Winward Casino Review

BONUSES AND PROMOTIONS

On the main navigation menu – located on the left-hand side of the screen – you’ll find the “Promotions” tab. This is where you’ll find information about any current or upcoming bonuses and promotions. Below, we will take a quick look at what Winward Casino offers – starting with their new-player deposit bonus.

Welcome Offer

Winward Casino’s welcome bonus package is generous. New players can claim a deposit bonus on their first three deposits – and there are 110 free spins available! On your first deposit, you can claim a 200% matched deposit bonus; on your second deposit, it’s a 250% matched deposit bonus; and on your first deposit, it’s a 300% matched deposit bonus. You will also receive 30, 50, and 50 free spins. 

Unfortunately, winnings from the free spins are capped at $200. While this isn’t the lowest amount in the world, we don’t generally like to see cashout limits from free spins – and players looking specifically for free spins-based casino bonuses may be put off by this. Some special terms and conditions at Winward Casino regarding the welcome bonus include the following:

• • “Players must make the first deposit using the minimum amount according to the preferred payment method on Winward Casino by selecting the “First Deposit Bonus Offer” within the “Claim a bonus” section to be awarded the bonus. An offer incorrectly chosen will not grant the bonus.

• Players must wager a minimum of 35 times the deposit amount and 35 times the corresponding bonus amount to request a withdrawal.

• Bonus expires seven days after granting, meaning a player must complete the wagering requirement for the received bonus within seven days. Otherwise, the bonus and all the winnings sourced on said bonus will be forfeited.

As you’d expect, the deposit bonuses are available to new players only. Things were looking good until we found this term: 

“After claiming a welcome package, meeting the wagering requirements, and winning, players will be limited to cashing out a maximum amount of $5000 or 6 times the value of each welcome offer deposit, whichever is larger, and any remaining balance shall be forfeited.”

We hate this, especially when the deposit bonuses allow you to claim up to $2,500 per deposit. This means that the most you can win is double the money you deposit! Casino bonuses need to attract players – not turn them away – and this is something we feel Winward Casino needs to change in the future.

No-Deposit & Free Spins Offers

Winward Casino does not appear to offer any no-deposit bonuses. New players receive 25 free spins upon sign-up – but a deposit is required to claim them.

VIP and Loyalty Programs

There are two loyalty programs at Winward Casino; firstly, cashback is available to all players. Secondly, there’s the VIP Club, designed for the most loyal players. As a VIP player at Winward Casino, you will, according to them, receive “unique bonuses, get access to exclusive tournaments, and receive invitations to one-of-a-kind casino events.”

It’s not entirely clear how players enter the VIP Club – but it’s likely operating on an invite-only basis.

BANKING AND PAYMENT METHODS

Like most online casinos, Winward Casino allows you to make deposits and withdrawals using various payment methods. They state the payment methods they offer allow you to make online transactions faster, more accessible – and safer.

When depositing, Winward Casino offers eight options at the time of writing; cryptocurrencies include Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ethereum, TRON, TUSD, and USDT. The minimum deposit for all cryptocurrencies is $10, and funds are credited to your account immediately. There are no fees applied to crypto deposits.

Unfortunately, aside from cryptocurrencies, Winward Casino accepts debit and credit cards, this includes VISA and MasterCard. The minimum deposit for credit/debit card deposits is $10, and funds are credited to your online casino account immediately. However, charges may apply from your bank or card issuer – so be aware of this.

Unfortunately, it’s not possible to withdraw using debit and credit cards; currently, just three withdrawal methods are available; Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Bank Transfer. It seems strange that you can deposit using Bitcoin Cash and Ethereum – but can’t withdraw using them – and we’d like to hear from the casino why this is. The minimum withdrawal for Bitcoin and Litecoin is $30, and transactions are processed instantly.

If you wish to make a bank transfer, the minimum withdrawal is $500. However, a $29 fee does apply – and it takes between 5 and 15 working days for you to receive your funds.

Winward Casino Withdrawal Speed

Winward Casino states:

“Withdrawal requests shall be reviewed from Monday to Friday. We aim to review all withdrawal requests within 72 hours from when the customer has placed a withdrawal request on the Account. However, withdrawal timeframes are dependent on the verification status of the customer. As part of our requirements, we must collect documentary evidence of the customer’s identity, which can affect the withdrawal review timeframes (up to 5 business days).”

Winward Casino does, unfortunately, have a reasonably lousy reputation regarding payouts as of now. While we appreciate that they’re trying to turn things around and escape our “rouge casinos” list, we received multiple complaints in the past regarding withdrawal time frames. It remains to be seen whether they will implement positive changes or not. 

There’s also a very low withdrawal limit of $4,000 per week. While this may not pose an issue for low-staking players, those betting larger amounts of money may find this far too small.

Responsible gaming

One of the “deal breaker metrics” we look for when reviewing an online casino is the responsible gambling tools available. In short, if an online casino fails to offer players a complete and adequate range of responsible gambling tools, they will never be recommended here at Casinomeister. It’s non-negotiable. 

Thankfully, Winward Casino does a half-decent job regarding responsible gambling. They offer a few different responsible gambling tools – the first of which is the deposit limit. A deposit limit allows you to set a cap on account of the money you can deposit into your online gambling account on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Once you reach the limit, you cannot deposit any more money until the time has passed.

You will notice semi-frequent reality checks appearing whenever you play a real money casino game at Winward Casino. These pop-ups show how much time you’ve been gambling for – and how much you have won or lost.

If you feel like you are experiencing signs of problem gambling, Winward Casino also offers the self-exclusion function. Self-exclusion allows you to block access to your online casino account for six months and five years. During this time, you will not be able to log in, deposit, or play – and any online gambling accounts you hold at sister sites or Winward Casino will ALSO be affected. Self-exclusion should only be used as a matter of last resort.

Unfortunately, all of the responsible gambling tools at Winward Casino are self-managed. You need to contact the customer support team directly to set them up. We don’t like this; we believe players should always have complete control over their responsible gambling limits. Making players contact the customer support team to set them up simply adds barriers for problem gamblers.

About the Team and History

Things get a bit murky regarding tracking down Winward Casino’s origins. In the past, they were based out of Costa Rica – and at one point, it looked like they didn’t even hold a valid online gambling license. Today, however, Winward Casino is licensed in Curacao – and while that’s hardly much reassurance, it’s a LOT better than a (non-existent?) Costa Rican license.

Surprisingly, Winward Casino has been operating since 1998; this makes them one of the older online gambling websites. They were initially known for their flash-based casino games and downloadable software client.

In the past, all of the casino games at Winward Casino were provided by Parlay Entertainment – or Top Game when playing in the downloadable online casino. The latter also has a checkered past – and you can read more about the Top Game controversy HERE.

Today, however, it appears that Winward Casino is attempting to clear up its act. They have partnered with three game developers: Octopus Gaming, Betsoft, and Pragmatic Play (formally known as Top Game.)

Given all of the issues the site caused players, it’s surprising they have any customers left at all – but it could be that their recent effort to restore their image and gain credibility pays off – but we expect it to take some time!

Complaints and Track Record

When we add a casino to the “rogue” pit, there’s always a good reason for doing so. As you can imagine, Winward Casino doesn’t have the best reputation in the forums – and many players have, in the past, experienced problems. You can view a couple of the longer threads here and here.

In another notable example, one player, GRN Mountain Man, posted the following:

“Hello, all, long-time lurker here. So to make a long story short, I deposited 350 dollars at Winward casino. I took a 500% deposit bonus and won 85000 dollars!

I am sending in documents as the deposit bonus had no withdrawal limits. It had a 30X playthrough, chats me, chats, and they said the most I could withdraw is 500 dollars per week. Someone followed up with the following:

“Jesus H. Christ! 3 Years 3 months to complete the w/d!!!!!

I’m telling you now; this casino has neither the will nor cash flow to pay you in moderate amounts.

Such a shame as this is an open invitation to spunk it all back again, and I sincerely hope you don’t. $500 is pathetic, about £300 UKP per week, not even close to the average wage here, and yet they see fit to impose that limit. There’s not a lot you can do if this is clear in their terms; all Max can do is appeal to their better nature, so they raise the limit to a sensible one for you, but there are unfortunately no legitimate grounds for a PAB – the terms were there when you played.

The only possible way this will go (once they are sure you have the willpower not to play any back!) is an offer of a one-off reduced sum.

I would love to join the lady above in saying ‘congrats,’ but I get the feeling it has and will just create stomach-gnawing doubt and stress for you. I hope they do help you in some positive way.”

It’s clear that Winward Casino has a checkered past; while they’re attempting to change things now, it remains to be seen whether they – and their sister casinos – will successfully manage to turn things around.