Goldfishka Casino Review

Goldfishka is a Russian site. That much is apparent the moment you alight on its homepage and are confronted by a wall of, well, Russian. Lest the name didn’t make it clear, the poker chip icon with a yellow fish in its centre will: Goldfishka is Russian for goldfish.

One thing that Russian websites can be relied on to be is non-conformist. At your average online casino, you’d be greeted by a message informing you that you were ineligible to play were you to try and access the site from a non-licensed region. That’s not the case at Goldfishka, who instead offer a guide containing “5 proven methods” to bypass geo-restrictions and play at the site.

For the record, these include installing the Goldfishka plugin for the Opera browser, accessing a mirror of the site, downloading the casino software to play and using the VPN feature built into the Opera browser. The site was established in 2002, and since then it seems to have been on a mission to go against the grain, serving as a sort of anti-establishment casino that bucks all trends, at least within the Western world. In Russia, sites like Goldfishka are the norm. Should you require customer support while playing at Goldfishka, by the way, email is your only option.

About Goldfishka

Goldfishka is of course targeted at Russian players, who can indulge in all their favourite casino games while keeping it homegrown. Why transfer your funds to a foreign website when you can keep all your activities within Mother Russia? Microgaming’s software powers the site, whose reputation is supposedly high within Russia. One notable provision of Goldfishka – one that few other casinos can claim – is that it donates some of its profits to a charity designed to aid needy children and adults.

One of the ways in which Goldfishka drums up new customers is by operating a successful affiliate scheme. Refer players to the site via your website or blog and you can receive up to 50% of the profits in return. Goldfishka naturally trades on its reputation, and based on social proof alone, it’s a reputation that can’t be faulted; the casino has almost 4,000 followers on VK, the hugely popular Russian social network that bears more than a passing resemblance to Facebook.

Russian Banking

Goldfishka offers a range of deposit and withdrawal options, all configured to suit the needs of the Russian market. Credit card is the primary option; Visa, MasterCard and Diners Club International are all available. If using card, identification documents will be requested to ensure that the card isn’t stolen. There are other payment options available however such as WebMoney, Moneta.ru and Qiwi.

From credit card to bank transfer, Russian players are given a reasonable number of payment options at Goldfishka, some of which offer more anonymity than others. One piece of information that isn’t forthcoming on the site is the length of time it takes for withdrawal requests to be processed. There is an FAQ, but cashing out is an area it doesn’t delve into.

Get Verified

New customers at Goldfishka can look forward to claiming a 100% welcome bonus. In order to be eligible for it, you’ll need to have verified your phone number. The site doesn’t specify if there’s a maximum deposit limit with this offer.

In addition, Goldfishka operates a loyalty scheme that gives players cashback on every wager they make. What’s more, there’s no waiting around; this bonus cash is dispensed the very next day. For instance, spend 1,000 rubles at the site and you’ll be granted 5 free rubles to play with the next day. Goldfishka boasts of dispensing over 5,000,000 rubles a month to players in this manner.

The casino’s loyalty scheme has some interesting provisions built in. For example, cashback is dispensed at the rate of 1% by default, but install the plugin Goldfishka have developed to circumvent geo-blocking and you’ll receive a special bonus cash award. Likewise if you download the casino’s software to your desktop. Use one of the site’s mirrors to play at and you’ll be further rewarded, and likewise if you refer a friend. Goldfishka essentially rewards you for being a bad-ass, a code of conduct which may not be entirely ethical but which makes a refreshing change from the generic promotions trotted out by most casinos.

Mobile Casino

Although the downloadable casino is the one that Goldfishka focus most of their marketing efforts on, they haven’t neglected mobile players. The site runs a small but functional mobile casino, with games designed to work in-browser across a range of devices, from iOS to Android and from smartphone to tablet. Players can choose from around 50 games including slots, blackjack and roulette. What’s more, mobile players are eligible for Goldfishka’s welcome bonus of a 100% deposit match worth up to 1,000 rubles.

A Wide Choice

Goldfishka is well stocked with a wide range of casino games. Whatever you’re into, odds are you’ll find it lurking within the games lobby at Goldfishka. The slots are probably the best place to start. There are hundreds of slots; scroll down the page and they just keep coming, covering all themes, all styles and all kinds of feature games. Titles include Mocha Orange, Heavy Metal, Cutesy Pie and Pharaoh’s Fortune. Many of these games aren’t much to shout about, but there are some quality numbers in there too.

Branded slots also surface at Goldfishka, though whether these are the proper licensed versions or Russian rip-offs is unclear. Hellboy may or may not be an original, but Terminator 2 and Jurassic Park certainly are. There’s no shortage of classic slots to browse and it’s the same story when it comes to progressive jackpot games. These include some familiar faces such as Tunzamunni, Major Millions and Lotsaloot. There’s also room for a couple of video poker titles in the form of Jackpot Deuces and Progressive Cyberstud.

Other Games

The remaining categories at Goldfishka are equally loaded with games of all kinds. The roulette section, for example, includes 10 titles including Playboy Live Roulette. Likewise with the blackjack and video poker sections. Card games include baccarat, Super Fun 21 and many more. The live casino features 7 games, with the usual suspects complemented by Sic Bo. There’s also an entire section of lottery games that includes keno and bingo and some e-sports and scratch cards to round things off.

Goldfishka is Trusted

Goldfishka is a great casino if you’re a Russian-based player or a Russian exile. If you’re not, obviously the site’s appeal will be limited, even if its games are universal. To overcome the language barrier and to accord to one of the payment options specified, however, you realistically need to be Russian.

Goldfishka isn’t the fanciest site on the web, but it’s one that’s served its time and built up trust within its homeland. There’s a great range of slots, table games and instant win games that will provide many hours’ happy playing, whether you choose to download the software or whip out your phone and give them a go.