With the world of sport grinding to a halt as of late, it’s been a quiet period for the UK’s bookmakers. The online gaming world, however, has been as active as ever, with a whole new crop of casinos coming into bloom. Here’s our take on the best ones to catch our eye.

Casushi

“Eat your sushi to get big and strong like Godzilla!” Not our words, but the words of the Casushi Master, who ushers us into one of the tastiest casino offerings of 2020. You may have a sudden hankering for soy sauce and pickled ginger when you see all the salmon nigiri sushi floating around on this site, and – if that sounds a bit peculiar – wait till you meet the karate-chopping cat.

As you’ve probably worked out, this is no ordinary online casino, and anyone with a taste for zany memes will be well at home. What we particularly like is how witty and irreverent it all is. “Our service style means always being professional and constantly searching for new ways to, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla,” is what you’ll find instead of the usual, generic marketing spiel. It also has “very silly design” on its bullet-point list of reasons why you should sign up.

If you’re after a refined and serious aesthetic, this site isn’t for you. But if surreal humour and Japanese-flavoured whimsy sound good to you, you’ll find Casushi as vibrant and bracing as a dash of wasabi.

While the welcome bonus bundle isn’t as generous as other sites (100% up to £50 plus 50 free spins), there’s always the special Sushi Train rewards programme to look forward to. This is a fish-filled slots game that pops up when you collect enough loyalty points and gives you the chance to win free spins across the site. That’s enough to make even sushi-sceptics reach for the chopsticks.

Voodoo Dreams

If Casushi is a bit too wacky and high-concept for your tastes, it’s worth checking out Voodoo Dreams. While it’s another new casino, it takes a more traditional approach in terms of its design and tone. The site has a calm, low-key vibe with a layout that doesn’t throw any weird and wacky curveballs. You can quickly click or tap between categories like “New Games”, “Slots”, “Jackpots” and “Live Casino”, and get stuck into the likes of blackjack, French roulette and many of the biggest slots games around.

Delve a bit deeper, though, and you’ll see Voodoo Dreams has a few intriguing attributes that add interest. One is the Duel feature, which lets you engage in an exciting slots battle against another player, with “Health Points” the measure of how well you’re doing. There are four slots strategies to choose from (Defensive, Balanced, Aggressive and Rage), which will determine how much Health Point damage you’ll inflict on your opponent with every winning spin.

Winning these Duels will amass Spirit Points, which form part of the Voodoo Dreams loyalty programme. Spirit Points, along with the related Experience Points, let you cast “Spells” which unlock free spins, deposit bonuses and even cash prizes. On top of all this, the welcome bonus for new sign-ups includes 50 real money free spins, meaning any winnings are paid to you in cash you can immediately withdraw. Magic.

NY Spins

NY Spins certainly lives up to its billing, with a silhouette of the Statue of Liberty slap-bang in the centre of its logo. It’s certainly a lot less hectic than the city it’s named for, with a clean, serene and very user-friendly layout. Browsing around for your favourite slots is a breeze, and anyone with an eye for big winnings will relish the chance to play for the Mega Moolah progressive jackpot prizes.

You might assume from the name that NY Spins is all about hitting the reels. But there’s also a modest range of table games on tap, as well as a wider array of immersive live dealer games. So whether you enjoy facing off with blackjack dealers or throwing bets down for roulette, you’ll be in your element at NY Spins. You’ll also get off to a head start thanks to the 100% first deposit bonus up to £50, not to mention the 50 real money free spins.

Still need convincing to start spreading the news about NY Spins? Well, there’s another reason to be a part of it, and that’s the loyalty scheme. You’ll collect more points the more you play, and these can then be traded in for one of the site’s bonus prizes, which all have a New York theme. For example, the “Manhattan” bonus will give you two free spins, “Central Park” provides 25 free spins, while the “Metropolitan Museum of Art” unlocks a rather marvellous cash bonus of £225.

Reels Royale

After the more subtle and stripped back Voodoo Dreams and NY Spins, we’re back in “loud and proud” territory with Reels Royale. The site is vividly colourful and dynamic, with a retro appeal that’ll have many players itching to dive straight in. You may want to sign up for the welcome package first, as it’ll give you a 100% bonus on your first deposit up to £100, along with 100 bonus spins that are rationed out over five days.

As you’d expect from a site with “reels” in its name, there’s a treasure trove of slots games to explore, from Jumanji to Street Fighter II, with the tantalising promise of progressive jackpots keeping things exciting. If you’re one for roulette, you’ll be glad to see a wide range of variations here, including 3 Wheel Roulette and Roulette Royale, along with an equally eclectic selection of blackjack games.

While Reels Royale doesn’t really have its own distinct “world” or unique personality – don’t expect to see many cartoon robots or high-kicking cats here – it does make up for it in terms of the wealth of games on offer. There’s also the lure of the loyalty scheme. By opting in, you’ll gather points with every slots win. The more points you collect, the higher up you’ll go on the site’s leaderboard. By edging out other players, you’ll be in the running to win bonus spins daily. Ready to unleash your competitive streak?