High Country Casino was launched online in 2020 by industry Realtime Gaming veterans, the Mainstreet Group.

Players from the USA and most other countries are welcome to register an account for real money or practice-play.

Players who have been gambling online since any time after 1998 may be familiar with one or more of their sister properties.

You might be asking...

Well, what other slots and table game sites do they run?

LasVegasUsa, Vegas, Sun Palace, and Slots Plus are among the properties operated by Mainstreet.

From a review standpoint, legacy operations such as this one can be very easy or very difficult to review. Beyond the nuts and bolts of the customer interface and games, there is a reputation to consider.

Sometimes new sites by old hands glow and sometimes they don't.

All USA-facing operations can experience payment processing problems, that's a given. Looking back over two decades you expect to find the occasional processor blip here and there.

As an aside, I am a long-term customer of many operations. If my experience doesn't align with the vast majority of other players' experiences, I temper it and try to give my personal bias the weight it deserves. I am but one player.

My personal experience with this group is neutral to positive. While I have not played at any of the legacy properties for several years, I also never had any problem getting paid when I won. Throughout the course of time, however, others have.

At one time, they offered about the only places I could play because my payment cards didn't work elsewhere, Bitcoin was a dream on the horizon, and these guys offered the only viable instant gift card on the market.

I'll let you know in the conclusion whether I have decided to return, and why or why not. To be completely transparent, I have deposited and played here but have not cashed out and will consider whether to deposit again as this review is compiled.

For now, let's look at the...

Software and Games

The Group was never one to constantly rearrange the furniture or put paint on the front door simply because digital canvas lasts forever, I suppose.

The older sites appear much as they have... forever. This brand gives them a chance to try some new things in regard to the overall look, ease of navigation, etc.

We have to look at two different user interfaces here thanks to the RTG platform and available templates.

Prior to clicking on "Instant Play", only about half of the screen contains useable information. The rest will be covered with an overlay encouraging you to play instantly, download the desktop casino client, or explore promotions, banking, and support options.

Once you click through, the interface changes to a normal gaming lobby.

While all RTGs offer instant and mobile play, they don't all offer a download version. This one offers both so you can play on any mobile device, tablet, or phone with a browser...

• [Android]
• [iPad]
• [iPhone]

OR

• [Windows]

You can install the program on your PC desktop to access the entire suite of legacy games, including the ones that have not been converted to instant play yet.

MAC laptops and desktops can use the instant play version.

Navigation

The download client interface is structurally similar to the instant play version so we'll focus on the browser-based lobby here.

Prior to signing up or logging in you should see a variety of bonus offers displayed.

Note: Blackjack players will want to stick around or skip to the bonuses and promotions section here because you aren't likely to see anything like this for a long time.

You won't need to register an account to explore the game categories. Simply choose an area to visit to see the available games.

To the right of the game categories, you'll see a display toggle. Choose icon view or list view.

Icon view is handy if you are familiar with the splash icon for each game. If you prefer to sort further, use the list view to arrange alphabetically, by the line count, or by jackpot value - ascending or descending.

Tip: About 50 slot games do not have random jackpots. Some players believe these have slightly higher RTP values because no portion of the return to player is set aside in the local progressive jackpot. We can't confirm or deny that as RTG no longer provides RTP values for their slots.

When you a game category on the left menu, a variety of further filters will appear to help you find the precise type of game you want to play.

• Table Games: All, Caribbean, 21
• Slots: 3, 5, 6 reels, bonus, progressive, floating symbols
• Video Poker: 1, 3, 10, or 52 hands
• Specialty: Tables, keno & bingo, scratch cards, board games
• Progressives: Table games, slots (network progressives with 6 or 7-digit jackpots, yeah over $1m!
• New Games: The five latest game releases from RTG

That brings us to one major improvement RTG has made since the earliest days of the Australian slot labs. . .

Look for new games to come out far more often than they did in the past. At least one new game, and sometimes two or three are released each month.

Video Slots

These are not clones. They don't just slap a new coat of paint, shine up the rims, and shampoo the upholstery then call it a new "car".

These are brand-new game engines with innovative bonus mechanics and some really interesting game mathematics. Most of the themes are Asian, but not all are.

Almost all of the new games seem to enjoy a moment in the sun and become 'most popular' while they lead the pack in novelty. Special bonuses could have something to do with that.

The core games are always magnets though. Some games are timeless such as Achilles, Cleopatra's Gold, Caesar's Empire, and Aladdin's Wishes.

Since they get played so often the random jackpots grow faster and fall more often than with many other titles.

Random jackpots can be won while betting as little as $0.01 on a single line.

Blackjack

The tried and true blackjack offering here has not been expanded on for quite some time. However, there is plenty of variety for every player.

• Blackjack
• Blackjack + Perfect Pairs
• Euro-style
• Face Up
• Match Play
• Pontoon
• Suit 'Em Up
• Super 21

All games are available in download or instant-play versions.

You won't find super-slick 3D graphics or jazz club music in the background - but you will be able to play as fast or slow as you like and your perfect strategy will return 99.46% RTP on the classic game.

Here's the rule set for RTG classic BJ:

• Six decks
• House hits soft 17
• Double after a split
• First two cards can be doubled
• No resplitting Aces, but split twice up to three hands
• No late surrender

Game rules for all variants are available in-game.

Progressives

Caribbean Hold'em and Stud share a progressive jackpot, available for a one-dollar side bet. It's sitting at a little over $200,000 as of this writing.

Let 'em Ride has its own jackpot that is currently higher.

There are nearly 100 video slots with local, progressive, random jackpots. But there are also a few network progressives on board.

Aztec's Millions is the big money game worth over three and a half million dollars as of this review. Megasaur is sitting at just under $1m and Spirit of the Inca has five different big money jackpots. Each one has to fall before it reaches its 'boiling point'.

Bonuses and Promotions

Welcome bonus...
Huge!

Blackjack Bonus - amazing!

Now, here's where that silly half-page blocking overlay on the website becomes frustrating. It's difficult to find and read the bonus terms. Once you get there, expect it to continue to be in your way. Bad form.

Blackjack - Game weighting is 50%. Yes, 1/2 of every dollar bet goes toward reducing the wagering requirement on bonuses. That's "10x" better than most places, right?

So...

What's the rub?!?

The wagering requirement is relatively high no matter where you reside and can be higher if you live in Europe.

There's a relatively low max cashout on all bonuses (depending on player class). And that limit can be reduced if you win much or often.

"...more withdrawal transactions than deposits in any given time frame, or when the previously approved total payout amount exceeds 50% of the total net deposit amount within the recent months."

If those limits do not bother you...

and they don't bother me with a new casino (no huge random jackpots)

...it's time to add a very important note and look at the rest of the story.

Many offers, including some 'second chance', 'extra', and cashback offers come with a very high max cashout ratio. Forget most incentives that only let you cash out $100 on "extra money", many of the offers here - upon launch - offer $1,000 max cash. That's Awesome!

Banking and Customer Service

These guys have been in business, basically, forever. You will be able to deposit. There are also multiple ways to cash out. Checks, ACH, Bitcoin, etc.

Be sure to take care of your verification documents early - they even have a special bonus for players who tend to this little bit of housekeeping that we all need to do anyway.

Expect two weeks for a payout, Bitcoin is obviously the fastest.

They keep payment options up to date, so check our dynamic list from the dropdowns in the box, or log in and look at the possibilities specifically for your region.

When in doubt, simply ask a customer service representative for information about your particular circumstances, prior to depositing.

It's also a great way to get to know...

Customer Service

Emails are responded to within 24 hours.

Live chat is available around the clock. If the agent doesn't know the answer to a technical question, they'll let you know what to do next.

With half a dozen operations online the staff is pretty well clued up. Not all players over the last 20+ years would agree, and not every customer has great things to say about speedy and clear responses.

Pitfalls

There have been some major bumps in the road in the last few years with the operators. Prior to launching a new site they didn't go back over the internet with a fine-tooth comb and make sure they settled every recorded dispute amicably.

Many disputes in the public domain remain unresolved. We can't really say why. It could be that they simply don't follow up to clear their name - but neither do many of the players who have complained.

As far as we can tell by the public record, many players remain unpaid over the last few years.

• Stopped paying and then seized funds for 'dormancy clause'
• Simply not responding to some respected advocacy sites
• Slow communication and lengthy document verification/payout times
• Low max cashouts under several terms

Panama license with no historic player protections (La Junta de Control de Juegos) 

The Final Word

High Country Casino is one of the fastest-loading instant-play RTGs out there. During our tests, we were able to connect and quickly open games on very low bandwidth.

The Bonus scheme is generous for the casual player or the well-informed blackjack player - but "life-changing" cashouts are not likely.

As far as we can determine, there are still debts on the table out there - some are significant. If that is a misperception, we apologize, but that is certainly how it appears.

We do find players are able to collect their winnings when they contact Direct Casino Support at LCB.org.

While I had very good experiences with all of the sites operated by Mainstreet in the past, I'm more inclined to play where I know I'll be paid in a matter of minutes or days - not two weeks or more.

If you understand the bonus terms, play within the rules, and know where to turn for help if you ever run into trouble, this might be a good choice for you.

Would I play here again in the near future..?

Perhaps!