Winfest Casino review

Kevin75 | 22. June 2023

The number of online casinos with a German licence is growing month by month, and with it the competition in the market. With Winfest, I took a closer look at a provider that has everything it takes to hold its own in the online gambling market. In addition to a large selection of slot games, the VIP Club made me curious. I conducted my review in May 2023. As always, I checked the site on both my MacBook and iPhone.

Go to Winfest

Winfest first saw the light of day in 2017, targeting the then unregulated German market with a licence from Malta. To this day, Winfest is licensed from the gambling island, but only received its new licence from Germany a few weeks ago. Winfest does not operate brick and mortar casinos like Löwen Play or Merkur, but focuses exclusively on the online experience. Like many other gaming companies, they are based in Malta. Now that Winfest has a licence from Germany, in addition to the Merkur and Gamomat machines, all the payment methods that had almost been forgotten are back. Deposits and withdrawals by credit card and Trustly are now possible again. Unfortunately, we are still searching in vain for PayPal. There are rumours that PayPal deposits will be available again in the near future. In the "Deposit & Withdrawal" section I go into more detail about the different payment methods. In this article I will tell you about my personal Winfest experience and go into more detail about the German licence. Among other things, the licensor influences payment providers, limits and game producers.

Personal experience

With the new German licence, Winfest could finally offer their slot machines legally. I was particularly curious about the welcome bonus: 100% up to €100 and 150 free spins sounds lucrative at first. However, the rather high wagering requirement of 35 made me think twice about claiming it. I will explain exactly how the welcome bonus works in the 'Bonuses and promotions' section. Due to the high wagering requirement, I decided not to claim the Welcome Bonus. Before I could even consider activating the bonus, I first had to register. I will explain how the whole process works and what you need to be aware of in the "Registering for Winfest" section. After successfully registering, I made my first deposit at Winfest using my Mastercard and 150 Euros changed hands in a matter of seconds. Depositing was quite easy and no different from depositing at any other site with a new German licence. The most important thing is to stick to your chosen deposit limit. Due to new German gaming regulations, this cannot exceed 1000 Euros per month. You can set this deposit limit individually when you register. In addition to MasterCard, I had a choice of many other payment options, which is definitely a positive. I will go into more detail about the payment providers in the 'Deposits & Withdrawals' section. As I did not claim a deposit bonus during my Winfest review, I did not have to adhere to any bonus conditions. I could therefore play freely. However, restrictions such as 5 second spins or a maximum bet of €1 per spin remained and are part of the new daily routine. Whether Fortune was on my side and which slot machines I found at Winfest, you will find out in the next part. One thing up front: The Novomatic games were unfortunately not yet playable. So my favourite game, Book of Ra, was not available. But what I really like about Winfest is the game descriptions; you get different information for each slot machine, such as a short description. Demo games are not available due to the new licence.

Book of Dead – Best alternative to Book of Ra

Book of Dead was developed by Play'n GO a few years ago to compensate for the loss of Book of Ra. The supplier Novomatic pulled out of the internet a few years ago due to the legal grey area. Play'n GO saw an opportunity to develop a similar machine and have done so brilliantly. In fact, many players like the "copy" better than the original. Book of Dead, like Book of Ra, is based on a 5×3 slot, which means it is a machine with five reels and three lines. To start with, I set my bet to 1 euro, a lower bet is out of the question for me. You can set your bet using the 'Coin Value', 0.1 is 10 cents and 1.0 is one euro. Clicking on the plus sign will increase your bet and clicking on the minus sign will decrease it. Just like the Book of Ra, the Book of Dead slot offers you various symbols from ancient Egypt, with the following symbols being particularly interesting:

• Rich Wilde: Plays the role of the explorer and pays up to 5,000 times your bet. If he appears twice or more, you will be paid accordingly.
• Das goldene Buch: Few symbols are more likely to elicit a broad grin or a jubilant gesture than the famous golden book. In Book of Dead it acts as both a wild and a scatter symbol. Wins are guaranteed. It also triggers 10 free spins. It is even possible to get more free spins during the free spins if three books appear.
• Der Pharao: The Pharaoh is the second best symbol in Book of Dead. Three expanding Pharaohs pay 40 times your bet. Five expanding Pharaohs pay up to 2,000 times the bet.

After the second spin I was thanking Fortune, three times Pharaoh! Yes! 40 Euros for me. And on it went, without autostart, but after about 5 minutes and a few unsuccessful rounds of free spins. Three golden books came my way. The excitement grew and at the end of the free spins round I had a plus of about 45 Euros. In total, my account balance (including my deposit) was 262.20 Euros after the last round of Book of Dead. I could really live with that and shortly afterwards I took my first break.

Please note: Book of Dead also has a relatively high volatility / variance. This means that the number of wins is less frequent, but the amount won is higher.

La Dolce Vita – Italian desire

Italy is one of my favourite countries. That's why the Bally Wulff / Gamomat La Dolce Vita machine is one of my favourites. In addition to Merkur, Bally Wulff has also turned its back on the various online gaming providers in the past. With the new German licence they have come back and fortunately they have also entered into a partnership with Winfest. Set in the picturesque vineyards of Tuscany, La Dolce Vita is a true declaration of love to the region around Florence, Pisa and Livorno. The slot features symbols such as olive oil, antipasti and wine barrels. The typical Tuscan houses lead you to the popular free spins. Four houses trigger 15 free spins and five houses trigger 25 free spins. The following combinations bring the highest winnings in the La Dolce Vita machine:

• Wine barrel
• Dog
• Olive oil, bread and salami
• Various bottles of wine

With an account balance of 262.20 Euros, I started the first rounds with a stake of one Euro. After going through a few rounds without a single win, this changed in round 16. The aforementioned houses appeared in quadruplicate and gave me 15 free spins. How nice! Even though I 'only' came out of the free spins with a net profit of 38.50 Euros, I was happy. The next few rounds were rather unspectacular and I decided to change the machine with a balance of just over €320.

Fruitinator – Melons, cherries and oranges

After a little refreshment in the form of a delicious pizza, it was off to the next slot machine! This time I was to try my luck on Merkur's Fruitinator. Fruitinator is a fruity game and developer Merkur uses classic gambling elements. Getting the right fruit combinations was responsible for big winnings in the very first slot machines. That was a long time ago, so Fruitinator has a real nostalgic feel to it. The game is played on three rows, five reels and five paylines. Ironically, it's not the fruits that bring you to the top, but the burning seven and the purple bell. These are followed by watermelon, plum, orange, lemon and cherry. At least three identical symbols must appear on a payline to trigger a win. With only two symbols, the cherry is an exception, but it also pays the least. What I like best here is the interplay between old school elements and modern design. In the end, the great visuals didn't help me much as Fortuna, the goddess of luck, wasn't exactly on my side. Within minutes, my balance had dropped to around €250 and I was considering changing machines. I decided to play a few more spins on one euro and go full throttle once more. This decision paid off as I did indeed get a 4 watermelon combination. Yay! This was the right time to initiate a payout.
I'll explain how the payout of almost 300 Euros worked in the 'Deposits & Withdrawals' section.

At first glance, Winfest is reminiscent of a black-and-yellow sportsbook with no particular theme. This is not necessarily a bad thing. You can see the Winfest logo in the top left-hand corner, and you can always return to the homepage by clicking on the logo. The first letter resembles an origami figure and is what sets Winfest apart from the rest. To the right of the logo you will find the "Gaming House", "All Slots" and "Bonus" sections. Scroll a little further to the right and you will see the registration and login buttons. Login is highlighted in green and Register is highlighted in yellow to avoid confusion. Diagonally below this button you will find the customer support area, just click on the "Help" icon to be connected to our trained staff. You can read more about this in the "Player Protection & Support" section. At the top of the homepage you will see the familiar sliders. This is where Winfest draws attention to promotions or general news. A total of four sliders can be changed either manually or automatically. I really like the speed with which the sliders can be adjusted. As we all know, there are always providers whose sliders make you nervous rather than providing information. Fortunately, this is not the case with Winfest. Next to the sliders is a list of other players' winnings, as we have seen in other online casinos. Immediately below this is the most important part of any online arcade! The games! Here we distinguish as follows: Overview, Popular, Winfest selection. If you choose the classic overview, Winfest divides its games like this:

• Top 10 Today
• Most popular slots
• New Games
• Double Pack
• Winfest Selection
• Drops & Wins

Scrolling down a little further will take you to the bottom of the page, where you will find general information about the online casino. This includes information about SSL encryption and the Winfest Winclub. As with all online casinos, the footer is the lowest part of the site. Once again, the licensors, payment providers and security measures are mentioned. In addition to German, Winfest is also available in English and Finnish. According to the customer support team, more languages will follow.

Mobile use

Mobile gaming is here to stay. No online casino can afford to offer slot games exclusively on the desktop anymore. Around half of all bets are now placed on mobile devices, and the trend is rising. The mobile version of Winfest is also convincing, the design is excellent. Winfest mobile has a simple and modern design. Even gambling novices will find it easy to use. I give it full marks for that. You can access the mobile version of Winfest with either an Android phone or an iPhone. If you are using the Android version, I recommend clearing your cache and cookies to ensure a smooth experience. Of course, a stable internet connection is essential to play the game. If you are not connected to a WLAN, a 4G connection will do. Fortunately, I could not find any drawbacks in my mobile test. I also don't see the fact that Winfest has chosen to offer a mobile version rather than its own app as a disadvantage. Developing an app is always a time-consuming and costly process, so it may not be an option for all companies.

Registration

Proper registration is the basic requirement for trying your luck in an online casino. To make sure everything goes smoothly and what you need to pay attention to, I will explain in this section. First, go to the Winfest homepage and click on the yellow "Register" button. This will take you to a screen where you will need to confirm your email address, choose a password and agree to the terms and conditions. Then the second screen will open and you will be asked to fill in the following details:

• Name
• First name
• Date of birth
• House number
• Postcode
• City
• Country
• Place of birth
• Gender
• Nationality

Once you have entered your details correctly, you will be taken to the next screen where you will be asked to enter your phone number and set your monthly limit (up to €1000). You can adjust this limit downwards at any time. Finally, you will receive a verification code and an email confirming your account.Das ist unbedingt zu beachten

This section is very important to me personally, because without the correct data there can be no fun and certainly no success. To avoid any problems, I have a few tips for you:

• Please register only one account: Multiple accounts are not allowed at Winfest or any other site. Creating multiple accounts costs the provider unnecessary money. As soon as such a violation is noticed, all created accounts will usually be deactivated. Creating multiple accounts may also result in the cancellation of winnings.
• Register with correct information. If you knowingly or unknowingly choose to create an account using a false name, date of birth or address, you are in breach of the Online Casino's Terms and Conditions. The false information will be discovered at the latest during the verification process and the account will be deactivated. Winnings will not be paid out.
• Gambling is only for people over 18! Even on the Internet, gambling is an adult activity. Therefore, please only register if you are over 18. Any misrepresentation will be detected at the latest during the verification process.

Once you have entered all your details correctly, I recommend that you verify your account after registration. This will allow you to withdraw your winnings directly, provided you also verify the payment method you have chosen. You will need the following documents to verify your account:

• Valid passport or identity card.
• Proof of address that is not older than 3 months. For example, an electricity bill or a telephone bill.
• Verification of the payment method. For example, you can upload a bank statement or a screenshot from an e-wallet.

As already mentioned, Winfest has been an integral part of the online world since 2017. Due to legal changes in Germany, there have been some changes in the range of games offered at Winfest. At the moment, you can find numerous slot machine manufacturers and a total of more than 1000 games. More will be added in the medium term on request to customer support. Among others, the following slot machines are available for you to play:

• Book of Dead
• La Dolce Vita
• Fancy Fruits
• Crystal Ball
• Eye of Horus
• Legacy of Dead
• Ghost of Dead
• Golden Osiris
• Reactoonz 2
• The Dog House
• Wild West Gold

There is hardly any area where online casinos stand out from the rest as much as their bonuses. That's why I'm going to take a closer look at Winfest's bonuses.

100 % Welcome Bonus + 150 Free spins

Winfest welcomes new players with a 100% up to €100 bonus and 150 free spins! What sounds tempting at first glance turns out to be less attractive in my opinion. The turnover factor of 35 just didn't appeal to me. I also had to take a dim view of the fact that Winfest does not specify which slot machine is offering the free spins. For players who can overlook this, this bonus is certainly interesting. The following information is taken from the bonus terms and conditions:

• The minimum deposit to qualify for this bonus is 20 euros.
• The bonus is valid for 14 days. Therefore, a player has 14 days to meet the wagering requirements. After that, the bonus money can be converted into real money.
• The bonus can only be used once per person, household and email address.

50 % Bonus for the second deposit

Winfest also offers a second deposit bonus. This bonus is accompanied by a yellow and black Formula 1 car and a pit babe - not bad. This is a 50% match bonus up to 100 euros. Just like the welcome bonus, this bonus has to be wagered 35 times before it can be converted into real money. Although I have not yet made a second deposit at Winfest, I feel that a wagering requirement of 35 is far too high.

Winclub VIP

If you think VIP clubs are a thing of the past, think again. Winfest invites you to enjoy great loyalty benefits from the very first moment. You are rewarded for wagering and automatically receive WinCoins, which you can redeem for real money, bonuses or free spins. The more you deposit, the higher your rewards. At the highest level you even get a personal account manager and a higher withdrawal limit.

Whether you have a general question or need urgent assistance, the Winfest support team is here to help. There are two ways to contact Winfest Support. The fastest option is without a doubt Live Chat. This is available 7 days a week from 8am to midnight and can be accessed by clicking on the chat icon. If you have questions outside of chat hours, you can contact Winfest by email. The email contact address is support@winfest.com. In my test of Winfest, I received an answer after about 12 hours, which I was very happy with. However, depending on the volume of enquiries, the response time may vary. Info: In addition to chat and e-mail, Winfest offers its players a FAQ section. Frequently asked questions are summarised and answered here.

Changes due to the German licence

Since Winfest now starts with a German licence, some processes have fundamentally changed for both players and providers. It can be said that the new licence brings both positive and negative changes. In summary, it now looks like this:

• No game rounds under 5 seconds: The Licensor prohibits offering game rounds under 5 seconds. This change is intended to protect the player from large losses in a short period of time.
• Monthly deposit limit of 1000 Euros: Each player may deposit a maximum of €1000 in real money per month. This limit applies regardless of income or previous winnings. In addition, the limit applies to all providers.
• Lower RTPs: Due to higher taxes and generally higher costs, online casinos offer machines with a lower RTP (return to player).
• OASIS file: With the introduction of the new German licence, the OASIS file also saw the light of day. This file records the gaming behaviour of every registered player. If a player chooses to have their account blocked, the block will apply to all operators with a German licence.
• The return of games manufacturers and payment providers: Thanks to the legal clarity, companies such as PayPal, Merkur and Novoline have decided to work with online gaming houses again. Games such as Book of Ra and Jolly's Cap returned to the net.

Aside from the bonuses and games on offer, it is the payment methods that set online casinos apart from each other. Fortunately, Winfest plays in the Champions League when it comes to payment methods. In addition to MasterCard, you can use the following payment methods:

• Sofortüberweisung
• Visa
• Rapid Transfer
• MuchBetter
• Trustly
• Apple Pay
• CashtoCode
• paysafecard
• Skrill
• Neteller
• ecoPayz

As I chose Mastercard as my deposit method, I also had to pay my winnings to Mastercard. In accordance with the new gaming licence, I verified both my chosen payment method and my identity and address. As soon as Winfest confirmed the verification, I was able to request the payment of my 300 Euros. This did not take much effort. I simply clicked on the 'Cashier' button in the top right hand corner of the website and then requested the withdrawal. I received my winnings in less than two business days. Exemplary!

As usual, I will end my review with a personal conclusion. In my opinion, there are many more positive aspects of Winfest than negative ones. Therefore, I will start my conclusion with the positive aspects. The developers of Winfest have created a perfect website that works perfectly on both a laptop and a mobile device. The customer support also scores a 10 out of 10, fast and competent answers are a given at Winfest. However, I did not like the welcome bonus at all; a turnover factor of more than 35 is too high and, especially in view of what the competition is offering, inappropriate.

All in all, this is a place where you can try your luck with a clear conscience. The gaming experience will probably get even better in the future, with the addition of Novoline games and PayPal payments.

Until then, I hope you have at least as much fun as I did and that you win a nice prize or two at Winfest!