REVIEW SUMMARY
The Drake Casino is one of the newer online websites with gambling, having been initiated in 2012. It is slightly smaller than most casinos with about 150 game choices, all run by a combination of Betsoft and AE software. Betsoft has been around a long time and the games run very well in Instant Play mode. There is no standard download.
PROMOTIONS
There are a number of bonuses offered from Free Spins to outright match of deposit amounts. Currently they best offer is a 100% Match – Welcome Bonus: 100% for first deposit up to €/$2,000, 100% up to €/$1,000 for a second deposit and 100% up to €/$2,000 for third deposit. You can only have one bonus in action at any one time, so don’t re-deposit if you still have cash available but haven’t met the rollover requirements.
To entice you to make deposits, the casino offers a matching bonus. The catch is that you have to really play a lot of money to qualify to withdraw winnings from your account. Drake Casino offers the match, you offer to keep playing until you have bet your money and deposit a total of 40-times. This 40-times rollover means that if you deposit €/$500 and get €/$500 in match money (non-cashable), you will need to play at least €/$40,000 in wagers before you can withdraw.
Keno and scratch cards count as 100% for play-through, as do most slots. Video poker and table games contribute at a lower total. Currently roulette play is counted at 25%. That means if you are chugging away with your €/$1,000 in chips at roulette, you’ll need to play a total of €/$160,000 (40x1000x4) to clear the bonus. That’s a daunting number!
Of course if you like to play, the bonus gives you extra chips and a better chance of winning. Playing a system like Six-Pence Plus for single dollars may take forever. Other roulette systems or random play with wagers of €/$10 or more are more likely to get to the total wager requirement if you can last that long.
You may also qualify for weekly sweepstakes offers (free spins) and a casino rebate of your losses up to 10%. Check your emails for other offers like weekly reload bonuses.
Complimentary Play
Like land-based casinos, Drake offers a VIP and comp club for continuing players. You earn points for every dollar wagered and can convert those points to cash at any time you earn the €/$2 redemption level of 2,000 points. You get 10 points for every €/$100 in wagers, so it is quite similar to other Internet casinos.
Weekly prizes go to club players and the higher your total volume, the higher your redemption rate.
| TYPE | AMOUNT | MATCH | PLAYTHROUGH | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Deposit | €/$2,000 T&C Apply | 100% | N/A | SIGN UP |
| Second Deposit | €/$1,000 T&C Apply | 100% | N/A | SIGN UP |
| Third Deposit | €/$2,000 T&C Apply | 100% | N/A | SIGN UP |
GAMES
There are more than 150 games to play at Drake Casino, with video reel slots and 3D slots. The Gold Diggers and Rock Star slots in 3D worked very well. They are quick, smooth, have good sound, and are a lot of fun. Games are available in denominations from 1-cent to $1, and many games have as many as 50 paylines.
Video slots are more plentiful than 3D games, but both options have progressive jackpots and really good graphics. Video poker also works well with the standard mix of games like Jack’s or Better, Deuces Wild, and Double Double Bonus. Overall, Drake boasts payouts of over 97% which includes all slots and table games.
Table Games are somewhat uninspiring, but there are several options such as Caribbean Poker, Casino War, Pai Gow Poker, Red Dog, craps, blackjack and Three Card Rummy. For Roulette players there are four varieties of games to choose from: American roulette with double zero, European roulette with single zero (no track for neighbors and orphans etc.), Zoom Roulette and Common Draw Roulette.
Unfortunately, Common Draw roulette is simply a multi-player game that moves along quite quickly. Likewise, Zoom roulette is graphically and acoustically nicer because it has an automatic zoom feature that shows the ball landing, plus a reader board for previous history. Otherwise, it’s a standard wheel. Table games offer limits from €/$1 to €/$500.
GAME TYPES
There are some great slot adventures to undertake at Drake Casino, including the spy-themed License To Spin, and the Magical-Fantasy themed Dragon’s Cave. There are also plenty of reasons to spend a night at the tables with American and European Roulette, Blackjack, Carribean Poker, Top Card Trumps and Pai Gow. Meanwhile, Speciality-Games is the place to find Keno, Scratchcards and a Virtual Racebook. There are also many varieties of Video-Poker.
SOFTWARE
Drake Casino offers players a selection of exciting games from both Betsoft and Arrow’s Edge, two leading software companies who provide slots with quality 3D Graphics and Sound, as well as fun themed features and bonus rounds that make for some seriously exciting slots sessions. Both also make traditional casino games, and many slots and casino games are available to play on mobile phones and other mobile devices.
SCREENSHOTS
BANKING
You can cash out at any time from Drake Casino, unless you have taken but not cleared your bonus yet. In this case you are likely to be limited to a €/$50 max win or you won’t be able to cash out at all. Call support if you have questions.
Once you have cleared your bonus and verified your ID and address, you will have a few days to kill while you wait for your money to clear and appear in your account. And, the bad part is that there are not that many options for withdrawal.
Once you choose your withdrawal option from the cashier you will find that there is a minimum withdrawal of €/$100 and there is a fee for several of the options. A bank wire has a €/$60 fee and a €/$750 minimum (€/$3,000 maximum) and can take up to three weeks.
For checks, there is a minimum withdrawal of €/$100 and a minimum fee of €/$45, although they should be sent within three days. For withdrawals via Direct Cash and Quick Cash, the minimum withdrawal amount is €/$300, but your account will be credited within three days. Check the fees, the time limits, and the other fine print!
CURRENCIES
It’s possible to deposit in US Dollars or Bitcoins at Drake Casino, with US Dollars accepted through Credit Cards such as Visa and Mastercard, popular e-wallets such as Skrill and Neteller, and also Direct Cash Transfer. Bitcoins are also a very popular currency due to the speed in which both deposits and withdrawals can be processed.
BITCOIN
USD
MOBILE
Drake Casino is also an excellent mobile-gaming platform which owners of Apple and Android Phones and other mobile devices can use whenever and wherever they fancy squeezing-in a few games of their favourite slots or table games. Simply enter the casino’s web address into your mobile browser and log-in. You’ll find you can enjoy all the same great 3D Graphics and Sounds you can on desktop, as well as all the same great features and access your bonuses. Apple optimized games include Mr Vegas Apple and American Blackjack Apple, whilst Android Optimized games include Lucky 7 Android and European Roulette.
ANDROID
DESKTOP PC
IOS
MAC
MOBILE
TABLET
JACKPOTS
Drake Casino offers over 30 Jackpot-Slots, including Super Jackpot Slots, Mystery Jackpot Slots, and one Cash Grab Slot. There are 21 different Super Jackpot Slots including the American-Football Themed 4th & Goal, and the Western-Themed Dodge City Slots – and these slots from Arrow’s Edge were paying a Jackpot of around $60,000. Meanwhile, Mystery Jackpot Slots include Chocolate Slots and Arcade Fortunes, whilst the solitary Cash Grab Slot is Board Babe.
SECURITY
Drake Casino is licensed in Curacao and, as the sole owner of any personal or financial information it collects for the processes of opening accounts or financial transactions, it is committed to not sharing or selling this information to any interested third-parties. All transactions are encrypted and safeguarded by VeriSign, who provide an industry standard 128-bit Secure Socket Layer Encryption, which is also used to protect any personal data required to open accounts or process financial transactions. Meanwhile, Drake’s Cookie Policy is to only use cookies to create an anonymous profile of users as a way of monitoring their advertising.
VERDICT
While my experience with the Instant Play features and game play was excellent, the overall selection isn’t as large as many other online casinos. The overall house edge (somewhere between 96% and 97.7%) is very good. Limited Chat and Support hours can also be a drawback.
In addition, I was disappointed not with the bonus (although 40-times is a tough road to hoe), but with the withdrawal costs. It shouldn’t cost you anything to get your winnings, in my opinion. Also, while you can deposit as little as €/$25 to qualify for a bonus, you have to accumulate €/$100 to cash out. That’s wrong.
