Winshark Review – Scam or Safe?

Winshark seems like a fairly good spot to enjoy your favorite games with a piece of mind. There’s a nifty range of promotions and also a nice gaming library – still, nothing mind-blowing though mainly because of the absence of any Sportsbook. You can also find a good selection of payments here, even though some of the minimum withdrawal limits seem to be rather high in our opinion. Yet, everything seems to be up to the mark and there’s a pretty good reason for that.

Apparently, this casino is fully regulated and licensed by the Government of Curacao, so a safe and secure gaming environment is to be expected. Of course if it’s up to us, we would improve some of its offerings but overall the house seems like a decent choice for every dedicated player. You can see all of its ups and downs in the following review.

Bonuses

In terms of diversity, Winshark has prepared almost everything you may need in order to spend some quality time gambling here. The range of promotions is above average in our opinion as there are offers which can be claimed either once as a welcome greeting or regularly throughout the week. You can also benefit from a weekly cash-back, several Tournaments, a Bonus Shop, and a VIP Program.

The rewards themselves however seem to be rather modest so that’s one downside. As for the bonus conditions, they are 50/50, so let’s take a closer look:

As a beginning, there are several Welcome Bonuses that you can claim upon your first three deposits here. The good part is that you can choose between two different First Deposit Bonuses depending on how much you are willing to spend. Still, all of the offers come with one and the same wagering requirement and that’s x45 times your deposit and bonus. To be honest, this is slightly higher compared to the standards for the sector – reputable houses usually ask for around x30 and rarely go higher than x40 turnovers. Yet, the rule is still acceptable. Beware however that it’s essential to meet the requirement in order to perform any payouts, so make sure to complete the wagers on time. Another important detail is that apparently the wagering requirement is different for players from Finland – it’s actually set at 70 turnovers, which is definitely a lot, so keep this in mind. In addition, all bonuses expire 7 days after activation plus that you have 24 hours to activate each set of free spins you receive. If not, you may lose both the prize and all accumulated winnings, so be careful..Now, let’s explore the whole package in detail:

• The First Deposit Bonus can be claimed right after you register and attempt to make your first investment here. It comes with 100% up to €150 and 50 free spins. Still, the qualifying games for the free spins are not specified though. Mind however that a minimum deposit of €20 will get you only the cash bonus of 100% up to €150. In order to get the full prize, including the free spins, you need to invest at least €50. Now, a qualifying deposit of €20 is actually a pretty standard amount that every other reputable casino tends to ask for. On the flip side, €50 is more or less a high entry point for such a mediocre reward, but that’s just our opinion. And speaking about the reward, the truth is that it’s nothing to write home about. The multiplier is fine since it doubles your investment, but the maximum cash bonus is just too modest. In addition, players will get 25 free spins per day for 2 days in a row.
• If this offer doesn’t sound right for you, then you can choose the First Deposit High-Roller Bonus. Mind however that in order to unlock it you need to invest at least €500 which is definitely a mind-blowing amount. On the other hand, the reward is also pretty impressive – in exchange you can get a 50% bonus up to €2000 and 100 free spins on top of that. The maximum cash prize is definitely more like it, even though the multiplier is rather poor for such a high entry point. Anyway, it’s up to you to deceit if this offer is worth the splurge or not. As for the free spins, you will get 25 free spins per day for 4 days in a row.
• The Second Deposit Bonus features 80% up to €200 and 75 free spins. Again, the reward itself is decent but still nothing to get excited about mainly because of the poor maximum cash bonus. Things get even more complicated when you see the minimum deposits required. Again, in exchange of at least €20 you can get only the cash reward. A qualifying investment of €75 or more will grant you the full prize of 80% bonus plus 75 free spins. All in all, it doesn’t seem to be worth it if you ask us. Again, you will get 25 free spins per day for 3 days in a row. Don’t forget that you have 24 hours to activate each set before it expires.
• Making your Third Deposit here can get you a 60% bonus up to €300 and 125 free spins. Again the exact amount of the reward depends on your initial investment. If you deposit at least €20 the 60% reward is yours but without the free spins. A qualifying investment of at least €100 will grant you the cash bonus and the free spins on top of that. Again, it’s kind of questionable if the prize itself can justify the high entry point. In addition, free spins will be added to your account in sets of 25 per day, for 5 days in a row. Make sure to activate and use each one of them on time.

The Madnessday Bonus features 40% up to €250 with no free spins and can be claimed once every wednesday. Again you need to make at least 45 turnovers of your deposit and bonus in order to perform any payouts. In order to claim this reward you need to invest at least €20 which is a fairly low entry point as we explained already. Again, you have 7 days in order to use your reward and complete the wagers, otherwise the bonus with all associated winnings will be voided. All in all, the promotion comes with simple and straightforward rules and we appreciate that.

The Cyber Reload can be claimed every weekend and comes with 50% up to €300 with no free spins included. The rest of the conditions are exactly the same as the previous one – you need €20 or more in order to unlock this offer and at least 45 wagers of the deposit and bonus so that your funds can become withdrawable. The promotional period is 7 days as well, so hurry up and complete the requirements before the whole bonus expires.

The Floating Cash-back is said to come with up to 20% refund with a maximum amount of €300. Still, beware that the exact percentage actually depends on your VIP level. The good news is that even as a novice here you can still get a good amount of cash-back – all players of Level 1 will receive a 10% refund. Level 2 users can benefit from 12% reward, Level 3 – from 15%, and Level 4 – from 17% refund. In order to get the maximum of 20% cash-back you need to reach the higher Level 5. When it comes to withdrawing your funds, note that you need to make at least 30 turnovers of your rewards first. And even though the amount fits in the common standards for the sector, it’s actually rather high for this type of promotion. Cash-backs usually come with wagering requirements below x10 – some houses even ask for just 1 turnover before a withdrawal is allowed. Clearly, this is not the case here. In addition, you have 7 days in order to complete the wagers and use your prize, or it will be forfeited together with all accumulated winnings.

The Loyalty Club is some sort of VIP program which can grant you great perks and gifts. Besides the cash-back, the casino also offers personal VIP manager and free spins for reaching a new level. Of course the higher your rank gets, the better the rewards. For example there are birthday gifts, exclusive promotions, and a VIP club membership that are available only for the higher levels.

The Bonus Shop is another way to earn additional rewards. Here you can spend your coins for prizes such as free spins and bonus cash – just play your favorite games and for every €1000 on bets you’ll receive 1 coin. In addition, winning Tournaments can also get you coins.

And finally, don’t forget to check the Tournaments section, since the casino regularly adds new contests with amazing prize pools.

In addition, as the casino claims, there seem to be exclusive bonuses in its Telegram Channel – you just have to join it in order to reveal the gifts!

License

Winshark is owned and operated by GBL Solutions N.V., a company established under the laws of Curacao. It’s also fully regulated by Antillephone N.V., which is one of the four master license holders in the country which are authorized by the Government to oversee the e-gaming market. If you wonder how to make sure that all of this is true and not just words full of hot air, just look for the small logo of the regulator at the bottom of the page. It’s actually a dynamic seal which leads to the license itself. This is it:

The Curacao regulation comes with many rules and guidelines towards the houses – there are numerous anti-fraud measures as well as tons of obligations so that the casino can offer top-quality gaming services. Take these for example:

A safe and secure gaming environment is a must for every regulated casino. That’s why all licensed enterprises must use advanced encryption technology in order to protect your personal data. Apart from that any money laundering or identity theft are also out of question simply because of the multiple anti-fraud measures. In this case, Winshark also claims to have a state-of-the-art encryption technology to safeguard your personal and financial information.

All games must be fair and the outcome of each one must be absolutely random and unbiased. In order to achieve that, licensed houses are obligated to use random number generators (RNGs) whose main role is to ensure the genuine results. Winshark also claims that all its games are developed and operated with the highest standards of integrity, guaranteeing a fair and enjoyable gaming experience.

Responsible gaming tools must also be at your disposal. In short, you should be able to set a maximum deposit limit for a selected time frame – daily, weekly, or monthly, or just have self-execution options on hand. Apart from that you should also be allowed to limit the time you spend on gambling, also called a session limit.

This page is accessible in several different languages, which is a huge plus for all international users. This is the full list down below:

Languages: English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Norwegian, Polish

On the other hand, the list of restricted countries is huge so if you are a resident of any of these locations, you won’t be allowed to gamble here. Have a look:

Restricted countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, American Samoa, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Kinshasa), Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Cyprus, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern Lands, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Korea, North, Korea, South, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Reunion, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Martin (French part), Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sint Maarten (Dutch part), Slovakia, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Islands, U.S., Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Deposit and Withdrawal

Currencies: Euro (EUR)

Apparently, Winshark accepts a wide variety of banking methods – from traditional credit/debit cards and bank transfers, through the popular online payments like Mifinity, CashLIB, Skrill, and Neteller, to the usual crypto coins that are an integral part of almost every online casino nowadays. The selection seems great, especially considering the affordable minimum deposits and charge-free transactions.

Still, here’s one drawback – not all of the options can be used for both deposits and withdrawals. In fact, in order to cash-out your funds you can rely only on a handful of payments. The withdrawal conditions are also so-so to be honest. Here’s what we mean by that:

As you see, in order to top up your balance you have a stack of different options. The minimum you are allowed to invest is also pretty affordable with one small exception. To be precise most of the options require between €5 and €20 of minimum deposit, which is great as it fits in the standards for the sector perfectly. Mind however that crypto transactions require at least €55 of investment which is definitely a lot. The maximum deposit amounts are flexible and vary depending on the method itself.

The withdrawal options are highly limited to bank transactions, cryptocurrencies, Mifinity, and Sticpay. The minimum you can cash-out is also pretty unfavorable for some of the alternatives. Apparently, bank transfers require at least €100 of payout, while crypto coins – at least €50. Both of the amounts are much higher compared to the standards for the market – around €10 or €20 to be precise. At least the rest of the options come with reasonable minimum withdrawals of just €20. In addition, all payouts are said to be free of charge which is another positive.

The execution time isn’t specified though, so we have no idea how long you have to wait until you receive your funds. Usually with most of the houses the withdrawals take from 1 to 3 working days, so this might be the case here as well.

Also note that there is a limit of 3 simultaneous withdrawal requests. The maximum withdrawals are up to €500 per transaction or within 24 hours, and up to €10000 per month.

Another thing to keep in mind is that to verify your account and prior to withdrawals you need to provide some personal documents or details – like for example a copy of your passport or driver’s license in color with a valid expiration date, copy of the credit/debit card in color that was used to replenish the balance, full address, and so on. In addition, remember that it’s necessary to hide the middle 8 digits of the credit/debit card and the CVV code!

In addition to that, also remember that if you request a withdrawal of funds you deposited but never used in games, Winshark may reject this request to prevent money-laundering. In fact, this is the so-called rollover requirement – you need to make at least 3 turnovers of your deposit before being allowed to perform any payouts. Otherwise the casino has the right to withhold a commission of up to 15% of the withdrawal amount – the commission is deducted from the player’s real balance. All in all, this is a standard requirement that almost every other reputable enterprise tends to implement. To be exact, the usual rollovers required are between x1 and x3.

Your account may also turn inactive if you don’t use it or at least log in for 12 consecutive months. If this happens, a monthly administrative fee of €5 will be charged. This is another standard rule, so you have nothing to worry about. Still, beware that if your account is considered inactive and the company couldn’t get in touch with you, the house has the right to delete the account. Here’s the full statement:

Games and game suppliers

Winshark collaborates with around 68 game suppliers which is a pretty decent range, if not great. As a matter of fact, the best online gambling houses usually work with more than 80 software developers, sometimes even 100. Still, the selection here isn’t bad at all, especially given the iconic gaming studios on the list. To be precise you can find games powered by giants like BGaming, Play’n Go, Yggdrasil, Thunderkick, Playson, and Wazdan. Still popular game providers such as Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, Evolution, and Microgaming are not to be found here, so keep this in mind. Here’s the full list down below:

Game providers: 1x2gaming, Play'n GO, NetGame, BGaming, Thunderkick, Yggdrasil, Booming Games, Belatra, Gamzix, Gamebeat, Evoplay, 3 Oaks, Green Jade Games, Popiplay, Wazdan, Betsoft, Mascot, Lucky, Swintt, Leap-Gaming, Atmosfera, CT Interactive, Spribe, Zillion, Mr Slotty, EAgaming, 1spin4win, Iron Dog Studio, Platipus, Onlyplay, Igrosoft, Habanero, Tom Horn, Reevo, KA Gaming, Ezugi, TrueLab, ELK, AvatarUX, Bet2Tech, Spade Gaming, Smartsoft Gaming, Nucleus, MPlay, Spearhead, Absolute Live Gaming, Playtech, Turbogames, Slotmill, Endorphina, GameArt, Kalamba, Mancala, High 5 Games, Golden Race, 7Mojos, Push Gaming, Amigo Gaming, Playson, Fugaso, Kiron, Felix Gaming

The gaming lobby is well organized with many different categories like Popular, Hot, New, Slots, Live Casino, Table games, Roulette, and Blackjack. The whole layout is also colorful and pleasant so we believe you can have a great time gambling here. The only negative is that there are no additional filters or themes to ease your search, so this is one thing the casino has to work on.

The Slots are definitely a lot with many attractive and trendy titles on the list. For example you can enjoy beloved games such as Moon Princess, Aloha King Elvis, Wild Cash, Aztec Magic Bonanza, Candy Stash, Age of Asgard, Wild Buffalo, Gates of Troy, Book of Dead, Legacy of Dead, Bonanza Billion, Sweet Crush, Rise of Olumpus, and Dawn of Egypt. Unfortunately iconic slots like Gates of Olympus, Sweet Bonanza, Big Bass Bonanza, Starburst, Gonzo’s Quest, and The Dog House are not available here. Still, there’s a slight possibility that the exact list of game providers may vary depending on your location.

The Table games are also varied enough. You can find a bunch of engaging content including different types of Blackjack, Roulettes, Poker, Baccarat, and Game Shows. Some of the most interesting table activities here are for example Maxi Roulette, European Roulette, Bonus Roulette, Double Roll, Teen Patti Face Off, Dragon Tiger, No Commission Baccarat, Spanish Unlimited Blackjack, Andar Bahar, Diamond Roulette, Golden Baccarat, Casino Hold’em Poker, Speed Baccarat, Three Card Poker, Fiesta Baccarat, Sic Bo, Fortune Baccarat, Blackjack VIP, Blackjack Multihand Pro, French Roulette, Jacks or Better, Tower Poker, and Deuces Wild just to name a few.

The Live Dealers menu seems a great option for all live casino enthusiasts – the content here is broad and attractive at the same time. Some of the most engaging titles here are for example Cocktail Roulette, Teen Patti, Royal Blackjack, Baccarat A, Dragon Tiger, Las Vegas Roulette, No Commission Baccarat, Triple Way Roulette, VIP Fortune Baccarat, Keno, Casino Hold’em Poker, Andar Bahar, Fortune Baccarat, Namaste Roulette, Speed Fortune Baccarat, Ultimate Roulette, Grand Blackjack, and Spin a Win.

Various Crash games are also on hand such as Aviator, Plinko, Limbo XY, Limbo Cat, Bayraktar, Maverick, and Dice.

No Sports betting is available here, so keep this in mind.

Conclusion

Overall, Winshark seems like a decent online casino – it’s fully regulated, comes with a bunch of attractive bonuses and an engaging gaming library. Still, you also have to consider the limited withdrawal payment methods plus some pretty high minimum cash-out amounts.