Café Casino Review

BONUSES AND PROMOTIONS

One significant benefit for players new to Cafe Casino is the generous selection of bonuses and ongoing promotions available. New customers can take advantage of a decent welcome bonus offer, and as existing members continue to play, they’ll enjoy a decent selection of offers.

Cafe Casino frequently offers reload bonuses, free chip giveaways, free spins,  and loyalty rewards to keep customers playing – and loyal. The following section of this casino review will look at the site’s main deposit bonus and other bonuses and promotions.

Welcome Offer

Like many Bitcoin casinos, Cafe Casino offers a welcome bonus much more generous than you typically see at fiat-based casinos. New players can claim a 250% matched deposit bonus of up to $3,000 on their first deposit. You must use the bonus code “CCVIP” when depositing the bonus funds to be credited to your account.

If you make your first Bitcoin deposit, you can claim an even more generous welcome bonus. Again, this is pretty standard at most crypto casinos, and it’s due to the lower overheads they have when compared to “normal” sites. Bitcoin depositors can claim a whopping 350% matched deposit bonus of up to $5,000 using the bonus code “CCBTCVIP.”

To claim the welcome bonus, visit the cashier and enter the code before making your first deposit. Wagering requirements are 40X the combined deposit and bonus amounts, which isn’t too bad considering the bonus size.

However, as with all deposit bonuses, there are some terms and conditions to be aware of. Only slots, specialty games, and some video poker/blackjack games count 100% towards the wagering requirement. If you choose to play casino table games, the maximum contribution towards the wagering requirement is 20% – so it’s a welcome bonus designed to appeal to slot players more than anything.

No-Deposit & Free Spins Offers

In addition to the welcome bonus, Cafe Casino offers new players a free no-deposit bonus of $10. You don’t need to deposit to claim this bonus. Simply use the code CAFE10 in the cashier. This no-deposit bonus comes with a 60X wagering requirement.

VIP and Loyalty Programs

Cafe Casino rewards loyal players through its excellent Cafe Casino Perks program. You’ll earn points each time you wager on slots, table games, video poker, specialty games, and more. Five points are earned per $1 wagered on slots, one point per $1 on tables/video poker, and 15 points per $1 on specialty games.

As you accumulate points, you’ll progress through eight different loyalty levels. Each new level you unlock allows you to claim a higher point redemption rate, making it easier to earn loyalty program points moving forward. For example, at level one, 2,500 points award you a $1 bonus. Once you reach level eight, you only need 1,000 points for a $1 bonus – so you can see how much difference this leveling-up process can make to your overall progress.

Your loyalty program points can be redeemed at any time for bonuses. They do, unfortunately, have wagering requirements attached, but they’re pretty good – just 10X the bonus amount. We feel this is pretty fair and much lower than what we see at many online casinos today.

Bitcoin Rewards Membership Program

Players using Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies are eligible for Cafe Casino’s exclusive Bitcoin Rewards program. This provides extra bonuses as a way of “thanking” you for using crypto. As the name suggests, other payment methods like Credit and Debit Cards and EWallets do not qualify for this unique membership program.

Once you choose to join the Bitcoin Rewards Membership loyalty program, you can claim a weekly 350% reload bonus of up to $500. This applies to any Bitcoin deposit that’s worth $30 or more. The wagering requirement for the deposit bonus is 35X, which, again, is surprisingly decent for a reload bonus. Plus, if you make a $30+ deposit each week, you will also receive 25 free spins and 15,000 loyalty program points – with no wagering requirement on the free spins!

Being a Bitcoin-exclusive member nets lucrative rewards like enhanced reload bonuses, free spins, and Perk Points. Suppose you were planning on making deposits and withdrawals using Bitcoin anyway. In that case, it’s ideal – and it’s one of the best perks of playing at this real-money online casino, in our opinion.

BANKING AND PAYMENT METHODS

Cafe Casino offers a fantastic selection of payment methods, and while they do advertise themselves as being primarily a crypto-focused website, they also accept several fiat-based payment methods. You can make deposits using all major cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ethereum, StableCoin, and Dogecoin. While all crypto deposits are instant, they require at least one blockchain confirmation before funds are credited to your account.

Regarding non-crypto payment methods, the casino also does a good job. You can make deposits from all major debit and credit cards, including Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, and the online casino also allows you to use a small selection of voucher-based payment methods and gift cards. Unfortunately, any deposit made using a credit or debit card is subject to a 15% processing fee. This is high and, in our opinion, clearly indicates that Cafe Casino wants players to use cryptocurrency on their site.

The minimum deposit for all cryptocurrencies is $10, while all fiat-based payment methods have a minimum deposit limit of $20. Honestly, these are relatively fair limits and shouldn’t pose a problem for most players. Any non-crypto deposit is credited to your account immediately, as there are no additional processing times Beyond those imposed by your payment provider.

If you choose to deposit using a cryptocurrency, you will also be pleased to learn that Cafe Casino does not charge a processing fee. The only fee you will pay is the minimal miner’s fee required for your transaction to be processed on the blockchain.

Withdrawal Speed

Regarding withdrawals, Cafe Casino offers most of the same payment methods we just covered in the depositing section. All cryptocurrencies can be used for withdrawals; in our opinion, this is the easiest way of cashing out your winnings. The minimum withdrawal amount for all cryptocurrencies is $10, and, while subject to change, the casino aims to approve all crypto withdrawals within 1 Hour.

Things aren’t quite as good if you prefer to withdraw using a fit-based payment method. For example, withdrawals back to a debit or credit card can take between three and seven working days, and bank transfer withdrawals can take up to 14 days before the money reaches your account. What’s more, the minimum withdrawal amount for a bank transfer withdrawal is $50 -and while this is in line with what we see at most casinos, it’s still relatively high, so it’s something to be aware of.

Unfortunately, if you withdraw using a fiat-based payment method, there is a mandatory 72 half an hour pending. This means you can’t receive your funds before this time, and this is why we think Cafe Casino is good, pretty much only for crypto players.

Withdrawal Limits

When it comes to withdrawal limits, Cafe Casino doesn’t have the best withdrawal limits in the world, as we briefly touched on in the previous section. If you request a withdrawal via the “Check by Courier” withdrawal method, the minimum withdrawal is $50, with a limit of $2,000 for new players and $2,500 for VIP members. Even with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Litecoin, players are limited to $2,500 per transaction, although this limit increases slightly for VIPS – albeit only to $3,000.

Another critical thing to know about Cafe Casino is that they only allow one withdrawal every seven days. To make matters worse, if you withdraw using a  Bank Wire, you are limited to just one monthly withdrawal! Thankfully, cryptos are exempt from this clause – but even then, you can only request one withdrawal every three days!

Responsible gaming

Unfortunately, Cafe Casino offers minimal responsible gambling features compared to other online casinos. There are no options to set deposit, wager, or loss limits. At first glance, it doesn’t even look like a self-exclusion or time-out function is available!

In the site’s footer, Cafe Casino links to three organizations for responsible gambling – Gamblers Anonymous, the National Council on Problem Gambling, and Gambling Therapy. These offer resources and support for those struggling with compulsive gambling. However, simply linking to external responsible gambling charities and help websites isn’t good enough – and we feel that Cafe Casino let themselves down here.

Almost all online casinos let players set deposit, loss, and wager limits; these responsible gambling tools are invaluable for keeping your gambling in check. While responsible gambling looks terrible, we eventually found information about the self-exclusion scheme at Cafe Casino. However, it’s not self-managed, which we don’t like seeing – especially in 2023.

You must manually contact the customer support team to enter into a self-exclusion agreement. We could not find information about how long self-exclusion periods can be set. However, Cafe Casino states that your account will remain permanently closed if you mention a gambling problem.

In our opinion, Cafe Casino definitely falls short when it comes to responsible gambling tools. The lack of deposit, wager, and loss limits is disappointing, although, unfortunately, not unexpected at many online casinos today. While Cafe Casino does link to problem gambling resources, there are no proactive options built into the platform itself. Players seeking robust responsible gambling controls would likely be better off playing elsewhere.

About the Team and History

Cafe Casino was launched in 2016 as part of the Bodog Group, which also operates similar online gambling sites like Ignition, Slots.lv, and Bovada. Owned and operated by Lynton Limited, Cafe Casino was created to cater specifically to players in the United States.

As an online casino open to USA players, Cafe Casino differentiates itself by offering games from multiple top providers. Along with expected titles from RealTime Gaming (RTG), you’ll also find slots, tables, and specialty games from Revolver Gaming, Rival Gaming, Bovada Gaming, and Makitone Gaming. This diverse portfolio sets Cafe Casino apart from competitors with single-provider libraries.

Cafe Casino holds a gaming license in Curacao – which isn’t great news but explains the lack of responsible gambling tools. Some sites also report holding a license from the Kahnawake Gaming Commission in Canada. This appears true, although there is more than one version of Cafe Casino, with players redirected to a specific version depending on their country.

While writing this review, we found this clause in the online casino’s terms and conditions: “Currently, Cafe Casino only caters to and accepts players from the United States, except those residing in Delaware, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, and New York. If you live in a restricted state and still have a balance in your account, contact Customer Service to arrange for a cryptocurrency withdrawal.”

This is slightly unclear and even more confusing as – to our knowledge – Cafe Casino does not hold any valid online gambling licenses in the USA. It may be a case of them avoiding the stricter states to avoid any problems.

Complaints and Track Record

A quick search on the web shows this online casino doesn’t have the best reputation. Indeed, here at Casinomeister, we have had our fair share of issues with them. For example, in 2019, we posted this warning:

“ A player came to us reporting winnings of US$2500, but the casino (cafecasino.lv) ignored their withdrawal requests. We approached the casino and were told they’d only discuss the case with the player. We asked if the player could directly send them a statement of permission for us to discuss the case on their behalf. Their reply:

Per our Company policy, we won’t discuss the matter with anyone but the player, regardless of what the player has requested. At least that was to the point: it’s their company policy not to discuss cases regardless of the player’s wishes. So be it. Be Aware: Cafe Casino withholds player winnings without explanation and refuses to discuss player complaints. Players are advised to go elsewhere.”

While the online casino isn’t all bad, they are unlikely to deny your winnings arbitrarily. However, as with any online casino licensed in Curacao – especially a crypto site like this – we recommend exercising caution before joining and spending your money there.