Lisa Cheban | October 21, 2024 | Updated on: October 22, 2024
With a name like “Winward”, how could this not be a great place to gamble? With a diverse range of pokies, including the latest releases and popular titles, plus the chance to bag yourself some seriously good bonuses, Winward is an excellent destination for Australian online casino fans.
Winward Casino Australia has been around since 2008 – that’s a long time in the online casino world. Winward is owned by Blacknote Entertainment Group Limited, a reputable name in online gambling, so you can be assured that you’ll have a safe and secure experience when you play here.
At Winward online casino, you can claim some big offers, starting with up to $7,500 in bonus cash across your first three deposits; plus, there are extra offers for crypto deposits, special no-deposit free spins offers, and even a loyalty programme for top-tier players.
This Winward Casino review reveals the best things about this popular Aussie betting site. We invite you to sign up to explore a range of fun online casino games like video slots, classic games, video poker, and live dealer tables, and as the games are all certified as fair, you might even have a chance at landing a real money win.
First Impressions of Winward Casino
Our Winward Casino first impressions were that it’s not the most modern betting site, but it’s certainly a user-friendly casino that is easy to navigate and find what you’re looking for.
What’s more, we instantly noticed that Winward is home to some excellent online casino promotions. Of course, there’s the big welcome package of up to $7,500 in bonuses on your first three deposits, but that’s not where it ends.
You’ll also get 110 free spins across those three deposits, and regulars get their fair share of free spins bonuses and other loyalty offers, like 15% cashback every week. There are also some exciting tournaments that reward top players with their share of up to $10,000 in bonuses.
We headed straight to Winward on mobile to try out the mobile gaming experience as well, and we came to the same conclusion as the desktop site – it’s not hugely modern, but it does the job and allows you to play all of the games, so you don’t even need to visit the desktop site if you don’t want to.
Game Selection at Winward Casino
There’s a little bit of everything in the Winward Casino games library. The main offering is made up of a huge slot selection, but there are also table games like blackjack, roulette, and video poker, as well as a good number of live casino options.
If you’re into pokies, the first thing to note is that all of the games at Winward are totally fair because they make use of Random Number Generator (RNG) technology, so there’s nothing the player can do to influence the outcome of the game.
All the games come with a built-in Return to Player (RTP) percentage, and as these are all modern video slots, we expect the RTP to be over 95%, giving you a good chance of winning on all games.
Some of the most popular video slots here include Queen of the Dragon, Caishen’s Fortune, and Charms and Clovers, and there are also more classic-style games like Lucky Seven and Red Chili Hunter.
The games come from major providers like Betsoft and Genesis Gaming, all of which are renowned for great quality. While you’re playing, look out for a whole host of special features, like bonus rounds, that can be triggered when you land certain special symbols on the reels.
A lot of Australian online casinos focus entirely on pokies and neglect live dealer games, but that’s not the case at all when you play at Winward.
There’s a pretty good selection of immersive live dealer games, including roulette and baccarat, and these provide an excellent alternative to visiting a land-based casino. The stakes start pretty low (around $0.20) at some tables, so live dealer games are a budget-friendly option.
Bonuses and Promotions at Winward Casino
When you first sign up at Winward Casino and start adding real money to your account, you can claim Winward Casino bonuses of up to $7,500 across your first three deposits. Here’s how it works:
- First deposit: 200% bonus up to $2,000 plus 30 free spins
- Second deposit: 250% bonus up to $2,500 plus 50 free spins
- Third deposit: 300% bonus up to $3,000 plus 30 free spins
If you’re depositing with crypto, you’ll get an even better welcome package of 400% on each of your first three deposits.
Even after you’ve used up your first deposit bonus, there are lots of reasons to keep coming back to Winward Casino. For example, there’s a loyalty cashback offer, where you can claim 15% of your losses back every week (with no wagering requirements) and a weekly “Lucky Spin” promotion where if you place in the top 250 players, you’ll win your share of $10,000 in bonuses.
Regular players can also claim lots of free spins offers, and most of them don’t even require a deposit. For example, just for signing up for the Winward Casino online newsletter, you’ll be rewarded with up to 100 free spins.
If you ever need a bonus code for a Winward Casino offer, you’ll be able to find it on the promotions page, or you’ll be sent it via email. Don’t forget to enter the code at the cashier stage to make sure you get your promo if it’s required.
Banking and Support at Winward Casino
Winward Casino offers a few different ways for Australian players to add money to their accounts. You can use your Visa or Mastercard bank card or Neosurf or opt for cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Litecoin.
This definitely isn’t the biggest selection we’ve seen at an online casino, but most Aussies tend to use bank cards, so you should be okay. There are no fees charged for crypto or prepaid deposits, but your bank might charge you if you use your card for Winward Casino banking.
If you get lucky and want to withdraw your winnings, we’d recommend using secure transactions for crypto. The minimum withdrawal is $30, and there are no fees, but if you use a bank transfer (the only other available method), the minimum is $100, and you’ll have to pay fees of $29 per transaction, which is super high.
Bank card withdrawals can also take as long as 5 – 15 days to reach you, while crypto options are instant, so we know which method we’d choose.
If you need any help while you’re playing, the good news is that you can get in touch with the customer support team 24/7 using live chat, and the wait time is usually only 1 – 2 minutes. You can also get in touch via email, but you might wait a little longer for a response.
Mobile Gaming Experience
Winward online casino doesn’t have a mobile app at the moment, but that’s no reason to stick to desktop play. You can enjoy the full Winward Casino on your mobile device (phone or tablet), and all you have to do is use your usual browser.
We’d even go as far as to say that the Winward mobile gaming experience is even a little bit better than what you’d expect on a desktop.
The simple layout of the Winward site translates well to mobile devices, but what we’re always most interested in is the actual gameplay. We’re happy to report that HTML5 technology means that the games are all playable on mobile devices. You can browse the game lobbies or use the search function to find your pokie of choice, and we recommend that you rotate your phone to landscape view so that you can enjoy the game visuals in full-screen mode via Winward’s on-the-go casino.
If you’re playing on mobile, you’ll be able to take advantage of the same handy deposit and withdrawal methods as are available on the desktop site, and seeing you can sign up directly from mobile, there’s no reason to visit the main website at all if you prefer not to!
VIP Program and Tournaments at Winward Casino
The Winward Casino VIP program is very structured, which means it’s easy to understand how you can qualify. There are six levels, ranging from Basic to Master, and you’ll need to build up enough points to work your way up the ladder.
For every $1 you wager, you’ll earn two VIP points, and you need 1,000 points to make it to tier number 2 (Silver) and 150,000 points to become a Master.
As a VIP at Winward Casino, you can look forward to a whole host of exciting perks. For example, you’ll get exclusive bonuses, invitations to VIP-only events, and the additional support of a dedicated VIP account manager.
VIPs also get entries into special prize draws, especially around holidays, so you might even be able to bag yourself some special freebies, while there are regular casino tournaments that deliver winning shares of big prize pools to lucky players.
Pros and Cons of Winward Casino
There are a lot of reasons why you should try out Winward Casino – the huge welcome package and regular no-deposit bonuses and fun tournaments, the ease of customer support, and the wide variety of pokies and live dealer games are just a few of these reasons.
The biggest drawback of this casino is the high withdrawal fees and the fact that withdrawals can take so long if you opt for a bank transfer. Still, in putting together our overall casino evaluation, we settled on the following Winward Casino pros and cons:
Pros | Cons |
Live dealer games are available. | High withdrawal fees for withdrawals |
Huge welcome bonus | Long withdrawal timelines for some methods |
Games from reputable providers | Not a very modern site |
Regular cashback offers |
Final Verdict on Winward Casino
Our Winward Casino verdict is that you should definitely give it a try. Winward is made for Aussie players, and the developers really understand what you’re looking for in an online casino. Winward offers a safe and secure experience where you can feel confident depositing your own real money, and thanks to the great range of games, there’s always a chance that you’ll have a real win.
The promotions and offers at Winward really stood out to us. Many online casinos have welcome offers, but a lot of them tend to forget about regular players later on, and the offers they do have might come with really high wagering requirements. The Winward experience is the opposite of this, as you can look forward to a tonne of promos, including cashback, with no wagering at all!
We’d love to see Winward re-design certain parts of their experience to bring it more in line with other more modern online casinos (the mobile site could do with a refresh, too), but that’s no reason not to play! Aside from the limited withdrawals, this is a good place to play in Australia.
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