The Rialto is a well known name in the world of real casinos and they occupy some prime real estate too, but they didn’t hit the internet until recently. What is the reason behind this? Well, the venue is one of Grosvenor’s flagship locations, and the website was actually launched under a different name and then rebranded to Rialto in order to link them up. However, there is much more to this than meets the eye, so do read the ‘About’ section below.
The website has its idiosyncrasies that will no doubt be ironed out in time, but these in no way detract from the gigantic list of games that you can play at Rialto, everything from slots to poker, and its rare to find a live casino that is as comprehensive. There are two providers powering the live casino including tables streamed from real casinos in London, so you could be playing along with the wealthy clients there.
They don’t skimp on support services either, with long open hours and 7 day a week access to phone, live chat, and email, and the loyalty rewards will help your gaming sessions last that little bit longer. It’s an online casino that still has a little work to do, but for one so young it is already in very good shape.
- Physical Casino Site – Visit them in the flesh and experience Rialto for real.
- 7 Day Support – You will never have to wait for assistance when needed.
- Live Casino Specialist – A stunning suite of live game options and providers.
Software and Games
Rialto is one of those online casinos that absolutely floods its’ site with games.
There are more than 1200 titles in all categories which is an astounding amount of choice. Slots are the most dominant game type, but they still have a good 35+ table games including the usual suspects plus baccarat and a few poker options, as well as the live casino which we will discuss shortly.
Novomatic seem to be the favourite slots provider, even earning their own spot on the menu bar, although only 100 or so of the slots available are developed by them. However there are plenty of other games from the likes of NetEnt, Microgaming, Playn’GO, Big Time Gaming, and IGT amongst others. That means you can find famous progressives, Megaways slots, old industry classics and brand new slots alike. There are even some exclusives.
It’s also a great place to find jackpot games as there are more than 130 of them to try, and at the other end of the scale there are loads more Slingo games here than you might expect to see, around 30 of them.
In terms of content then it’s a site that is trying to be all things to all people and, video poker aside, it is largely succeeding.
Live Casino
It’s another notch on the bedpost for Evolution here, who provide the lion’s share of Rialto’s live casino games, but they are not alone.
Rialto employ the services of two live game suppliers, with Authentic throwing in a further 20 or so blackjack and roulette tables as well as a few games streamed live from real casinos – the Victoria in London being one of them. So you can play along with the people who are actually there.
Going back to Evolution, you can expect the usual high quality streams from copious blackjack tables, with roulette, baccarat, poker, and game show style games also on offer.
To be honest, for live casino alone Rialto is head and shoulders above most other online casinos.
About
There are few online casinos with a link to such a well known real life venue as Rialto.
It is perhaps one of the most visited casinos in the UK, located right in the heart of Leicester Square attracting tourists and locals alike. Well the online Rialto Casino has been created to mirror the elegance and exciting feeling that players at the real venue can experience, which is why they have the same name.
However, the website is actually a re-brand of the old Aspers online casino, which was itself based on the real world Aspers casinos, and these have an even more interesting history. That’s because Aspers was originally a members club/casino for the elite of London’s high society, attracting the likes of Dukes, Earls, and Cabinet Ministers, not to mention SAS founder David Stirling, and the infamous Lord Lucan.
Back to the real life Rialto then, and this venue has also been rebranded – it used to be called the G Casino Piccadilly, so named because it is part of the Grosvenor suite of casinos, and is located in Piccadilly.
So, by rebranding both the physical venue and the online casino, Grosvenor have created an interesting link that could eventually offer opportunities to crossover, but we will have to wait and see for that. It’s certainly a unique situation.
One other note of interest is that Grosvenor Casinos is actually owned by The Rank Group, one of the biggest gambling groups in the country who also own Mecca, Enracha (Spain), Spin and Win, Kitty Bingo, Lucky Pants Bingo, and more.
So you can see that while Rialto might technically be a new online casino, it comes from very good stock, and has a more interesting setup than most. The fact that the site has also been operating under a different name for a few years means that it is already a well oiled machine and can get a running start under its new moniker.
Banking
| Method | Min Deposit | Min Withdrawal | Fees | Withdrawal Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debit Card | £5 | £5 | 0% | 10 mins - 3 days |
| PaySafeCard | £5 | N/A | 0% |
There might not be a long list of payment options yet, but there is at least one option for all types of payment excluding pay by phone.
This means debit, ewallets, and pre-pay vouchers are all possible options, and at low limits too.
One major selling point for Rialto here is that 80% of withdrawal requests are processed inside of 10 minutes. That’s super quick and means most players will have their winnings in no time, plus the terms are fair and there are no fees which is as it should be.
The fact that Rialto keep player’s funds in a separate account and meet the requirements for Medium protection level according to the UKGC is also good news, and offers much stronger protection for your funds than most other online casinos, especially newer ones, who tend to opt for the lowest levels.
Overall it’s a great big tick for banking at Rialto.
Rewards, Bonuses, Loyalty
This is not an online casino laden with bonuses and offers on a daily basis, although you can check out the new customer offer.
However, there is a decent loyalty scheme which uses the traditional system of earning points every time you play a game at the casino. As usual, the rate at which these points are earned depends on the game you play, and when you have enough of them they can be traded in for bonuses which can then be used at the casino.
The bonuses can be spent on whichever games you like, but do be aware of any wagering requirements that might be attached, as these reduce the true value of your reward points. Nevertheless, it makes your money go further, and regular players can build up points relatively quickly, especially if playing exclusive slots which have the best reward rate.
There is also a more short term reward scheme in the form of the Loyalty Wheel. Essentially, once you cross a threshold for the day you get a free spin of the wheel, which could dish out free spins, bonus money, or a large number of loyalty points.
All in all it’s not an online casino for bargain hunters, but rewards do trickle in and they tend to be at least half decent when they do.
Support
Help is on hand 7 days a week at Rialto, every day of the year except for Christmas day. We can probably give them one day off a year without complaining.
That said, the opening hours fall a bit short.
The support options are very good here though, with a free phone number (8am-8pm), a readily available email address, and easy to access live chat (7am-10.30pm) all being options for players with queries.
They haven’t gone down the social media route, although Grosvenor do have an account if you want to follow them; it won;t be specific to Rialto though.
They do try and point you in the direction of the FAQ’s in the first instance but these aren’t particularly comprehensive, and they are just presented as a list you have to scroll through so it’s not all that user friendly either.
Replies to enquiries tend to be answered in a timely enough fashion though, so if you want our advice just skip the FAQ and get in touch with them.
Website Performance & Interface
It’s something of a mixed bag when reviewing the website itself. Stripping back everything else and just looking at functionality you are left with a site that is well designed from a practical point of view, but doesn’t seem to have enough gas in the tank.
Plainly speaking, it needs to be quicker. It’s certainly serviceable but it’s lagging behind many other online casinos just in terms of load speeds and performance. This won’t affect the games themselves, they all play fine and experience no performance issues, but using the interface and switching between game categories feels lethargic.
It looks good though, with a simple black and white colour scheme that lets the games do the talking and neatly separates the various sections of each page.
Navigation
You won’t get lost on this site, it’s very user friendly when it comes to jumping between game types or going to the cashier, managing your account and things like that.
The way in which games are found is a little disorganised though, part helpful and part confusing.
Depending on where you are on the site, you will have different browsing/game filtering options. At its best they operate a great system, but that makes it so frustrating when those options aren’t there.
For example, if you log in and go to the Slots page from the menu bar, you can filter by game features, paylines, etc. This is great, it means you can find the sorts of games that you prefer to play.
But when you go to the All Games page these options no longer exist, there is a totally different and less effective system in place. Other categories like table games have no filtering options at all.
Still, you can create your own list of favourites and there is a search bar so you can easily locate a specific game provided you know what you are looking for.
Mobile
Rialto don’t yet have a mobile app, but that may actually be a good thing because the one that was available under the previous Aspers branding crashed every ten seconds, so perhaps they are giving it a shake up before re-releasing it.
A good job then that there is a version of the site optimised for mobile browsers.
It looks a lot like the desktop site, but feels busier and more interesting, using horizontal scrolling bars to quickly view the game tiles in different categories, and all the filtering options are still available too.
The performance really does need improving though if they hope to keep mobile customers happy.
The loading speeds at times would have even been annoying back in 2002, but today’s consumer just won’t put up with it.
Leaving that aside, and the build of the mobile site is pretty good.
It’s very clean and easy to use, you will instantly know where everything is, and there is very little difference in game availability.
The ‘favouriting’ system comes into its own here because with such an extensive selection even after filtering, scrolling is the only option, so building a list of favourite games saves shed loads of time.
Rialto have a decent starting point here, but they have the potential to do so much better with their mobile capabilities, it’s all set up, it just needs a little more attention.
Casino Venues
Not many online casinos have physical locations as well, but Rialto is one of the few that do.
The Rialto in Leicester Square has been refurbished to reflect the best in French Renaissance décor, offering a luxurious environment in which to play, relax, and enjoy. It is a Garde II listed building and can also boast some pretty interesting history as it used to be a theatre, the first ever built in the West End.
Plus, being one of the casinos owned and operated by Grosvenor, there are also links to plenty of other real world casinos too. You can even stream table games from one of them, The Victoria in Paddington, and play along with the customers who are actually there.
Grosvenor casinos are known for being lively and fun, smart, stylish and relaxed, which also applies to their dress code. Their modern approach and high end service including restaurants, live sport, and entertainment, appeals to the 21st century generation who want the best experiences without having to dress up too much.
The real world casinos have their own rewards/VIP system in place, but this does not link with the online casino, sadly.
Contact & License
UK Gambling License: 39022
- Name: The Rialto Casino
- Licensee Name: Daub Alderney Ltd
- URL: https://www.rialtocasino.com/
- Phone: 0800 279 7632
- Email:[email protected]
- Principal Address: Inchalla, Le Val, Alderney, Channel Islands, GY9 3UL
- Twitter: @GrosvenorCasino