Carnival Citi Hands-on Review

Carnival Citi Gameplay Modes

Promotional Mode: Played with Sweeps Chips and for real prizes. You are not able to purchase sweeps coins and can only be won in gameplay or awarded through promotions.

Standard Play Mode: Play with Coins for fun. Winnings can not be redeemed for real prizes.

Playing on Desktop or Desktop Experience

I began play on my desktop computer, and overall, I wasn’t a huge fan of the Carnival Citi website. It looks okay – but definitely is not the flashiest site, and almost looks as if it was thrown together quickly.

The games have varying shapes and sizes which don’t necessarily fit the eye well, and outside of a couple of categories to sort by the games they are thrown into a big jumble which doesn’t make things easy. They do have a search feature – which is difficult to find – and also not all that helpful as they don’t have a ton of recognizable games from other sweeps casinos.

Some of the game's preview images appear blurry, and overall, the aesthetic is just not appealing.

It’s difficult to navigate, and there aren’t tabs dedicated to promotions, support, or FAQs, so finding any information was a challenge.

One positive was the website ran smoothly. The games are pretty generic, and most don’t feature any crazy graphics, which leads to fast load times. Personally, mostly generic games aren’t a dealbreaker, but occasionally, it is fun to play a game with a lot of bells and whistles (which I’ve been unable to find).

It’s easy to switch between Sweeps Chips and Coins play with two buttons on the top of the screen. Once you’re entered into a game, you can not switch between Coins and Sweeps Chips. Again, this isn’t a deal breaker – but it is a slight annoyance that could be improved.

These kinds of little annoyances are the reason for Carnival Citi receiving a 7.6 in experience rating. It was overall fine, but it could be greatly improved with just a couple of quick organization projects.

Playing on Mobile or Mobile Experience

There is no mobile app, but you can play Carnival Citi on your phone via your mobile web browser. Just type carnivalciti.com in your address bar and log in using your credentials. Alternatively, you can sign up for a new account. I found that using Safari for iPhone worked better than Chrome.

The user interface on mobile is identical to that of the computer version – but it seems as if it is made for mobile. The preview images appear smaller which makes it easier to digest and navigate compared to desktop.

 The game types are on top, plus other categories like new and hot slots. The only time I had any issues loading the site was on the home page – likely due to having 200+ preview images and games – but after the initial load I had no issues scrolling through it’s games.

Speaking of games, they load fast and perform well on the phone (I used an iPhone).

Most of the games are optimized for mobile play, so the gameplay is as smooth and reactive as I’ve seen at a sweepstakes casino – which sometimes struggles to handle mobile play. The site doesn’t have many graphically heavy objectives, which allows it to run smoothly on mobile.

One thing I appreciated from Carnival Citi’s mobile site was it didn’t force me to bounce between landscape and portrait mode. The home page and all the games (including Solitaire) are optimized for Portrait mode, so I wasn’t constantly switching between the two.

How Do You Win Cash Prizes at Carnival Citi?

You can win cash prizes at Carnival Citi by using Sweeps Chips.

Once you reach the minimum Sweeps Chips (100,000 SC = $100 USD) and have reached the play-through requirement, you can redeem your prizes through Trustly.

Is Carnival Citi Legit? 

Yes, Carnival Citi is a legitimate sweepstakes casino operating under the sweepstakes model in 36 US States. It is owned and operated by Citi Media Tech, LLC, a Miami-based company.

Even though you can trust Carnival Citi, I would like to see more transparency. It does not post the RTPs of its games and doesn’t have an easily accessible FAQ page for information. So although it’s legit, it could take steps to improve it’s appearance when it comes to their legitimacy.

Carnival Citi Customer Support

Carnival Citi Self-Exclusion & Player Safety

At the bottom of the home page, you will discover the Responsible Gaming page with information on player safety. The comprehensive page has various tools like links to support groups, self-assessment to determine if you have problems and a list of your available responsible gaming options.

By emailing [email protected], you can:

• Set spending limits.

• Self-exclude for a period over seven days.

• Permanently close your account.

Carnival Citi Promotions and Bonuses

Carnival Citi Casino offers new players a welcome bonus where no purchase is necessary. Also, if you want to buy extra Coins, the site offers a discount on your first purchase. See below for more details.

No-Purchase Bonus

As a new player, I claimed the Carnival Citi Casino no-purchase bonus of 10,000,000 Coins and 5,000 FREE Sweeps Chips. You don’t need to enter a code or jump through many hoops at all.

You just need to create a new account and once you’ve completed the signup process (it took me about 3 minutes) – you’ll receive the no-purchase bonus.

No-Purchase Bonus Terms & Conditions

• Get 5,000 SC and 10,000,000 Coins after creating a new player account

• No promo code is needed

• 1x playthrough requirement on all Sweeps Chips

• Must reach 100,000 Sweeps Chips ($100 USD to redeem)

• Redemptions limited to $10,000 per day and $25,000 per week

• Must verify identity before redeeming Sweeps Chips

First-Purchase Bonus

While no purchase is necessary to play, if you run out of Coins and don’t want to wait on promotions, you can buy extra Gold Coin offers, some of which also have FREE Sweeps Chips as a bonus.

With your first purchase, you can get a 50% discount. For $9.99, you can get 2,000,000 Coins and 20,000 Sweeps Chips.

If you’re looking to purchase more Coins after the first purchase bonus, you can do so with the following packages:

First Purchase Bonus Terms and Conditions

• No promo code is required for first purchase bonus.

• Must verify identity & location with documents before redemption

• Sweeps Chips are only valid for sixty (6) days from the date of last login

• Redemption requests are limited to $10,000 per day and $25,000 per week

Daily Log-In Bonus

Each day you log in, you can receive 1,000 Sweeps Chips (worth $1).

That means you can get up to $365 worth of Sweeps Chips a year just for logging in to the site. You’ll claim this bonus on the present box at the top right of the home page – it will not be claimed automatically so be sure to claim the present whenever you login!

Lucky Draws

Carnival Citi doesn’t have many promotions for existing users, but one of them is their Lucky Draws.

To win, you must earn E.Tickets – an electronic ticket with a lucky number that is issued to players for playing. Players earn 3 E.Tickets every time a player plays up to SC 10,000, one for three different Lucky Draws:

• Daily: Takes place every day at midnight EST – where Carnival Citi will randomly pick a  winner from the pool of Daily Lucky Draw E.Tickets.

• Weekly: Occurs every Sunday at midnight EST from the pool of Weekly Lucky Draw E.Tickets.

• Monthly: Occurs on the last day of every month at midnight EST.

Social Media Promotions

Follow Carnival Citi on social media to learn ways to win prizes. The casino is very active, especially on Facebook.

Carnival Citi live streams games every Friday, giving followers chances to win Free Sweeps Chips. In addition, the site posts coupon codes very often, so it’s worth following up and checking in occasionally to get FREE Sweeps Chips.

Mail Request

Like other sweepstakes casinos, Carnival Citi can award you FREE Sweeps Chips if you mail a handwritten request. You can find the full steps to redeeming the Postal Mail Request in the Carnival Citi on the Promo Rules page at the bottom of the home page.

There is a limit of one Sweeps Chips request per envelope, and for every post card you submit you’ll receive 2,000 Sweeps Chips.

Carnival Citi Banking Methods Breakdown

Carnival Citi is one of the newest sweepstakes casinos, but they offer some of the most popular sweepstakes casino banking methods for both purchases and redemptions.

Purchases

Carnival Citi offers some of the best purchase methods I’ve seen at a sweepstakes casino. While Carnvial Citi is always free to play, and you never need to make a purchase, if you choose to do so, you should be able to find a purchase method that works for you.

Carnival Citi offers all major credit/debit cards and online banking via Trustly.  The site is one of few sweepstakes casinos to accept digital wallets, including PayPal, making it an excellent choice for many players and the reason I gave it a 9.2 rating in Banking Methods.

Also, before you purchase or redeem, ensure your bank accepts transactions with sweepstakes casinos. Some users have reported their cards being declined, most likely due to their bank.

Redemptions

You need at least 100,000 Sweeps Chips to be eligible for redemptions.  Every 1,000 Sweeps Chips can be redeemed for $1. They must’ve been played at least once.

Expect several business days for redemptions to arrive in your account. However, some users have reported fast redemptions of only a few days.

What Games Are Offered?

You can access over 200 games at Carnival Citi, including slots, blackjack, video poker, keno, and solitaire. The site is a good option if you’re looking for unique options, as most games are unavailable elsewhere.

Slots

You can play over 180 slots by GMW at Carnival Citi, 90 of them being progressive jackpot slots. You will not find these slots at sweepstakes casinos -- in fact, Carnival Citi seems to be the only place you're able to play these games.

Themes and options include classic 3-reel slots, Asian, Irish, Western, Egyptian, Diamonds, Fruits, and more. Popular slots include:

• Legend Link

• Medusa

• Bubble Cash

• Fruit Jackpot

• Diamonds Deluxe

• Sacred Flowers

• Ten Tigers

• Egyptian Cat

• Mystic Queen

Table Games 

Carnival Citi has only two table games: Three-Hand American Blackjack and Five-Hand American Blackjack.

Video Poker

If you like video poker, Carnival Citi is one of the best sweepstake casino choices with nine games. They include popular variations like Jacks or Better and Deuces Wild. Also, other unique options include 10s or Better, Sevens & Joker Wild, and Aces and Faces.

Note that you need to acquire VIP status in order to play Video Poker – you can earn VIP status by making a Gold Coins purchase of at least $25.

Keno

You can play four Keno games:

• Pirate’s Island

• Steam Train

• The Great Wall

• Cleo’s Keno

Solitaire

There is one game in this category: Vegas Solitaire.

You select a denomination and your initial bet will be 52x the denomination (one for each card). You’ll receive your starting board and from there it is a traditional solitaire game, where you’ll receive 5x your bet for each card moved to a suit stack.

Once you’re out of moves, collect your winnings, and the game will end. The game also features a jackpot, which you win when you clear all 52 cards.

Carnival Citi RTPs

Unfortunately, Carnival Citi does not post the RTP for its games. GMW doesn’t have that information on its website, either. This is really somethidn

 However, some typical odds for the type of games it offers include:

• Slots: 93-96% RTP

• Blackjack: 98-99% RTP

• Video Poker: 98-99% RTP

As a rule of thumb, jackpot slots usually have slightly lower RTP due to the higher potential prizes.

Carnival Citi Review Conclusion

Carnival Citi offers players a good selection of games by GMW. For us, it stands out for its progressive jackpot slots, the number being above the industry average. In addition, the availability of other games like blackjack, keno, solitaire, and video poker makes it an excellent option for those wanting to branch out of slots.

The casino offers new players a good welcome bonus and daily log-in bonus, which could be enough incentive for some. While the playthrough requirement of 1x is fair, the minimum redemption of 100,000 Sweeps Chips (redeemable for $100) is higher than we would’ve liked.

Some things that the site can improve are the lack of information on the games’ odds and the need to make a purchase to unlock some games. Those factors could be a turn-off for some players.

Overall, we think that Carnival Citi is a solid option.  We recommend you sign up, claim the no-purchase bonus, and play on the site to get a feel and determine if it’s the right choice.

FAQs

What is the Carnival Citi welcome bonus?

Carnival Citi starts players out with a fantastic no-deposit bonus of 5,000 SC and 10,000,000 Coins when you complete the sign-up process. But it doesn’t stop there, you’ll also receive a first purchase discount and receive 20,000 SC and 2,000,000 Coins for $9.99 – a 200% increase in Sweeps Chips.

Does Carnival Citi accept PayPal?

Yes, Carnival Citi has some of the best cashier methods available and includes PayPal. It’s one of the few sweeps casinos that offer PayPal as a purchase method. Unfortunately, you are not able to redeem using PayPal but it could be available in the future.

What is the Carnival Citi daily login bonus?

Every 24 hours you’ll receive 1,000 SC from Carnival Citi just for loggin in and claiming your daily login bonus. They also have daily Lucky Draws which can grant more free Sweeps Chips.

Is Carnival Citi legit?

Yes, Carnival Citi is a legit and safe option as a sweepstakes casino. They have encryption technology to protect players and their information and offer a ton of transparency throughout the entire process of playing on the platform.

What games are available at Carnival Citi?

The majority of games available at Carnival Citi are slots and primarily slots from GMW. One of the more unique offerings they have at Carnival Citi is Solitaire, where you’ll earn prizes as you place cards in the suited piles.

They also offer Video Poker games. However, to unlock them, you’ll need to reach VIP status by making a purchase of $24.99+.