The Quick Summary
bwin Poker has been operating since the dawn of online poker, after opening in 1999. bwin is truly one of the veterans of online poker and it shows in their software and large player base. This room also does an excellent job of catering to people all over the globe: bwin Poker is available in 22 languages.
Popularity: 9.5 of 10 – Excellent
bwin is part of the OnGame Network, which is one of the biggest networks in the world; this gives bwin members access to the giant player base OnGame offers. Most of the room’s traffic will be found at the Texas Hold’em tables, but players can still find a decent Omaha game at any time of the day. The tournaments draw a lot of players too, since bwin hosts one every five minutes.
Security: 9.5 of 10 – Excellent
In order to protect their players’ personal and financial data, bwin uses advanced encryption technology from VeriSign. In addition to its encryption technology, VeriSign is also one of the top providers of online transaction security. In short, bwin players won’t have to worry about their money being stolen or personal data getting hacked into.
Player Competition: 7 of 10 – Good
Unlike a lot of poker rooms which also offer casino/sportsbooks, bwin players aren’t terrible: they know how to play the game and don’t make stupid mistakes. This isn’t to say that everyone is good though; plenty of fish can be found playing in the lower stakes games at bwin, which evens out the competition.
Site Software: 9 – Very Good
Since bwin has been around a while, they have had time to work all the kinks out of their software. OnGame has done a good job in making sure bwin players won’t have any trouble with the software. There is certainly nothing fancy about the design of the lobby or tables, but this is because everything is geared towards usability and reliability.
Customer Support: 8 of 10 – Good
bwin provides its members with several different ways to contact the customer support staff. There is e-mail, fax, and telephone support for those who can’t find an answer to their question or inquiry in the FAQ section.
The telephone number is 00350-200-777-61, and people can get a hold of a representative from 10:00 – 22:00 (GMT+1) on any day of the week. The fax number for bwin is 0043-1-5856044-18 while e-mails are sent through a contact form on the site. If there is any complaint about the support it is that there is no live chat option offered.
Company Ethics: 10 of 10 – Excellent
Few companies care about their players as much as bwin does, and this is evidenced by the fact that they’ve got a special department dedicated to responsible gaming. This corporate social responsibility department aims to prevent gambling addiction and looks at ways to constantly improve the company’s ethics. bwin also does everything possible to ensure that minors don’t play poker at their site.
Site Promotions: 7 of 10 – Average
bwin Poker used to be one of the worst rooms in terms of promotions since they didn’t even offer a deposit bonus. However, this has changed in recent years and the site now offers a standard $100 signup bonus as well as other promos. The $100,000 Freeroll is always a hit, and bwin gives players the chance to win land-based tournament seats too.
Overall Review: 8.57 of 10
With a huge player base, reliable software, and outstanding dedication to company ethics, bwin Poker looks to be around for a long time. The promotions and customer support could still use some work, but they’re definitely adequate when compared to other online poker rooms.
Final Result: We give bwin Poker a final overall score of 8.57 out of 10
