Express Wins is the latest incarnation of the Daily Express newspaper’s slot and casino site, launching on the Jumpman platform after a 4 year hiatus.
Express Wins is the latest incarnation of the Daily Express’s online casino, relaunched in 2020 after a four year break – and, to me, it’s a pretty big upgrade. If you’ve come across its sister sites (like Star Wins or Mirror Bingo), you’ll notice a few familiar Jumpman touches – like the slot library that’s over 3000 games deep, a rewards system centred around Trophies and a small but busy bingo lobby.
Interestingly, the older version of Express Wins had a much stronger casino vibe, but it has now pivoted to a more UK-themed look, with a red, white, and blue banner and the welcome-offer wheel superimposed on the London Eye. It’s a fun little nod to the Daily Express brand, which definitely helps to set it apart from the dozens of other Jumpman sites.
I can’t help but feel like there’s a bit of a “been there, done that” feeling in terms of the overall layout if you’ve already tried any other Jumpman brand. But, the backing of a well-known newspaper, along with some unique promotional twists, keeps things fresh enough if you want something new to explore.
Signing up is as easy as it would be at any other Jumpman casino. You just fill out a couple of forms with your usual details (name, address, date of birth, etc.) but a little quirk you should be aware of, though – you should pick a username that you haven’t used at any other Jumpman casino. Even though they are all totally different logins, for some reason, you can’t have the same username twice.
If the site can verify you based on the information you provide during the registration process, you just have to verify your mobile number and you’re good to go. If not, you can still deposit and play but you won’t be able to withdraw. You’ll have to send in a photo ID and proof of address, but it should only take a few hours for them to verify you.
Express Wins does offer a small but lively bingo area. I wouldn’t say that it will blow your socks off if you’re used to a dedicated bingo site, but definitely enough to scratch a bingo itch. It runs on Pragmatic Play software, so you’ll see a few 90-ball and 80-ball rooms, along with a 30-ball Zoom Room for short-burst bingo.
Ticket prices range from 1p to around 50p, and I was impressed by how big the prize pools can get during the weekly games – some can get up to £7000. Still, it’s not a huge lobby, but there’s usually a game or two going on whenever I pop in.
My main gripe is that you can’t buy tickets straight from the main Bingo tab. You have to open a room first, then click on “Lobby” from inside that room. It’s something that I think could be streamlined a bit better but not a deal-breaker.
Like all of the other Jumpman casinos I’ve visited, Express Wins has a huge library of slots from both big names (the NetEnts and Pragmatic Plays of the casino world) and what I like to call boutique developers (your ELKs and Hacksaws). It’s a best-of-both-worlds scenario, so you can start out on classics like Starburst or Rainbow Riches before switching it up with more unusual slots like Cygnus and Twisted Lab Rotogrid.
New slots are always added to the site within a day of their release, so serious slots fans will enjoy being able to enjoy fresh content as soon as it launches. And, with 40 different slot providers on the site, this means that you’re looking at over a dozen new games being launched every week.
The way the games lobby is organised, though, leaves something to be desired. You can browse by categories like “New,” “Jackpots,” “Instant Win,” and so on, or just type the name of the game you’re after in the search bar – but, that’s as far as it goes.
If you want to filter by specific features like clusters or scatter pays, that’s just not an option here. You don’t even get a preview of the game’s features when you click on the thumbnail like you do at other sites; you have to actually open the game and scroll through the paytable.
Progressive jackpots are also a treat here. You can play dozens of jackpot slots from Eyecon and Yggdrasil, but you’ll need to open each game to see how big the current pot is, since there’s no real-time jackpot counters in the lobby.
If you fancy trying out RNG table games or live casino games, Express Wins does supply a handful of them (mainly by Pragmatic Play). Only roulette, blackjack and baccarat are readily available but this selection is overshadowed by the thousands upon thousands of slots. The site would really benefit from making live game shows like Sweet Bonanza Candyland visible in the lobby but Express Wins seems to be committed to having a diverse game selection so it’s likely those kinds of live dealer games will be given more prominence soon.
Aside from the welcome offer, the Promotions page is pretty well stocked. Happy hours, gadget giveaways and spins are available every week but things really seem to revolve around the Trophies system and the Mega Reel.
Trophies are Jumpman’s gamification platform for rewards – you complete mini-challenges, earn trophies, level up, and unlock spins on the Mega Wheel. It does a decent job of spicing up your gameplay.
Something to be aware of here is that there’s 65x wagering requirements on all bonuses. Playthrough is required at just about all online casinos, but you tend to see them fall within the 35x to 50x range – so 65x is on the higher end of those.
In terms of banking, you can fund your account via debit cards, PayPal, Paysafecard, Skrill, Neteller or Pay by Mobile. Withdrawals each cost £2.50, and there’s a 72-hour pending window, which slows down things down quite a bit. In this day and age, instant withdrawals are becoming the norm, so I’d like to see Express Wins and other Jumpman casinos get with the times.
All things considered, I’d say that Express Wins is a solid Jumpman site that stands out a touch because of its Daily Express connection. The real draw, though, is the slots library – with over 3000 titles available, it’s the kind of site that really makes you feel spoiled for choice. The small-ish bingo lobby is also a plus, though it’s not nearly as expansive as a dedicated bingo brand.
On the downside, the 65x wagering requirements are quite high, and I feel like the navigation could be a lot less cumbersome. Still – if you’re after a fun place to play slots to spin and don’t mind the usual Jumpman quirks, Express Wins is worth a look.
65 x bonus on slots only (not progressive jackpots). Only bonus play counts.
Network supplied responsible gaming page which satisfies the bare minimum Gambling Commission requirements. If you self exclude from Express Wins you will also be self excluding from every other Jumpman Gaming site.