These days, I am finding more and more casinos that are focused on a particular market. This type of customization is much easier as websites are easier than ever to build and maintain; a casino owner can use one license to create multiple, more niche brands. This is the case with Springbok Casino; they are a casino that’s theme is South African in nature; from the look and feel of the site to the types of promotions, it is easy to see that the owners are trying hard to attract players from the particular country.
However, in a highly competitive online gaming space, does Springbok Casino really present that much of a unique experience? After my review, you will have a much clearer picture.
About Springbok Casino
Unfortunately, there is not a lot of information about the owners of this casino. From what I was able to determine, Springbok Casino is owned by a company called Springbok Group, who also own and operate Thunderbolt Casino. This doesn’t give me a great feeling; I usually like to see information about a casino on their website, even if it is generally some sort of shell game of corporations. There isn’t an About Us page on the Springbok website.
The casino has been in business since 2012; this is a good sign, as many casinos never hit the 5-year mark. So, even if we don’t know a ton about the owners, we do know that they have been able to keep this casino operational with minimal complaints for half a decade. The Group has a license from Curacao; this isn’t exactly the most impressive gaming license to hold, but at the very least there is some measure of control that the owners have to abide by to keep that license.
Who Can Play at Springbok Casino
With a name and site that clearly designed to attract South African players, you may be surprised to know that many other countries are also allowed to play their games. As a matter of fact, the only countries that are restricted from enjoying the Springbok casino are as follows:
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bulgaria
- Belarus
- China
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- United Kingdom
- Georgia
- Greece
- Hungary
- Lithuania
- Latvia
- Moldova
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Russian Federation
- Slovenia
- Thailand
- Turkey
- Ukraine
- United States
Software Suppliers
Springbok Casino uses Real Time Gaming as its only provider of games. Those of you who know RTG probably know that they are more focused on operators that still accept U.S. wagers; however, they aren’t one to turn away a good potential licensee, and in recent years they have had a shift of focus to other markets as well.
The RTG games have been developed over the last twenty years; with that kind of experience, you know that their team has learned what works and what doesn’t in an online casino. While there aren’t the same sheer number of games available at RTG casinos, the games they do offer feature great gameplay and graphics.
The Springbok casino is available to play via three methods. If you like, you can download a casino client to your PC and have direct access to the games locally on your machine. You also have the option of playing their games instantly through your browser. Recently, RTG has worked on making their games compatible with mobile devices; they aren’t all there yet, but each month there is a new release with more games converted so you can enjoy them on your phones or tablets.
The Good Stuff and the Bad
PROS
- Tournaments
- Jackpots
Cons
- No Live Dealer Games
- Currency
Tournaments
I am not a big slots player; I find the game boring at times unless there are good bonus levels and such. So when I come across a site that offers slots tournaments, I become far more engaged. The folks at Springbok take advantage of the RTG tournament functionality to have over a dozen events in their lobby. Each event has a specific buy-in, and range in length from one day to one week. You can see the full list on their Tournaments page.
Jackpots
While RTG Casinos don’t have as many different progressive games as some of their competitors, the ones they do offer grow quickly and generate lots of winners. At Springbok Casino, you will find all the RTG network progressives, including one with a jackpot hovering in the seven-figure range!
No Live Dealer Games
These days, the Live Dealer games offered by casinos are some of the most played. So many casinos have added them to their lobby; it is strange that Springbok has chosen not to follow suit. While in some instances, it isn’t easy to integrate a Live Dealer piece into their casino backend for reporting purposes, but Real Time Gaming has already established a relationship with a Live Dealer provider to give their licensees seamless access to those games. Perhaps it is just a matter of time before they add them to the Springbok lobby; I sure hope so because I love to play the Live Dealer games!
Currency
If you play online casinos, you are usually used to playing in U.S. Dollars or Euro as a currency. At Springbok Casino, because they are trying to attract players from South Africa, everything on their site is in that local currency, the Rand. That means you will need to convert everything to your currency to understand all the different promotions and bet amounts. If you are playing from a different country, that can be a little bit cumbersome. I totally get why Springbok does this, so just be aware that you will have another hoop to jump through if you want to stick it out with them.
Game Selection
Video Poker
Video Poker is an interesting animal; if you find the right pay table at a game, and play the game correctly, there is a scenario in which the odds can be in YOUR favor. For that reason alone, I always recommend that players give the game a try. The other reason to try the video poker games at Springbok Casino: they are just plain fun! The game requires a little bit of thought and strategy, but that’s better than blindly spinning the reels of a slot machine in my opinion. Check out the games and variants you can play:
- Aces & Eights
- Deuces Wild
- Aces & Eights (multi-play)
- Double Bonus (multi-play)
- Joker Poker
- Joker Poker (multi-play)
- All American (multi-play)
- Bonus Poker Deluxe
- Bonus Poker Deluxe (multi-play)
- Jacks or Better (multi-play)
- Double Jackpot
- All American
- Jacks or Better
- Bonus Deuces Wild
- Double Bonus
- Double Double Jackpot
- Sevens Wild
- Sevens Wild (multi-play)
- Pick ‘Em Poker
- Loose Deuces (multi-play)
- Loose Deuces
- Bonus Deuces Wild (multi-play)
- Double Jackpot (multi-play)
- Double Double Bonus (multi-play)
- Double Double Bonus
- Double Double Jackpot (multi-play)
- Deuces Wild (multi-play)
Table Games
So…I have a confession to make. I love Pai Gow Poker. In a land-based casino, I could find myself in a session that lasts up to 12 hours; I just love the way the game plays. I did spend far too much time playing Pai Gow at Springbok while I was doing this review; don’t worry, I left the casino with a lot of money to pay you out. The Table Games section of their casino features all the traditional games, with a few interesting twists thrown in as well. It isn’t the most extensive list as I have seen at other casinos, but it definitely covers all the main angles.
Here are all the Table Games you are able to find in the Springbok Casino lobby:
- Baccarat
- Casino War
- Caribbean Stud Poker
- Red Dog
- Roulette
- European Blackjack
- Craps
- Let ‘Em Ride
- Pai Gow Poker
- Vegas Three Card Rummy
- Sic Bo
- Pontoon
- Blackjack with Perfect Pairs
- Caribbean 21
- Caribbean Hold’em Poker
- Face Up 21
- Match Play 21
- Super 21
- Texas Hold ‘Em Bonus Poker
- Tri Card Poker
Slots
RTG pride themselves on having an excellent selection of slots titles; the quality of their Reel Series games is right up there with the likes of Microgaming and Net Entertainment. At Springbok Casino, you will find the full complement of RTG machines. There are all sorts of different pay lines, and if you like to classic look of slots, then you will find a couple of those thrown in as well.
Here are a few of the titles you will find in the slots tab of the casino lobby:
- Achilles
- Aladdin’s Wishes
- Aztec’s Millions
- Aztec’s Treasure
- Aztecs Treasure Feature Guarantee
- Bank on It!
- Basketbull
- Big Shot
- Bunko Bonanza 2
- Caesar’s Empire
- Cash Bandits
- Cleopatra’s Gold
- Coat of Arms
- Count Spectacular
- Coyote Cash
- Crazy Vegas
- Crystal Waters
- Derby Dollars
- Diamond Dozen
- Diamond Mine
- Diamond Mine Deluxe
- Double Ya Luck
- Dream Run
- Enchanted Garden
- Enchanted Garden II
- Eternal Love
- Field of Green
- Food Fight!
- Football Frenzy
- Glitz & Glamour
- Goblin’s Treasure
- God of Wealth
- Goldbeard
- Golden Glove
- Golden Lotus
- Golden Retriever
- Green Light
- Hairway to Heaven
- Happy Golden Ox of Happiness
- Haunted Opera
- Hen House
- Hidden Riches
- High Fashion
- Incan Goddess
- It’s a Mystery!
- Jackpot Cleopatra’s Gold
- Jackpot Pinatas
- Jazz Time
- Jumping Beans
- Lucky Tiger
- Medal Tally
- Megaquarium
- Megasaur
- Mermaid Queen
- Mice Dice
- Mister Money
- Monster Mayhem 50-Line
- Mystic Dragon
- Naughty or Nice: Spring Break
- Naughty or Nice?
- Ninja Star
- Nova 7s
- Paris Beauty
- PayDirt!
- Penguin Power
- Pharaoh’s Gold
- Pirate Isle
- Polar Explorer
- Prince of Sherwood
- Return of the Rudolph
- Roberta’s Castle
- Ronin
- Rudolph’s Revenge
- Snowmania
- Spirit of the Inca
- Sunken Treasure
- Super 6
- Sweet 16
- Tally Ho
- Texan Tycoon
- The Big Bopper
- The Elf Wars
- The Naughty List
- The Nice List
- The Three Stooges
- Triton’s Treasure
- Victory
- Vikings
- Voyage
- Wok & Roll
- Wooden Boy
- Year of Fortune
- Zhanshi
Promotions
There are a lot of different promotions listed on the Springbok website. Many of these are straightforward deposit promotions, which are always useful for increasing your bankroll. Let’s have a look at a few of them in detail here:
Welcome Bonus
When you sign up at Springbok, you are welcomed with a Deposit Bonus for your first three deposits:
- 1st Deposit: 100% to R1,500
- 2nd and 3rd Deposits: 50% to R10,000
Be careful when you claim this bonus, however. When you dig into the Terms and Conditions, you will see that only these games qualify for clearing the bonus: 7-stud poker, bingo games, European slot poker, keno, Pai Gow poker, scratch cards and all slots. Playing any other (excluded) game will immediately void your bonus and winnings. The wagering requirement for this bonus is 30x, which is not horrible compared to other casino bonuses.
25% Cashback
This is another straightforward-ish promotion. There are a couple of rules; I will leave it to the site to explain them:
Here’s how it works:
You can claim 25% cashback via our customer support team on every deposit you make WITHOUT using a deposit bonus.
Rules:
- Your balance must be between 0 and R50 by claiming your cash back
- The maximum cashback amount is R3000 (this means total deposits of R12000)
- The cash back offer cannot be combined with another deposit bonus offer or other bonus offers (for example: you cannot use a deposit bonus and claim this cash-back bonus as well)
- The cash-back offer is 10x play through on Slots, Keno, Bingo and Scratch Cards. The play through on other games can vary.
You don’t have to redeem your cash back after every deposit you make … you can also claim your cash back after several deposits.
Banking
All of this information about the casino software, games and promotions are lovely, but only useful if there is an easy way for you to get your money to the site. Springbok has several deposit and withdrawal options available; as always, these may range based on where you live, so you should confirm directly with the cashier section of the casino to see what works best for you.
Deposit Options
- EcoPayz
- MasterCard
- Neteller
- Visa
- Skrill
- Wire Transfer
Withdrawal Options
- Bank Wire Transfer
- Neteller
- Skrill
Comp Program
Springbok Casino allows you to earn Comp points when you play their real money games. The program is similar to most of the RTG licensees: for every R10 you wager on games, you will receive on Comp point. These points can be redeemed in batches of 100, with players receiving R1 for every 100 cashed in. I always recommend that players cash in their Comps as soon as they reach the threshold; that money is better served in your account playing the games than in a points balance.
VIP Program
As best as I can determine, there is no VIP Program information to be found at Springbok Casino. There is a reference to VIP in their Terms and Conditions, which leads me to believe that they have a private VIP program. If you are a high-stakes gambler or perhaps have had significant losses, you should expect to hear from the casino offering you a chance to be a VIP.
Customer Service
With a site that is targeting South African players, you would assume that the Customer Service department would be skewed towards that demographic. Fortunately, Springbok recognizes that they may attract players from other areas, so their Customer Service is available 24/7. On the bottom of their web pages is a link to their Live Chat service; I always choose this option as a first opportunity to contact the casino. Their agent responded very quickly when I opened the window…I didn’t actually have a question at the time, so it was a bit of a waste of their time.
You can also reach the casino via telephone (toll-free if you are living in South Africa) or via their support email address.
Would I Play at Springbok Casino?
This was a more challenging question to answer than I usually face when writing my reviews. For all intents and purposes, this is just a typical Real Time Gaming casino; you will see all their great games, and unless you live in a restricted country, you will be able to create a real money account and start playing the games. If you are the type of player that thrives on promotions and VIP status, then I don’t think this is the right place for you. If, however, you just want to get into playing your favorite games and want to be able to access them through download or browser, then Springbok will meet your needs.
Overall, I would say this is a middle-of-the-pack casino. It isn’t the best I have ever seen, but it also isn’t the most disappointing.