Our rating
I started doing this Calvin Casino review with so much hope. On the face of it, this site has a lot going for it - renowned game providers, a very strong responsible gambling program, some fun features like the random games…
Sadly, that’s where it stops. The cracks don’t take long to reveal themselves. Many features don’t work, the site’s approach to transparency is very cavalier, and payment options are very limited.
Quick facts
Pros & cons
Games
There’s a selection of just over 1,000 casino games at Calvin Casino, indicated by a top menu that categorises new releases, slots, table games, card games, video poker, jackpots, and Megaways slots.
Basic info about the casino's game section:
Feature | Information |
---|---|
Average RTP | 94% - 96% |
Popular Games | Booming Seven, Vegas Wins, Valley of Pharaohs |
Expert's Pick | Desert Drag, Wild Tundra, Money Jar 2 |
Demo Available | Yes |
Click on the ‘Collections’ menu to find the slots further subdivided by theme and feature such as Vikings, Books, Halloween, Crash, and Enhanced RTP. There is no menu for live dealer games, although the site claims to offer them.
Software providers
I found eight software providers altogether while testing for this Calvin Casino review. The list includes leading names that have built a solid reputation in slots. However, there are no such top names in the field of live dealer casino. Here’s the whole list:
Pros & cons
Technical difficulties in the game library
This gambling site offers just over 1,000 titles. This is far from being a large amount, with the most reputable casinos now setting the industry average at between 3,000 and 5,000. For perspective, sites like Flush casino actually exceed these amounts and reach almost 6,000.
Still, on the face of it this wasn’t going to alienate me. After all, there are some excellent software providers available, so I wasn’t expecting a dismal performance. Unfortunately, while testing for this Calvin Casino review I uncovered several serious technical shortcomings.
Not to put too fine a point on it, the game menus just don’t work. Click on ‘Arcade’ and you stay on the same page. Click on ‘Jackpots’ - ditto. Can happen to the best of us, I suppose, so I decided to go back to the site later to see if these were resolved.
Two days on, it was still facing similar issues. I clicked on ‘Arcade’ and stayed on slots. I clicked it again, and this time it worked. Tried the same move with ‘Jackpots’ and it stayed on ‘Arcade’. I reached out to customer support for the second time, and received the same answer: we are working on it. I also asked for a specific link to live games but was told there wasn’t one and that I just had to ‘find them’.
Friends, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out something’s rotten in the state of Calvin - to cheekily paraphrase the Bard. Even if the technical issues are legit, any online gambling site facing such serious problems for longer than a couple of days doesn’t exactly scream ‘trust’.
My other big beef is that RTP values are not provided. Instead, I found a visual meter illustration with an arrow vaguely landing close to 100% for all games. Very disingenuous. Am I meant to guess exactly with decimal point closest to 100% the game falls under?
Like a total lemon, I had to actually look up the RTP for each game. This is also true of the section for Enchanced RTP slots, which is really rich. You’d think the whole idea of that section would be to tempt me with super high RTPs, but it’s not very tempting if I don’t actually know what these are. For all I know, they might not be enhanced at all. Bitcasino, for comparison, clearly indicates the RTP for every single name in the thumbnail itself - you don’t even have to click on it.
The section titled ‘Top Wins’ is sneaky. This category is usually used by other casinos like BitStarz to foster trust by showing me who won how much on which games. At Calvin Casino, you don’t get this information. Instead, there’s a list of games that are supposed to have delivered top wins, but I have no idea why or how. If you want to see how this is done properly, check out. There’s also a Feel Luck (and that’s not a typo, I swear!) menu that I’ve no clue what is meant to do.
On the plus side, I liked the ‘play random game’ option. Sometimes it’s fun to be surprised. It’s not much, I know, but that’s all I can give you.
Cryptos
As of now, Calvin Casino doesn't accept crypto deposits.
The platform should introduce some crypto payment options
Naturally, my biggest beef is that you can’t use cryptos at this casino. If you’re looking for the best crypto gambling sites, this is not it. If you’d like to check out a casino that accepts a grand total of 19 cryptocurrencies, allow me to direct you to Stake.com. You’ll find all the popular choices like Ethereum, Bitcoin, Litecoin, USDT, and more here.
Deposits and withdrawals
Here’s a quick guide to deposits and withdrawals at this online casino:
Feature | Info |
---|---|
Deposit time | Instant |
Withdrawal time | Up to a few days |
Withdrawal fee | No Fees |
Transaction process | Complicated |
Calvin Casino accepts eight payment options, five of which can also be used for cashouts. Only fiat currencies are accepted, using the following methods:
- Credit/Debit Cards
- Neteller
- Skrill
- ecoPayz
- Neosurf
- Paysafecard
- Flexepin
- Bank Transfer
Minimum limits
You can deposit as little as €10, while maximum limits are set extremely high at €100,000.
The minimum withdrawal limit is set at €25*.
Pros & cons
Confusing withdrawal speed
Cashout options are too few, as you can only use eWallets, card accounts, and bank transfers. Moreover, the minimum cashout amount of €25 is quite high when compared to the industry gold standard of €10. If you decide you don’t like the site and you want to cash out your account, you’re pretty much stuck there until you gather €25 in wagering.
I also wasn’t happy to find very vague terms regarding withdrawal speed. Instead of telling me how long the cashout takes to be finalized, Calvin Casino only specifies the ‘pending period’, which is the time it takes to finish Know Your Customer (KYC) checks. Following that, the transaction still needs to be processed by the casino, but I couldn’t find any information about how long that usually takes.
Bonuses
Here's a quick rundown of bonuses at Calvin Casino:
Feature | Information |
---|---|
Welcome Bonus | Deposit match up to €300 plus 100 free spins |
Wagering Requirements | 40x |
VIP Rewards Availability | Cashback Club |
Bonus Code | WINBIG |
Other Bonuses Available | Reload bonuses, Refer A Friend |
Welcome offer
Upon joining you’ll be gifted a 100% deposit match up to €300, plus 100 free spins with 30 days to fulfil 40x wagering requirements. You can bet a maximum of €5 while still using the bonus cash. And don’t forget to key in the bonus code WINBIG during the registration process!
VIP club
The casino also offers a strong VIP Club, called the Cashback Club. There are five levels, with the higher ones being accessible only to players who deposit over €5,000. However, each level offers very good perks with cashbacks ranging between 3% and 20% on slots, up to 20% on live games, exclusive offers, and random drops in higher levels.
Pros & cons
Limited bonus offer
The welcome bonus of up to €300 plus 100 free spins is not huge when you consider sites like FortuneJack offer crypto bonuses up to 6 BTC (approximately €50,000+) or a 20% cashback. However, the 40x wagering requirements and 30 day expiry term are very reasonable.
I wasn’t fond of the way the spins are apportioned, though. You receive them in batches of 20, but only after you’ve used up your bonus cash. Typically, these are given out concurrently.
There are more match deposits for the second and third one, up to €300 and €700 respectively, as well as a Refer A Friend offer of 1% on every bet, with no limits. As tempting as this sounds, I won’t be referring any friends.
App
Here’s what you need to know about the casino’s mobile gaming options:
Feature | Information |
---|---|
Mobile Access | Android, iOS |
Mobile Browser Experience | Fast |
Ease of Navigation | Well-placed menus and intuitive interface |
Loading Speed | 3 to 5 seconds |
Helpful Tools | APK downloads |
Device compatibility
There is no actual app, but you can download an APK directly from the site if you don’t want to use the mobile browser. This will be installed on your computer or your home screen and function exactly in the same way as an app. But unlike an official app, you’ll need to follow instructions to install it manually.
Pros & cons
The mobile version could use an improvement
I have to say that I’m not fond of the idea of downloading an APK to my devices, especially if they contain the same faulty coding as the desktop site. I’ve no idea what the files contain and I won’t be installing them. That said, I did access Calvin Casino using the regular mobile browser and, surprisingly, I encountered no actual UX issues. The menus adapt very well to the interface of my mobile - they still don’t work, though.
Security
Safety measures are as follows:
Feature | Information |
---|---|
Licenses | Malta Gaming Authority |
Auditing | by Let's Encrypt |
SSL Encryption | SHA256 |
Responsible Gaming Tools | Deposit, time, loss, and betting limits, as well as self-exclusion |
KYC | Identity verification on all cashouts |
Licensing
Calvin Casino is licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), and it is audited for platform security by Let’s Encrypt. There are several responsible gambling tools, such as time, deposit, and betting limits. There is also a handy quiz that helps you understand whether you are spending too much time gambling and are at risk of addiction. You can access all these from a dedicated menu in the footer of the site.
KYC processes are implemented on all withdrawals, no matter what the amount. You will be asked to complete identity verification by uploading official documents like your passport and a utility bill to the website itself. In cases of very large withdrawals, you may also be asked to carry out further processes with additional documents for them to cross-check you really are who you say you are.
Pros & cons
Solid safety measures
The site is licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority, which typically keeps a tight leash on its licensees and it should be an indication of a basic level of safety. I was also somewhat mollified to see that KYC processes are taken seriously, as are responsible gambling tools.
The latter are so honed that I kept being forced to take one minute breaks after every hour I spent on the site. These breaks are mandatory. It may not sound like much, but it may be exactly what someone needs.
Support
How to contact the casino's support team:
Feature | Information |
---|---|
Live Chat | 24/7 but you need to be logged in |
Not available | |
FAQs | Basic |
Support
Languages supported
There’s a sticky live chat available 24/7, but you’ll need to be logged in to access it. Other than that, there are basic FAQs, but no Help Center, or email address. Replies on live chat are very prompt and polite, and you’re put in touch with an actual human immediately.
Pros & cons
Underwhelming customer support
I can’t fault the speed of the reply that greeted me on live chat. And it was clear that I was actually talking to a human, rather than being fobbed off onto a chat bot. The support agent did her very best, but the reply just was not satisfactory. She had no idea how to direct me to this mythical live dealer section, and I left none the wiser as to why the game menus keep glitching.
Final verdict
You won’t be surprised to learn that I’m not leaving a positive Calvin Casino review. There are many things that look promising - reasonable bonus terms, some renowned software providers, and excellent responsible gambling features.
But the red flags are too many and too loud to ignore. Some would lead a more suspicious person than me to conclude that they’re actually deceptive. I mean, how can you say you offer live casino but don’t know exactly where it is? Or worse, not list any live dealer providers in your list of software providers?
Vague terms, broken menus, and no RTPs don’t make for a happy reviewer. It’s time to take a break, indeed. My advice is to give this one a miss and check out one of the other sites that actually deliver on their promises. You’ll find plenty of them right here.
Author: Ramona Depares
As a Crypto Journalist, I'm your go-to whenever you're looking for objective information that gives you the full picture. No ambiguous language, no overly-technical jargon, just the transparent, full deal. In my other life you'll find me spending all my money dancing to gigs around Europe. Or, when I'm too broke, sipping a glass of wine while people-watching for ideas on my next novel.