great alternative, in the form of modern, blockchain-based games. Often referred to as Crash games, they’re really easy to pick up, but not nearly so easy to put down again, thanks to entertaining mechanics that often come with huge multiplier potential. You can play exclusive Vegas Gems games including:
And there’s a Coinflip game too, that you can play against other Vegas Gems customers - just choose Heads or Tails and the winner takes all! But the real highlight is Unboxing, which takes the treasure chest opening mechanic and creates a unique game based around the outcomes.
You’ll have seen various references to Shards and Gems throughout my Vegas Gems Casino review, so in case you’re not familiar with sweepstakes casinos, an explanation is required. Most platforms provide players with Gold Coins to power up fun gameplay, with winnings from free Sweeps Coins potentially becoming redeemable for real prizes.
Vegas Gems has done away with Gold and Sweeps Coins - neither of which are actual coins, and only exist in the form of digital code. The principle remains the same though, thanks to the use of Shards and Gems:
By the time you’ve reached this point in my Vegas Gems review, you should have a pretty thorough understanding of what to expect if you decide to register for an account. There are literally hundreds of games available, and they’re all of the highest quality, including the collection of exclusive games based around blockchain technology.
There are always plenty of free Shards and bonus Gems available to claim on the site, with social tournaments available for extra fun - and the chance to boost your gaming balance too. I particularly like the inclusion of slots from top providers, such as Pragmatic Play, and I look forward to seeing the games collection develop even further as the platform continues to grow in popularity. It costs absolutely nothing to register for an account, so if you like the idea of free-to-play games, with some real prizes available to redeem, Vegas Gems deserves a closer look.