CasinoEstrella is a real money online gambling site that was first launched about a decade ago. The casino still operates with a Curacao sublicense from Master Licence holder Curaҫao eGaming (CM-H2GFPRPR-1668JAZ).

The site’s name, Estrella, easily suggests that players in Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America are especially welcome here.

Site history:

The venue was launched under the Starfish Media banner back in 2012 after Betsson created the parent company, Angler Gaming (Stockholm:ANGL). However, new ownership or management came on board in late 2020 with Mobile Technology Marketing B.V. taking the reins.

Like all sites in the group, it was built on the old CasinoEuro template that has been updated for instant-play browsers and mobile gaming.

Sister-sites DublinBet, Extra, and Lucky-31 use the same license, and payment processing is handled by the United Kingdom-registered Starspay Ltd., of Cyprus. (UK Companies House #12124994)

Usability and features:

Available in English and Spanish, look for over 600 games from top providers including live studio and floor games from Evolution, Authentic, LuckyStreak, and ViG. Some of the floor streams include Portomaso and Oracle in Malta; roulette from the Royal; Spanish language Ruleta en Vivo, Turkish roulette, and other native language tables.

Payment methods:

Banking is covered well for players almost everywhere with special considerations given to players in underserved markets such as Mexico and direct Interac banking for players in Canada, along with eWallets, vouchers, and credit/debit cards.

Bonuses:

The welcome bonus comes in three stages for those who want to take advantage of extra playtime and more chances to win big. You'll have three days from the time you sign up and there's no max cashout on the deposit match. Any free chips or spins in addition to the percentage matches do have max cashouts.

Reputation:

The site has always maintained a good reputation among players and that doesn't seem to have changed in the last year or so of operations.

Over the course of time, a few minor complaints have been generated, which is not surprising for a small handful of connected casinos spanning several years. All known valid disputes have been settled amicably.

We do find a group of players that found an exploit in a live game from a provider that has since been removed from the platform. They seem to have taken advantage of it in "fraudulent, collusive, fixing or other unlawful activity" and were not paid. Which is normal. 

A deeper look:

Two or three other "unresolved" complaints date back some 5 years and appear to be either players or representatives not following up to keep them open or to close them as resolved. One case appears to be a problem gambler that took their case to the licensor, effectively stopping any public discussion of the issue. 

In effect, it was a catch-22 where the player could either freeze their account as a problem gambler or keep it open and continue withdrawals. We can only assume the regulator did the right thing but it's impossible to say. 

Responsible gambling tools:

The site now has responsible gambling tools such as limits and a cooling-off period of up to six months or lifetime exclusion. Players with impulse control issues should consider not gambling or using the tools available to them today.

Unfair terms?

We fully understand why an operator would ban bots and any other external player assistance (EPA) program - however, we don't think you want to be in a position to defend the use of martingale (doubling) betting since the terms clearly prohibit it.

However,

5.1.13. When a player makes an attempt to gain an unfair advantage over the casino, this includes strategies like “martingale, double-up and similar systems and strategies”... [we can and will take your money]

That term is not in the spirit of fair play with or without an active bonus in play. Caveat Emptor. This term should not affect regular players, especially if you only play slots for the most part.

Roulette systems do not work. See the proof.

Software and Games

As mentioned earlier, the platform is built on the bones of the old CasinoEuro, but it's been revamped multiple times to increase functionality, ease of access, and playability.

Navigation is a breeze with easy entry into tournaments - a quick bounce over to nearly a handful of live stream providers, and an entire section featuring Pragmatic Play daily jackpot slots (Daily Drops)

You'll find a straight shot to your favorite kind of tables and card games like roulette and blackjack plus specialty games like live craps and Spribe's Aviator, an increasing curve crash game like BustaBit with huge potential. It's a game of guts that can also be used for a Hail Mary when your bankroll gets thin.

Table games (RNG)

The random number generator section of games is interspersed with a few live games, but not so many that it becomes a mishmash.

There are filtering tools but you'll have to recognize the icon. Clicking it and then hitting the extra dots will open up a list of all game providers.

Since the turbo games from Spribe can only be selected in a group this way, we'd suggest using the method if you want to explore Plinko, Dice, Keno, Mines, Mini roulette, Goal, and Hilo as well as Aviator.

We'd like to see the addition of Spribe's multiplayer and skill games like poker, backgammon, Bura, Domino, and Seka, but it's still a fairly extensive library of fast and engaging titles. They are all blockchain games so they are Provably Fair if you want to check the hash, and they have fairly high theoretical return to player percentages (Plinko 97% RTP - Keno, Hilo, Mini Roulette, and Goal offer the same).

Moving up the minimalistic ladder to the ultimate in sophistication, we find FELT, but since it is delivered over Relax Gaming's Silver Bullet server, The FELT roulette game is found mislabeled and the rest of the suite is currently hard to find or missing altogether.

Aside from live games, most of the slots and table games we found were available for free play. It might not be readily apparent, but simply clicking "Play Now" opens a demo game if you are not logged in. If the pop-up on mouse-over states "Login" (e.g. Endorphina, Pragmatic Play) you will need an account to play.

That's a great way to explore games from studios you might not be familiar with and there are a lot of game providers here. For instance, I have never spent much time playing Gamomat titles, but the ones I found here were interesting and reminded me a little bit of Endorphina and other Eastern Euro labs - except the ten-line slots could be played with five active lines instead.

Live games

Evolution heads up the all-star roster in the section (58 games) followed by Authentic (15), LuckyStreak (11), and Visionary iGaming with three titles; blackjack, baccarat, and roulette.

Evolution offers at least two bespoke blackjack tables for sister-site Extra and those games are available here as well.

LuckyStreak offers about half a dozen blackjack tables, to live baccarat games, auto roulette, and games from land-based floors.

Authentic is all about roulette except for a single blackjack title. Look for live games from the Grand in Batumi and the Royal along with a rotating casino floor roulette game. The Las Vegas collection of games is well worth exploring too.

Evolution offers dozens of games with different elements for players who like to bounce around between game types or get serious on a single title with VIP-level play.

Game show titles with augmented reality and community slots like Gonzo's Treasure Hunt offer a diversion or a way to spend an entire evening or weekend.

Try First Person Craps to practice on a random number generator animated 3D game and then press GO LIVE to be transported to the real live game with a robot arm shooting the dice and a speakeasy host dressed to the nines.

The Crazy Time wheel of fortune can pay up to 25,000 times your bet and a dice pop on the Super Sic Bo table can pay 1,000x!

Ruleta en Vivo for Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries is found along with Turkish Rulet Live and other native language tables.

Slots

Yes, you'll find NetEnt, Quickspin, Thunderkick, and other games here - but we really like the selection provided by up-and-coming studios and labs like Ruby Play, Booongo, Green Jade, and SlotMill among others.

Special sections have been created for New games and top games as well as tournaments and Pragmatic Play Daily Drops and  Wins. 

Red Tiger continues to pump out unique and exciting games as do Playson, Bgaming, and Green Jade. of course, Yggdrasil never ceases to impress with brilliant graphics, animations, maths, and mechanics.

It's not clear precisely how they determine the additional games found below a chosen title and listed as "Similar Games" - but when playing New, the suggestions are also fresh releases as well.

While we can't be sure just why Endorphina games are not available in free play, Pragmatic Play might be blocked from demo mode because of the "must fall" daily jackpots.

All it takes to win cash, bonus funds, free spins, and more is to be the lucky spinner when you are playing any of the games in the Daily Drops section.

Any real money bet of any size qualifies for a random win, on any spin.

Drops & Wins can produce cash prizes all day, and it only takes a single spin to win prize multipliers and other fun gambling perks.

The provider describes it like this:

• Win prizes all day long
• A new prize pool every single day
• €1,000,000 monthly prize pool (across all sites)
• New games are featured every month
• More than 28,000 monthly prizes combined
• Auto and Manual prize payout options
• Easy to navigate in-game client

Look for at least 100 prize drops per day with the top winner collecting €1,000 and the lowest ranking 20 players collecting €10 each with four other prize tiers in between.

Most tournaments are fair to all players, providing a level playing field to compete. Rather than basing your accomplishment on the amount of a win, the amount of win relative to your bet level is scored. A player betting €0.01 per line who wins €0.99 would place higher than one betting €1.00 per line and winning €98.99.

Bonuses and Promotions

Please be sure to check elsewhere on this page or visit the site for up-to-the-minute offers for players in your area.

Wagering is currently 30x, but again that can change over time. Most slots count 100% and video poker is weighted at 30%. RNG table games don't count but live roulette and blackjack chip away at 15% and 10% respectively.

"Feature buy" titles and a shortlist of other games do not count. These include the usual exclusions such as 1429 Uncharted Seas, 888 Dragons, Bell of Fortune, Blood Suckers, Break Da Bank, etc.

The max bet allowed during bonus play is €5 / $5 per bet. Another term exists that is not quite so clear. It states "Placing single or multiple bets of fifty percent (50%) or more of the value of the bonus [to build balance, then changing to grind it out] is also a banned practice along with Martingale or any "system".

Most other bonus offers revolve around tournaments of various duration with a wide range of prize pool values.

We also find weekend boosts and what appears to be a Playson-sponsored "Reel of Fortune". Playing the listed Playson titles (20+) will earn virtual coins that can be used to buy spins on the fortune wheel for "extra rewards, bigger bonuses, and more entertainment".

Banking and Customer Service

Estrella accepts Bitcoin and Altcoin transactions so players almost anywhere have a way to play. Mastercard, Visa, and even Paysafecards are accepted for deposits. Common eWallets that will work here include Neteller, Skrill, MuchBetter, and ecoPayz. Multiple Neosurf products are welcome.

Regional favorites include Klarna, Trustly, giropay, and Interac online and e-transfers as well as bank wires.

No withdrawal locks or manual flushing is available but responsible gambling tools can be used to manage your account while withdrawals are processed.

What we don't like so much is the $1,000 a day/$5k week/$20,000 monthly payout limit. If those limits are too low for your particular playstyle there might be better options for you. Some players will have no problem with $20,000 per month.

Funds should hit your eWallet within 24-48 hours with other methods taking several days to post.

All transaction events such as deposits and withdrawals are conducted in a highly secure database preventing loss of data and utmost privacy.

Live chat and email support are available. The support team is on the clock from 10 to midnight (CET) Monday through Friday and until 11 pm on Saturday and Sunday. Responsible gambling tools are found under "My Account".

Pitfalls

• Relatively low daily cash out limit ($1,000day/$5k week/$20k month)
• Limited customer service hours
• May seize funds for using a ‘system’ like Martingale

The Final Word

CasinoEstrella is one of the longer-running operations in business today. They have kept up with changes in technology and offer a great selection of games from a good variety of providers.

The live-streaming game section is richly populated with games from the most famous of providers like Evolution Gaming,  as well as personal favorites for players in some regions. Players in Mexico as well as other Spanish-speaking countries have more choices than many other operators offer. Visionary iGaming (ViG) first started in Costa Rica in 2008 and continues to serve LATAM players.

The operators seem to have built in a lot of entertainment value into the experience with Playson’s Reel of Fortunes, Pragmatic Play’s Daily Drops, and a tournament schedule that meets any desire from quick cash pots to month-long competitions with huge prize pools.