Overview
Royal Panda had been part of the European online gaming scene since launched in 2014. Following its fast rise in popularity, it was acquired in 2017 by the LeoVegas Gaming group. LeoVegas was looking to expand its presence in regulated markets and reportedly paid €60 million to acquire Royal Panda Casino.
At first glance, the Royal Panda Casino site feels a bit dated. But on the positive side, we were very impressed with its user interface. There can be no end to the list of game categories. And in some online casinos, this leads to a menu overload. But Royal Panda keeps it simple. The top menu has only five options: Casino, Live Casino, Promotions, News and Explore. So it is very easy to navigate and quickly find games.
Royal Panda Casino also lists a set of the ‘Most Popular’ games. But you can easily choose between the 15 options which include Provider, Live Games, Table Games etc. All the options are presented by small, clear, and visible buttons that feel natural. Once you make your selection, the website takes no time at all to re-order and load a game.
Our experts concluded that Royal Panda Casino provides one of the smoothest playing experiences available.
Safety and Trustworthiness
Royal Panda is licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) to provide Casino, Lottery, fixed odds betting and peer-to-peer poker and bingo. It uses eCOGRA for its Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) service. This should set your mind at ease if you are unsure about playing at Royal Panda online. eCOGRA’s role is the protect the casino customer. As such, it works with each operator to meet strict player-protection requirements.
Royal Panda Casino has a fully encrypted site with up-to-date SSL certificates. This means that the site has been verified and protected by the latest security protocols. As Royal Panda states on its website, it is a “trailblazer in the field of secure online casino gaming”.
LeoVegas AB is the parent company of Royal Panda. It is listed as a Nordic Nasdaq company on the Stockholm Stock Exchange and considered one of the most respected and admired gambling operators in Europe and beyond. So Royal Panda Casino offers the same trust, reliability and safety provided by any other LeoVegas brand.
Deposits & Withdrawals
Royal Panda Casino has a nice selection of banking methods for deposits and withdrawals. The withdrawal period at Royal Panda Casino is standard. From instant withdrawals to e-wallets, and up to 5 days for bank transfers and credit cards. Royal Panda Casino offers players e-wallets like Skrill and Neteller. But it doesn’t feature Paypal for some reason, which is a method of choice for many players. But with withdrawal limits of up to €100k, we were still very happy with Royal Panda’s banking. It would also be great to also see Bitcoin being offered soon.
Bonuses
Royal Panda Casino offers one of the best Welcome Bonuses in the market. If you are new to Royal Panda, you can claim up to a €1,000 Bonus + 10 Free Spins. With a minimum first deposit of €10, you will receive a 100% bonus, up to €200 plus 10 free spins to be used on the Book of Dead slot machine.
For example, if you sign up and deposit €100, Royal Panda Casino will double your deposit with €100 bonus money. This leaves you with €200 to play with. And, you also get 10 Free Spins on one of the world’s most popular online slots.
On your second deposit, you will receive up to 50%. But on this occasion, Royal Panda Casino will match it up to €300. So if you decide to take advantage of the full offer, you can deposit €300 and claim an extra €150 bonus. This option gives you €500 to wager with, which is serious money for a night at the casino.
And the bonuses just keep growing. On the third deposit, Royal Panda Casino will give you a 50% up to €500.
Royal Panda Casino’s welcome bonus and Free Spins come with a 35x wagering requirement. Meaning, that you will need to play through your bonus money 35 times before you can withdraw winnings as cash. Also, you will need to use the bonus and complete wagering requirements within 90 days. Otherwise the bonus will expire. We found this time limit to be ample. Given that in most online casinos we’ve tested the standard is 30 days. And is some, bonuses even expire after 7 days.
Note that you need to select the ´Welcome Bonus´ option with each of your three deposits. Opting in with each deposit is a bit tedious. Also, wagering requirements have long been a source of frustration for online gamblers. While some operators are beginning to lower these, wagering requirements are still standard practice. And 35x is well within the market average.
Overall, we conclude that Royal Panda Casino’s welcome offer is generous and competitive.
Game Selection
Being part of the LeoVegas Group, Royal Panda Casino is powered by some of the biggest software providers including Microgaming, Evolution Gaming, Play’n’Go, Pragmatic Play, Netent, Red Tiger, 1×2 Gaming, and Relax Gaming. However, we noted some absences such as Playtech and Eyecon Games.
Royal Panda has well over 2,000 titles and covers nearly every category you would expect. Its’ main offering is in video slots and jackpots. At the time of writing, Sisters of Oz Wowpot has the biggest jackpot at just over €12.5m.
The casino table game selection isn’t one of the biggest we’ve seen. But with over 35 and 15 roulette and blackjack games respectively, there is still enough choice. Royal Panda Casino also offers baccarat, Casino Hold’em, video poker and more. We noticed a few minor exceptions such as the lack of multi-wheel Roulette or lottery.
If you are looking to play live dealer games, Royal Panda offers over 60 titles. Again, we would have wished for more special roulette and blackjack live variations. But all in all the selection is more than enough to keep you entertained at the tables.
Mobile App
Royal Panda Casino does not have a native app. But as all its games are designed in HTML5 technology, it is responsive and can be accessed from any mobile device browser. Royal Panda Casino is optimized for various screen sizes. It is available on Android, iOS and Windows Phone devices.
Royal Panda’s desktop client usability transfers nicely to the mobile web version and loading times are great. Nearly all the games are available on mobile as well.
Promotions
Royal Panda Casino offers attractive promotions to reward the loyalty of existing customers.
The main retention promotion is Royal Panda’s Weekly Royal Wednesday Bonus. Deposit on Wednesday and get a 50% match up bonus of up to €300. Note however that this bonus can only be played on casino table games.
Loyal Panda is Royal Panda’s loyalty program. It is free to join, and you are rewarded with loyalty when you make deposits and wagers. The good thing about is that you keep earning points whether you win or lose. There is even a merchandise shop where you can buy Royal Panda mugs or hoodies which will add to your points tally.
Points can be redeemed as prizes, cashbacks, gifts and more great benefits. The more points you collect, the further up the program you move where the prizes are even greater. There are four levels, Bronze, Silver, Gold and finally Diamond (120,000 Loyal Panda points!).
Support
Royal Panda Casino offers a good FAQ section that will enable you to find answers on your own to quick questions and issues. If you still need to speak with a representative, Live Chat is available 24/7. However, it didn’t appear to be manned we tried to contact the support team. There is also email support available, to which we received replies within 8 hours. It was within stated times, but still a long wait for minor issues.
The lack of telephone support at Royal Panda Casino surprised us. Given it is a brand that is owned by the LeoVegas Group that prides itself on attentive customer service, we would have expected quicker ways to contact support and resolve issues.
Review Summary
Royal Panda Casino has a great variety of slots, a good selection of table games and usability that will appeal to experienced casino players that don’t care about the bells and whistles. That’s not to say Royal Panda doesn’t have bells and whistles (solid promotions and plenty of titles). But what it sells most is the easy user experience, which is hard to find in the congested online casino marketplace.
Overall, Royal Panda falls slightly on support. This, mainly because other operators do provide a more comprehensive service in this area. Phone support nowadays is pretty much an industry standard. However, it does exceed the standard of usability and design. Royal Panda’s competitors could learn a thing or two about creating a user-friendly game-search interface. Royal Panda Casino shines with its bonuses, promotions and loyalty program.
So if you are looking for a great casino with the best games in town, fantastic usability and generous bonuses and promotions, sign up to Royal Panda Casino today!