The South Point Casino’s online poker offering, known as Real Gaming, was launched as the third online gaming site in Nevada on February 19th, 2014.
Real Gaming stands out from the two other licensed US online poker rooms in Nevada due to its unique feature; it operates as a browser-based site. It opens in a new browser window using flash player, indicating that there isn’t a downloadable version of Real Gaming’s software.
In this review, we will give you a comprehensive analysis of what the Real Gaming Nevada online poker room brings to the table.
History of Real Gaming in Nevada
South Point can assert its ownership of the first online operator license approved in Nevada. This approval was received from the NGC and NGCB in August 2012, making South Point the first recipient.
Initially, the company was anticipated to be the first online poker product in Nevada’s market. However, due to various setbacks and imminent rebranding changes, the launch was delayed from late-2012/early-2013 to February 2014. Some might even argue that the launch could have been postponed a little longer.
Interestingly, back in 2011, South Point teamed up with Zen Gaming to develop their on-site online gambling options. Zen was responsible for creating South Point’s first online poker site, South Point Poker, which initially only had a play-money version available. However, South Point eventually developed their own real-money online gambling platform in-house. They named this browser-based poker room Real Gaming.
As mentioned earlier, Real Gaming initially began as South Point Poker. However, the South Point Casino made a decision to transition from an online poker room named after itself to a broader brand with less emphasis on poker. This change may have been in anticipation of a future where all casino games could be accessible online in Nevada.
Launched on February 19, 2014, Real Gaming is still in its trial phase. However, the site has so far been unsuccessful in attracting players due to multiple issues such as bugs, substandard software, and other complaints.
The Companies behind Real Gaming
Opening to the public in 2005, South Point is a comparatively new casino situated on the southern end of Las Vegas Boulevard. Initially intended to be named South Coast, the property was rebranded by casino entrepreneur Michael Gaughan after he sold his other casino interests to Boyd Gaming and took over complete control of South Point.
Real Gaming Rewards program in Nevada
Real Gaming’s VIP Program
Real Gaming’s VIP Rewards Program, named Real Rewards, is a tiered system consisting of six monthly levels and a single annual level specifically designed for high-volume players.
Players earn 2 Tier Rewards’ points for every $1 in rake they contribute. They can convert their Real Rewards Points (which are different from Tier Points) into cash – 100 points equate to $1. However, there’s a method to boost this conversion rate.
The more advanced a player becomes in the program, the more Real Rewards Points they accumulate through multipliers. However, Tier Points are consistently earned at 2 per $1 in rake. As a result, the player’s cashback rate also increases.
Players at the Bronze Level will get a 2% cashback rate with no multiplier, in contrast to Diamond Level players who will benefit from a 30% cashback rate, equivalent to a 15x multiplier.
Real Gaming’s Nevada Deposit Bonus
At present, Real Gaming is not providing a first-time deposit bonus. However, they are extending a 1% rake offer to new players at specific tables.
Real Gaming Software
Games Offered
At present, Real Gaming only provides Texas Holdem games.
Software and GUI
Straight to the point, currently, Real Gaming is arguably one of the least impressive online poker sites in the US industry in terms of game play. This is based on the hope that these aspects will be improved or rectified in the future.
As stated repeatedly in this review, Real Gaming utilizes a flash-based poker client. Despite running cutting-edge HTML5, their software leaves much to be desired.
