Spela Casino Review

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Spela Casino is a highly regarded online casino owned and operated by Genesis Global. Based in Malta, the Genesis Global family includes at least a dozen popular gambling brands serving millions of players in Europe and the rest of the world. 

There is no doubt that Spela is a reliable gambling platform. Apart from being run by a well-known operator, it also has licenses from the best regulators. The casino operates under the following licenses – Malta Gaming Authority, UK Gambling Commission, Swedish Gambling Authority. 

You get a massive selection of over 1200 video slots and other casino games, from top providers like Netent, Play N Go, Quickspin, and iSoftbet. Top video slots available at the casino include Book of Dead, Moon Princess, Lokis’ Fortune, Reactooonz, and Gemix. 

The casino has been around since 2018. In the last 3-4 years, the casino has attracted both positive and negative reviews. Common player complaints leveled against the casino are all related to delayed withdrawals. 

As a result, we have deducted some points from Spela Casino in our review. Looking at both pros and cons, due to the top licenses, excellent website, and high-quality games, and responsive customer support, we feel that a score of 7/10 is appropriate for Spela Casino. 

New players can look forward to a rather sparse selection of bonuses and promotional offers at Spela. The casino does not have a promotions page packed with dozens of different offers. Instead of quantity, they have opted for quality. There is good news for South African players – all bonuses are displayed in ZAR. 

The casino has a multi-deposit welcome package that you can claim across your first four deposits. The total value of the welcome bonus is R15,000 + 100 free spins on the Starburst slot. Here is how it is divided: 

• 1st Deposit – 100% match up to R3000 + 100 Free spins – no code required
• 2nd Deposit – 50% match up to R3000 – bonus code SPELA2
• 3rd Deposit – 25% match up to R4500 – bonus code SPELA3
• 4th Deposit – 25% match up to R4500 – bonus code SPELA4

The free spins are credited at the rate of 20 every four days, starting with your first deposit. Spins are valid for 72 hours and come with a win limit of R1500. Neteller/Skrill deposits are not eligible for the welcome bonus. R150 is the minimum deposit required to claim the offer, which comes with a wagering requirement of 40x. 

At the time of this review, Spela Casino did not offer any no deposit bonus for new players.

Players who place at least two deposits worth a combined total of R750 between Monday – Thursday can claim a special weekend bonus at the casino. This is a 25% match deposit available on Fridays, worth R1500.  No bonus code is required to claim this offer. Standard bonus rules apply, including a minimum deposit of R150. 

If you deposit and wager at least R150 between Friday and Sunday at the casino, you get a chance to claim this free spins bonus. The spins will be delivered to your inbox every Tuesday of the week. You must activate the “accept email promotions” feature to get this bonus from Spela Casino.

Online casinos use VIP programs to reward loyal customers with extra bonuses and perks. These systems are usually designed to encourage players to deposit and wager more often. You get comp points whenever you do it. Collect enough points and you can unlock different tiered rewards at the VIP Club. 

While Spela Casino does indeed have a VIP program, details are rather sparse on the dedicated page of the casino. There is no mention of the comp point requirement and VIP levels. However, you can look forward to the following perks when you become a VIP player at Spela casino: 

• Exclusive VIP bonuses
• Monthly Prize Draws
• Exclusive Access to VIP Events
• Holiday bonuses and Birthday bonuses
• Higher withdrawal limits
• A dedicated account manager

Gaming is arguably one of the biggest strengths of Spela Casino. South African players can bet in ZAR on slots and games from some of the best software providers in the online industry. Spela is a multi-provider casino – you get games from 12+ trusted providers here.

The biggest name on the list of providers at Spela Casino has to be Netent. You can also play slots from their sub-brand Red Tiger. Must-play Netent slots at Spela include Starburst, Gonzo’s Quest, Jumanji, Piggy Riches, and Finn & the Swirly Spin. 

Play N Go is another popular and award-winning provider at Spela Casino. The brand is known for its iconic Rich Wilde Book of Dead series of slots. Reactoonz, Gemix, Rise of Olympus, and Fire Toad are some other Play N Go slots worth a look. 

Other notable brands at Spela Casino games library include Quickspin, iSoftbet, Big Time Gaming, Gamomat, and Relax Gaming.  

Spela Casino has roughly 1200 slots and casino table games from the 12 providers. All of these games are real money casino games – you can place wagers in real South African Rands and win cash prizes. The games are available in two main categories: 

Slots: With over 1100 unique titles, this is the casino’s main game category. The slots are further divided into categories like classic slots, video slots, jackpots, and Megaways branded slots. If you are looking for the easiest games to play and win at Spela Casino, this is where you need to start. The most popular slots at Spela Casino at the time of this review are: 

• Book of Dead
• Fire Joker
• Starburst
• Super Lion
• Temple Tumble Megaways

Casino Games: This is a relatively small selection of roughly 46 games, divided into four main categories – roulette, blackjack, baccarat, and other games. If you want games with the best payout (but high skill requirements) this is where you will find them at Spela Casino. These are all virtual games – Spela Casino does not offer any Live Dealer Casino games. The top games in each category are as follows: 

• Roulette: European Roulette, American Roulette, French Roulette
• Blackjack: Blackjack Multi-Hand, Single Deck Blackjack, Blackjack VIP
• Other Games: Video Poker, Casino Hold Em, Punto Banco, etc

One major advantage of Spela Casino is its selection of progressive jackpot games. You get around 60 titles in the jackpot area, which is pretty good by modern casino standards. And many of the titles have massive million-rand payouts. 

If you are chasing a life-altering win at Spela, these are the big progressive jackpots with the biggest prize pools you need to try, with total cash win in millions of Rands – 

• Divine Fortune – R1.4m
• Hall of Gods – R28m
• Mega Fortune – R13.7m
• Downton Abbey – R1m 
• Arabian Nights  – R28.1m 

 Do remember that these were figures at the time of this review. With progressive jackpots, the prize purse will keep expanding until a winner is found! The other titles in this section of the casino all have six-figure payouts ranging from R100,000 – R900,000. 

If you are not comfortable with the idea of making a deposit at the casino, you can always play the games for free! When you hover your mouse pointer over a game icon in the casino, you will see two options – “Fun Play” and “Real Play.” Pick fun play if you want to have a casual gaming session, using virtual coins instead of real money. 

This feature is available on almost all games at Spela Casino, even big jackpots. Of course, we would not recommend playing forever on this mode as you will not win any real money! For that, you can click on the “Real Play” button when you are ready – the casino will take you to the registration page to get started. Only registered players can deposit money, claim bonuses, and play with real cash.  

At an online casino website, the space where they display all the games is called the casino lobby. This is a page that hosts all the different categories of gambling games and slots, with various sorting options and search features. 

You enter a version of the Spela Casino lobby when you visit the casino for the first time. Once you register and join the casino, you will be taken to the lobby every time you log in to your casino account. Overall, the Spela Casino lobby is quite beautiful, and more importantly user-friendly as well.

All the games are sorted into different categories and sub-categories for easy browsing. There is an option to look at games from each provider separately. All progressive jackpots display the current size of the jackpots – a vital feature many other casinos fail to implement.

Spela Casino is available to mobile gamers in South Africa. You can freely join the casino and play all the games on your iPhone or Android device, as long as you have a working WiFi internet/mobile data connection. 

The casino works in the form of a mobile browser web page – to join and play, you open your browser (like Chrome/Safari) and visit the website. The Spela Casino lobby is designed and optimized in HTML5 for mobile play. 

When you use a mobile, the website will display a mobile version of the Spela lobby, with superior touch controls and easy-to-use links/buttons. There is no provision to download mobile apps for the casino – everything is handled via the advanced HTML5 website. 

With this system, you are also guaranteed a seamless experience across all your devices. You can use a single Spela Casino account on your PC/laptop, Macbook, and mobile devices. You get all the slots, jackpots, table games, as well as all exclusive bonuses.  Along with real money betting, other features like Spela mobile free play are also available.  

Modern online casinos no longer offer download clients. It is a relic left over from the old days of casino gaming. At Spela Casino, you can play the games anywhere using the live casino instant play website – no downloads are necessary.

Al already mentioned in the mobile gaming section, Spela Casino does not require mobile apps. The website is good enough for iOS and Android casino gaming on mobile. When you load it on your mobile browser, it looks and functions just like an app screen, thanks to superior optimization. 

The customer support team at Spela Casino is fairly active and responsive. They make it a point to respond to customer complaints posted on online casino forums politely and with a lot of patience. 

A huge feature of the casino experience at Spela is the availability of phone numbers for calling support. They even have a dedicated number for SA players, which is excellent in our books. 

Here is a quick look at all the available support channels at Spela Casino: 

• SA Phone number –  0800996280
• Email – support@spela.com
• Live Chat – available 24×7 at the website
• Contact Form – available at the website

In general, you can expect customized responses to emails and contact form queries within 24 hours. For instant resolution, use the live chat or phone options. Overall, the customer support experience here is excellent. 

The main thing about the casino terms here is a total commitment to transparency. They have clearly laid out all the relevant rules and terms on dedicated casino terms and bonus terms pages. There is nothing hidden or ambiguous here. That said, the casino is not without some notable weaknesses or flaws when it comes to the fine print: 

Spela Casino bonus terms and conditions 

The main thing that stands out from the bonus terms is the rather high wagering requirement – it is at 40x unless otherwise specified. In our opinion, bonuses with wagering below 30x are desirable, especially for paid deposit bonuses and free spins. The game wagering contributions are as follows: 

• Video slots  – 100%
• Classic slots – 75%
• Table games – 10%
• Blackjack – 5%
• Baccarat – 0%

The casino also has a max withdrawal limit on all bonuses after wagering – it is R30,000. This is also not very good. We prefer bonuses that come with a multiplier limit – like 10x the deposit amount. That system is better, especially for players making larger deposits. 

Spela Casino Winnings withdrawal terms and conditions 

The good news about non-bonus-related withdrawals at Spela Casino is this – the limits do not apply to progressive jackpot winnings. Those you are free to withdraw in their entirety. This is a sign of a player-friendly online casino – many sites only allow you to withdraw large wins in installments. 

The regular withdrawal terms are also pretty decent. The casino has a weekly limit of R82,500 and a monthly limit of R330,000. VIP players can get higher limits. Withdrawals are permitted in ZAR, which is of course ideal for SA players. 

The casino will take up to 72 hours for security verification prior to withdrawals. While this is not unusual in online casinos, it is still not good for players. Also, withdrawals are NOT free at Spela Casino – they may charge 2% processing fees, minimum R35, which is less than ideal. 

Spela Casino minimum deposit terms and conditions

The minimum deposit amount accepted by Spela Casino from South African players is R150. This is lower than some other ZAR casinos. They also have a maximum deposit limit per transaction – R75,000. 

There are absolutely zero safety and privacy concerns at Spela Casino. We can say this with confidence due to two factors – a UK license and a Malta license. These regulators are incredibly strict. And the European gambling market has strong privacy and player data protection laws. 

Any casino legally operating in this market has to maintain the best in class online safety features. This includes advanced firewalls, fully encrypted online communications, a website protected with 128-bit SSL encryptions, and other advanced anti-virus and anti-malware features. 

Spela Casino has all of the above features and more. It is part of Genesis Global – a company with decades of experience running some of the most popular online casinos in the EU. Spela is among one of the most trusted online casinos serving South Africa.

The login and registration process at Spela Casino is fully streamlined and simplified. There are no complicated requirements. You can get a new account up and running in a matter of minutes, using the following simple steps: 

1. Visit the casino using a browser on PC or mobile. 
2. Click/tap on the green “Sign Up” button on the top right-hand corner of the welcome page.
3. Enter a username, your active email ID, and a secure password for your casino account on the next screen. 
4. A larger registration form will appear when you click on Next – fill it with the following details:
   1. Your full name
   2. Gender
   3. Date of Birth
   4. Country of Residence – select from a list
   5. Full address with ZIP code
   6. Preferred currency – select ZAR from the list
   7. Contact number
5. Enable marketing communications from Spela by ticking the box if you want to receive bonuses in your inbox – optional
6. Finally, click/tap on the Sign-Up button to create your account. 
7. The casino will send a verification code to your registered email – open the email and follow the instructions to verify your account. 
8. You may now use your username and password to log in to Spela Casino, play for free, or deposit cash and claim bonuses!  

Not applicable, as Spela Casino does not have a sportsbook page.

Spela Casino has over 1200 games and slots. It is not possible to provide the payout/win information for each and every game on-site. However, since all games come from reputed vendors, you can check the win rates/RTP of a slot on the provider site. 

That said, blackjack and baccarat games have the best payouts at any online casino. You can expect an RTP as high as 99.5% if you know all the blackjack rules and strategies. Stick to card games in general if you want guaranteed high payouts.

Generally, only a few online casinos publish data about their payout rates to players. Spela Casino does not belong to this minority. You do not have access to this information at the casino. That said, we can make an informed guess, based on the available games at the casino.

Spela Casino only has around 50 table games – the category which guarantees the highest payout percentages of 98%-99%. The vast majority of the 1200 games are video slots, which have a ratio between 92% and 97% on average. 

We expect the payout rate at Spela Casino to be in the 95% – 96% range, which is acceptable for an online casino with so many slots.  This means that over the long term, for every R100 you wager at the casino, you can expect to win back R95 or R96.

This is not applicable as Spela Casino does not have a sportsbook.

Spela Casino is comparable to other ZAR-friendly online casinos like Yeti Casino and Europa Casino. All three are Europe-based casinos licensed by Malta Gaming Authorities. Both Spela and Yeti also have the coveted UK Gambling license. 

Spela is similar to or better than these other sites in terms of site design and optimization. It also has high-quality software providers, although the number of providers may be lower at around 12 (compared to 30+ at other sites.). 

But more than the lower game numbers, it is the total absence of live casino games that sorely stands out at Spela Casino. All other major ZAR websites usually have at least a few live dealer game rooms. In other areas, Spela is superior with more jackpots, dedicated SA phone numbers, etc.

Apart from ZAR and EUR, Spela Casino supports nearly 30 different currencies from around the globe. That is a truly impressive figure and it stands to reason that the casino also has dozens of payment methods. For South African players, the casino offers three main types of secure payment methods: 

• Credit/Debit Cards – VISA, MasterCard
• Ewallets – Skrill, Neteller, Jeton, AstroPay
• Bank Transfer – SwiffyEFT

Now, all of the above does not support both deposits and withdrawals. You may refer to the detailed table below to find more details on withdrawal support and transaction limits: 

Withdrawals are subject to strict rules at all online casinos. Always ensure that you don’t have any pending bonuses with wagering requirements unfulfilled- if you make a withdrawal request without checking, your bonus and winnings will be voided. 

Once you are certain to have fulfilled all wagering requirements, follow these steps to make a withdrawal at Spela Casino: 

1. Log into your account and check the balance. 
2. Ensure that you have enough to make a valid R150 withdrawal request (R1000 if using bank transfer)
3. Go to the withdrawals section and enter the amount you wish to send to your bank account
4. Select the eligible payment method – generally, it will be the same one used for deposits
5. If you are a first-time player, you will have to verify your documents by submitting scanned copies to the casino
6. The casino may also request additional security verification documents – submit these in time to avoid unnecessary delays
7. If all documents are in order, the casino will process your request within 24-72 hours
8. Depending on the payment method used, the money will take an additional 24 hours to 3-4 days to reach your bank account. 
9. For fast withdrawals, always use eWallets at online casinos.

Now that we know the general pros and cons of the casino, lets us try to see why it is a popular choice for South African players in particular. The single main advantage is the support for ZAR payments. The casino is quite dedicated to the SA market in other ways as well. 

For instance, they have a customer support phone number exclusively for South Africans. All the web pages are also optimized for players visiting from the Rainbow nation – the bonus and payment information is available in Rands. 

The rest is all down to personal preference. If you want live dealer games or added sportsbooks, look elsewhere – Spela Casino does not have either. But if you want a quality gaming experience from a reputed operator, with games from vendors like Netent and Quickspin, and you play slots most of the time, Spela is not a bad option in 2021 and beyond.