Stars Casino by PokerStars – $550 Sign-up Bonus

Stars Casino sign-up bonus in October 2022

When you sign up for an account at Stars Casino, you can receive up to $550 in welcome bonuses. You don’t need a Stars promo code, but you do need to opt-in to both bonus offers.

How to claim the Stars Casino welcome bonus 

Once you’ve created a Stars Casino account, you’ll need to do a few things to claim both welcome bonuses. First, you need to opt into both offers. Then, follow these steps:

• Your first deposit at Stars is matched 200% for up to $550. So, you’ll need to make a deposit, if you want to receive the full $550 in bonus funds, you must deposit $250 or more.
• Next, Stars will award you an additional $50 in bonus funds just for placing a wager of $1 on any game of your choosing.
• You’ll then need to clear the bonus credits at the rate of $1 per two redemption points that you earn. Stars Casino offers these redemption points at different rates for different games, mostly based on the return-to-player rates of the games.
• For example, you’ll receive one redemption point for every $3 that you bet on a slot with an RTP between 87.20% and 90.85%, but you’ll get one point for every $12 that you bet on a slot with an RTP between 97.22% and 97.44%. Play Jacks or Better video poker, and it’s one redemption point for every $70 you bet. On Double Deck Atlantic City Blackjack, meanwhile, it’s one for every $145 you bet.

As you can see, depending on the games you play, the wagering requirement ranges from challenging to near impossible. Just remember, though, you can clear this bonus of $1 at a time. Lastly, you have seven days to clear the bonus funds before they will be removed from your account.

Stars Rewards and ongoing casino promos 

PokerStars’ rewards program, Stars Rewards, is open to all Stars Casino players. It’s free, and you can join and start accruing rewards simply by hitting the “Start” button on the rewards widget.

Basically, you earn reward points for all your casino play. These points help fill up your progress bar. Once it’s full, you’ll receive a chest. Chests contain StarsCoin, which you can exchange at the PokerStars Rewards Store for cash, free spins, and other rewards. You earn rewards points at a rate of $0.25 to $20.50 in bets per point, depending on the RTP of the game you’re playing. It’s a decent value, particularly for high-volume players.

Additionally, Stars Casino ups the value by offering a variety of ongoing promotions:

• Daily Free Casino Bonus: A chance to win up to $500 every day.
• Tuesday Treat: A chance to win one of five $50 bonuses every Tuesday.
• Daily Blackjack Insurance: Get 50% back (as a casino bonus) on your first five blackjack hands every day.
• Casino Races: Casino game leaderboards with cash prizes in 24-hour races every day and 20-minute quick races.

All legal PokerStars online casino states

Legal Stars Casino states 

Stars Casino had to wait a little while for regulatory approval in New Jersey. While online gambling launched in November 2013, PokerStars did not go live with its casino until March 2016. When it finally did launch, under the Resorts Casino Hotel license, the familiar market-leading online poker software also included access to a small number of online casino games.

It has added dozens more since then, turning the casino into an online gambling product that stands tall on its own. Although it is embedded in the PokerStars client alongside a sportsbook and that world-famous online poker software, Stars Casino does its own marketing, attracting casino players with little or no interest in poker with ongoing casino promos and bonuses specifically for casino players.

Stars Casino in Michigan 

PokerStars launched its online casino, online poker, and online sportsbook package in Michigan in January 2021 through a partnership with the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians Gaming Authority and Odawa Casino Petoskey.

It has generated more than $25 million in online gambling revenue since its launch. While that’s well behind Michigan market leaders like BetMGM Casino, FanDuel, and DraftKings, it’s ahead of most of the rest of the tribal-casino-based online casinos in the state.

Stars Casino in Pennsylvania 

PokerStars launched its online casino, online poker and online sportsbook package in Pennsylvania in November 2019 through a partnership with Mount Airy Casino Resort.

Overall, it is generating around $5 million a month in revenue from slots, close to $2 million from table games and a little more than $2 million from poker. That puts it fourth in online gambling revenue in the state, behind leaders Hollywood (Hollywood, DraftKings, and BetMGM brands), Rivers Philadelphia (BetRivers, SugarHouse and Borgata brands), and Valley Forge (FanDuel/Stardust).

Stars Casino in New Jersey

The name PokerStars evokes images of online poker for most. After all, the word poker is built right in, and PokerStars is the world’s biggest online poker site. But the thing is, these days, PokerStars is so much more than just online poker in New Jersey.

Alongside Resorts, DraftKings and Mohegan Sun, Stars Casino has helped the Resorts New Jersey online gambling license generate more than $560 million in revenue since launch, putting it in third place behind only market leaders Golden Nugget and Borgata.

How to create an account 

You can create a new account at Stars Casino by following these simple steps:

1. Head to the Stars Casino site, select your state, and hit the “Join” button.
2. Fill in the details on the account form, including your email address, username, and password.
3. Answer the various consent questions and accept the terms and conditions on the second page of the form.
4. Select “Create Account” at the bottom of the form.
5. Remember to opt into both welcome bonus to claim up to $550 in bonus funds from Stars Casino.

Stars Casino review

Even though Stars Casino’s roots are in poker and PokerStars, it has built an online casino product good enough to compete with the best online casinos in the country.

The welcome offer gives you up to $550 in casino credits. That’s generous compared to some of the other bonuses out there. But neither offer is a no deposit bonus, which you will find at some casinos. You have to bet $1 to get the $50 in bonus funds, which means you have to make a deposit, which is also how you get the deposit match obviously. The minimum deposit is $10. Plus, there is a variable wagering requirement attached, ranging anywhere from about 6x to 492x the bonus, depending on your games of choice. Suddenly, the no deposit bonus of $30 that has just a one-time wagering requirement that you can get at Virgin Casino starts to look like a better value.

Still, Stars Casino does offer some increased value to loyal players through its large list of ongoing promos and the Stars Rewards program. Stars Rewards lets you accrue points at a rate of one point per $0.25 to $20.50 in bets, depending on which games you play, and eventually be able to claim perks like cash, free spins, and other rewards. It’s a great value for most players. All that’s missing is the connection to a land-based loyalty program you’ll get at places like Caesars or BetMGM. These offer real-life rewards that, whether they actually do or not, appear to have even more value.

The online casino is embedded within the PokerStars software, and the connection to sports betting and online poker is seamless. You only need one account, so it’s really just a matter of clicking the right tab for the type of gambling you want to try at any moment.

Other than that, navigation under the Stars Casino tab is as simple as it gets. It organizes the games into the typical casino categories with large game tiles and the odd promo tab telling you what’s going on at the moment. If only those game tiles gave you access to a little more game info, like the ones at Golden Nugget. Then, the PokerStars software would really have it all.

A few customizable options, like 888casino has, might go a long way toward improving customer satisfaction levels, as well. In terms of game selection, Stars Casino lands somewhere in the middle between the smallest online casinos like Virgin and Tropicana, and market leaders like Golden Nugget and Caesars, which each has upwards of 800 games. But Stars is growing, particularly in new markets like Pennsylvania and Michigan where regulators have been slower to approve a larger library of games.

The bottom line is that Stars Casino can stand up against even its top-grossing online casino competitors in most states. Sure, its roots are in poker, but the experience feels built for online casino players. Still, don’t expect Stars Casino to do for online casinos what the PokerStars poker site has done for online poker. It’s a serviceable online casino product, not a game-changer.

How to download the Stars Casino app

You can play casino games like real money blackjack, roulette, and slots on your iOS or Android phone or tablet using the Stars Casino app. There’s a download link on the Stars Casino website that’ll detect what kind of mobile device you’re on and send you to the right place to download and install the app.

Online slots at Stars Casino

Stars has over 200 slots in New Jersey and a growing list in Pennsylvania and Michigan. That means a decent selection of progressive jackpot slots, popular real money slots from casino floors across the US, and old-school reel classics. There are penny slots and high limit slots with RTPs ranging from 87.20% to over 99%.

Top 5 real money slots at PokerStars

• Divine Fortune: Ancient Greek-themed progressive jackpot slot with 20 paylines and a 96.6% RTP. It’s a favorite at most online casinos, with a rep for paying out big progressives.
• Mercy of the Gods: Another progressive jackpot slot that makes the favorites list at most online casinos. This one has an Egyptian mythology theme, 20 paylines and a 96.64% RTP.
• Megaways Bonanza: Hillbilly gold-mine themed slot with six reels and a 96% RTP. It also features the Megaways 117,649-ways-to-win mechanics.
• Narcos: Three-row and five-reel 96.23% RTP slot with 243 paylines based on the popular Netflix drug cartel series.
• Blood Suckers: Popular vampire-themed slot that no online casino seems complete without. The 98% RTP makes it a penny slot player’s favorite.

Table games 

Stars Casino has a small selection of online table games in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, up to and including its own versions of the following:

• Atlantic City Blackjack
• Atlantic City Premium Blackjack
• Atlantic City Double Deck Blackjack
• Classic Blackjack
• Blackjack
• Double Deck Blackjack
• Premium Blackjack
• European Blackjack
• European Roulette
• Heads Up Hold’em
• Baccarat
• American Roulette
• High Roller Blackjack
• High Roller Roulette

Live dealer casino games 

Live dealer games successfully combine the speed and accuracy of betting and payouts from gambling online with the trustworthiness and familiar traditions of live casino table games. The live dealer games at Stars Casino in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan play out inside Evolution Gaming studios in each state. You can watch a simulcast and place bets through the available online betting interface. Here are the live dealer games you’ll find in New Jersey:

• Infinite Blackjack
• Blackjack
• American Roulette
• Auto Lightning Roulette
• Baccarat

Live dealer games in Pennsylvania:

• Infinite Blackjack
• Ultimate Texas Hold’em
• Three Card Poker
• Blackjack
• American Roulette
• Auto Roulette
• Baccarat

Live dealer games in Michigan:

• Roulette Live Online
• Baccarat Live Online
• Blackjack Live Online
• Auto Roulette Live Online

Video poker 

Stars Casino has many of its own versions of the following video poker games available in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan:

• Jacks or Better
• Deuces Wild
• Double Bonus Poker
• Double Double Bonus Poker
• Joker Poker
• Triple Bonus Poker
• Tens or Better
• Aces & Faces
• All American
• Deuces & Joker
• Aces & Eights

How does Stars Casino compare to other US online casinos? 

While you may think of PokerStars for online poker, not online casino games, Stars Casino by PokerStars now has a robust casino game library in three states, as well as ongoing promos and a welcome offer designed exclusively for casino players.

Ultimately, that means Stars Casino likely has something for you, even if you’ve never played a hand of online poker in your life. These kinds of things help Stars Casino compare favorably to online casino competitors across the US. Looking at bonuses, promos, and game selection — among the things we usually compare when reviewing US online casinos — Stars stands up well to the competition:

Stars Casino banking by state

In all three states, PokerStars handles withdrawal requests within 48 hours, giving you your money back through your chosen deposit method within five business days. If that deposit method cannot process withdrawals, PokerStars will send you a check in the mail, which you should receive within two weeks.

Customer support 

PokerStars has a “Help” tab on its sites in each state that contains answers to most questions. You can also contact ‎@StarsSupport on Twitter for help, or you can use an email contact form on the website.

Stars Casino — retail locations

Stars Casino’s entry into the US market

The first legal and regulated online poker and casino sites in the US launched almost three years before PokerStars came to New Jersey. When PokerStars NJ did finally go live in March 2016, it was more than just poker, but only a little bit more, adding just a handful of casino games and slots to its best-in-class online poker software.

A sportsbook joined the fold when online sports betting became legal, and PokerStars continued to add to a growing casino game library until the offering under the software’s casino tab was big enough to compare to other casino-only products available in the state.

Then, PokerStars really stepped out on its own by offering ongoing promos specifically for casino players and a welcome bonus built exclusively for new casino players. Stars Casino has remained embedded in the PokerStars software alongside online poker and sports betting.

The whole package went live in Pennsylvania in November 2019 through a partnership with Mount Airy Casino Resort. Then, in January 2021, it launched in Michigan through a partnership with Odawa Casino.

Online poker is still a big part of what PokerStars is doing, but the online casino is already driving larger revenue numbers. With operations in three states, if the revenue numbers keep stacking up like this, PokerStars may soon go all-in on online casinos in the near future.