Big5 Casino is an online gambling portal with live dealer streams and a sportsbook. The site officially launched on November 23, 2017, and is operated by Condor Gaming. It is licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority and Curacao eGaming. Sister-sites, also owned and operated by Condor, include Rembrandt, Sieger, 24Bettle, and b-Bets. Casino Sieger is a German language site that is also available in English, Norwegian, Swedish, and Finnish. Condor has been active in the online gaming industry since 2009 and operated land-based casinos for a quarter of a century.

In addition to being licensed by the proper authorities, Big5 also provides links to game testing certificates for at least three of their providers. Games from NetEnt, Tain, and Betsoft access tested and certified random number generators approved by iTech Labs, NMi Metrology & Gaming, and Quinel M Limited. All of the testing facilities are vetted and accepted by the Maltese authority.

The theme is reflected in the name which refers to the "Big 5" species of animals often found on safari in Africa. The promotional scheme is also gamified around the animals allowing players to complete tasks and "level-up" for greater rewards and perks. The site has a well written and very comprehensive FAQ section that explains every element of gambling there from deposits and withdrawals to bonus terms and wagering requirements as well as how to cash out without completing wagering on a bonus.

Every sort of game also has an explanation or help file, so if you want to learn to play craps of three-card poker, the helpful guide is always there for you.

Software and Games

The games all load in "Flash" so there's no need to install software - simply create an account, choose a bonus or not, deposit, and play. You can also sign in with your Facebook or Twitter account. Game providers include iSoftBet, QuickSpin, Microgaming, TAIN, and NetEnt in selected markets. If you sign in from Canada, you won't be able to play NetEnt games as the provider has a contract with the government corporations there and only supplies their products to the lottery sites in that country.

There are over 400 games on site and players can search by status such as "New" "Popular," "Favorites," by Provider, or by typing in text. We found the Provider search handy to explore seldom seen games from Tain. Most of their titles are table games and video poker with counts up to 100. Jacks or Better video poker is 9/6 but not "full pay" as the return for a royal flush is 250:1 no matter how many coins are bet. The best games boost that to 4,000 coins when 5 of any value are bet. Tain is a Maltese company launched in 1999 with poker and sports networks. They have about two dozen games to their credit including about 15 video and reel slots. Look for Cafe de Paris, Pharaoh's Secrets, and the Mob Slot.

We were happy to see that they carry many iSoftBet branded games such as Paranormal Activity, Platoon (progressive and standard versions), and Basic Instinct among others. The iSoftBet video poker suite not included and we consider that a good move as their VP games has confusing rules and odd paytables for the most part. However, many of their slots are first rate and several offer progressive jackpots.

Quickspin is a bit of a spin-off of NetEnt with several key executives coming from that company. It appears as if all of the company's mobile slots are included Big Bad Wolf. We were disappointed that their Supernova slot wasn't listed, but we did find other favorites like Sakura Fortunes and Leprechaun Hills.

The Lion's share of games is provided by NetEnt including one of the live studios. Microgaming provides the other. The duel studio concept may simply be to give players more choices, or it could be due to NetEnt provider restrictions in some jurisdictions. Either way, it's nice to see the option.

Promotions and Bonuses

The site is certainly gamified. In a twist on the classic gaming elements, they provide a level-up structure wherein players progress through the big 5 safari animals. All players start on level one, in the skin of a buffalo, so to speak. Earning 500 points by depositing and playing will assure your transformation into the Leopard, or level 2.

With each level rewards and bonuses are increased. The threshold to level up is also a little harder from leopard on to Lion with 1,500 points needed to go from leopard to Rhino, 3,000 total point to progress to level 4 and become an elephant. With a total of 5,000 points, you will advance to the kingdom of lionhood and forever remain, have earned your way to the top to get the best bonus offers and rewards.

One unique feature here is that if you have cleared, say, 205 of the wagering requirement on a bonus you are free to cash out 20% of your balance. The percentage that can be withdrawn increases in lockstep with the amount of wagering cleared, so by completing 70% you can cash out $700 of a $1,000 balance. Wagering is 30x deposit plus bonus with video poker counting 15% and table games 10%, so in effect, 300x wagering is needed for table games. Sports bets count 375%, or more simply put, wagering is reduced to 8x for sports bets with odds greater than 1.8.

Banking and Customer Service

Live help is available 24/7. All major deposit options are honored. Payouts expected within 48 hours after notarized documents have been verified. However, the maximum withdrawal in a week is €1,000 and they reserve the right to limit payouts to €5,000 per month. The condition also applies to progressive jackpot wins. Players in certain unspecified countries will pay 10% for e-wallet withdrawals. While terms exist for alternate methods, only bank wire withdrawals were available upon launch.

Pitfalls

In addition to some fairly draconian terms noted above they also reserve every right imaginable including running a credit check and closing your account if they think you are insolvent. Although players must accept the result of every game, management may accept, not accept, or partially accept game results. It also bears repeating that management will decide how much you get paid and how often if you win a progressive jackpot. Rather than geo-blocking content, you will have to click on a game to see if it is available for your location. Although the bonus "buy off" could be handy - cashing out early - all remaining funds will be deleted if you take the percentage based on completed wagering requirements.

Extra spins winnings are capped at €25 with no deposit bonuses and €50 when they are part of a deposit incentive. Bulgaria, all countries outside the European Union, Czech Republic, Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Spain are excluded from all free bonus offers. Managers of at least one of their properties are very slow to answer consumer complaints on player advocate sites.

The Final Word

With a unique mix of games and a solid company behind it, Big5 Casino offers a refreshing alternative. The gamification aspect could be intriguing. While rewards and extra spins might come with each level-up, the current bonus listed for arriving at levels 2-5 is less than the welcome bonus for level 1. On the brighter side, the wagering requirements will be lower too.