- Long-running brand
- Operated by Casino Rewards
- $100 bonus offer on first deposit
- Encrypted payment methods
- CAD-based bonus deal
- Microgaming software platform
- Only a basic casino site
- 60x wagering on initial bonus
- Meagre on-site bonus options
- Poor for no deposit free spins
- Software Microgaming
- Banking Methods
- Established 1999
- Licence Kahnawake
Welcome Bonus and Promotions
GoldenReef Casino can fast-track new players with an almost instant bonus on their first deposit. The reward for depositing is a 100% match bonus that can deliver up to $100 in extra funding. The 60x wagering requirements are steep, however, so take care when attempting to clear the bonus funds.
Players who visit Golden Reef will now bypass the former site and receive direct access to a casino lobby. This uncomplicated approach lacks polish and seems to contribute to the clear disregard for on-going bonus promotions. Yes, there's a promotions page but the only bonus listed is the welcome offer. There's no mention of any bonus free spins or a no deposit trial.
As a registered player of Golden Reef, review readers need to know that they can seek bonus rewards away from the site at Casino Rewards. Operating as an online casino network, this is where users can see their comp points and use these to trigger bonus rewards, free spins and improved services.
The scheme is built on six status levels and bonus points determine the current level. If enough bonus points are generated, then Casino Rewards shall review a player's total before potentially increasing their status. There's no cost to joining and all bonus rewards are determined by wagers made with real money.
Casino Rewards can provide everyday bonus offers that include free spins, no deposit and other formats. The network is also outstanding for tentpole events such as the Time of Your Life Sweepstakes, VIP Lucky Jackpot and Mega Vault Millionaire, which is directly accessible from the progressive jackpots featured in the casino lobby.
Golden Reef Casino Bonus and Promotions for Canada
As explained in the earlier review section, GoldenReef Casino isn't publishing any bonus promotions on the site, aside from the welcome offer. You can try monitoring your inbox for bonus offers, but these are more likely to come from Casino Rewards. We're not expecting any Canada exclusives, though we'd at least like to get some no deposit bonus free spins once in a while.
Microgaming at Golden Reef Casino
Since launching, Golden Reef has been powered by Microgaming software. For years, the arrangement was exclusive and there was no presence from third-party providers. What we discovered in this review is that Golden Reef now works with Evolution Gaming as well. This arrangement is more specialised, however, as it focuses on the live casino software.
In the past, Golden Reef Canada provided a more select range of games because of the exclusivity strategy with Microgaming. Although still working together, GoldenReef Casino now has access to a greater diversity of content because of Microgaming's network of independent studios. Among those available for review were Neon Valley, Gameburger, Switch, All41, Pulse 8, Fortune Factory, Rabcat, Slingshot, Triple Edge and Just for the Win.
For this Canada review, Golden Reef hosted a browser-based casino platform and it was possible to review the casino site on Microsoft and MacOS. For gaming, it's great but lacks the user-friendliness of a fully-fledged casino site. Users are introduced directly to the games without being able to review pages on promotions.
Popular Games at Golden Reef Casino
Mobile Gaming/Live Casino for Canada
In this review, we found that the casino platform wasn't well-optimised for mobile access. Golden Reef Casino Canada, although technically operational on Android or iOS, doesn't make effective use of the screen space. For that reason, review readers are advised to use a tablet for the larger playing surface. Anyone seeking a dedicated mobile casino in Canada can check this page for options.
Evolution Gaming has already been mentioned in the review. This related to Evolution's provision of live casino software. With that added support, Golden Reef hosts a lavish suite where users can play the very latest in live casino technology. The footage is captured by clear HD cameras and broadcast straight to your home screen, letting you see how your wagers play out.
Blackjack and roulette should be the bare minimum for any live casino, but Golden Reef goes further by providing other exciting tables. Review readers should check out Monopoly Live, Dream Catcher, Super Sic Bo, Casino Hold'em, Caribbean Stud Poker and Ultimate Texas Hold'em as the best live dealer tables.
Games and Payout Percentages
Golden Reef has a range of virtual roulette tables that replicate live dealers. Entitled Real Roulette, the tables are hosted by glamorous virtual dealers named Caroline, Bailey, Sarati and Holly. More traditional experiences can be sought in American Roulette or European Roulette if review readers would prefer those.
Comparatively, there are more card tables to play. A basic version of baccarat is joined by Classic Blackjack, European Blackjack Gold, Atlantic City Blackjack and a variety of tables with rules from Vegas Downtown and the Vegas Strip. Cards feature again among the video poker machines, which features Aces & Eights, Aces & Faces, All Aces Poker, Deuces Wild and Jacks or Better.
With bonus free spins hard to come by, it's possible to remedy the issue by playing slots. Many of the titles have free spins that are gained by unlocking the bonus features. These can be understood by reading the paytables, which are accessible with no deposit.
Viewing slots in demo mode with no deposit is an affordable way of seeing which titles are the most appealing. This option is available only at top-rated Canadian no deposit casinos and seemingly, Golden Reef is determined to climb the ladder straight to the top. In our experience, we can recommend 9 Masks of Fire, Castle Builder 2, A Dark Matter, Agent Jane Blonde Returns, Amazing Aztecs, Aurora Wilds, Cash of Kingdoms and Jungle Jim: El Dorado.
In this Golden Reef Casino Canada review, all that's left to report on the games are these payout percentages:
- All Games - 95.94%
- Slots games - 96.24% for 9 Pots of Gold
- Table games - 99.91% for Classic Blackjack Gold
- Poker games - 99.92% for All Aces Poker
Progressive Jackpots - Winners
In the history of Casino Golden Reef, no game has paid out more winnings than the collective $2.26 million awarded by Thunderstruck 2. Individually, there hasn't been quite so much success, with user Diane H still the highest winner after scoring the equivalent of $175,000 on Treasure Nile way back in June 2002.
Treasure Nile can still be found among the progressive jackpot slots available. Golden Reef has added another few options since then, however, with Cash Splash, Atlantean Treasure, Mega Moolah and Mega Vault Millionaire all making a debut. Despite lacking the full range of Microgaming progressive slots, there are three millionaire jackpots to compete for.
Banking Options for Canada
When an account has been set up with CAD, at least a dozen payment methods will be displayed by Golden Reef Casino Canada. Following a review of the options, we can confirm that deposits can be completed with Interac, eCheck, iDebit, Instadebit, VISA, MasterCard, MuchBetter, Flexepin, ecoPayz, paysafecard or Instant Payments by Citadel.
Anyone playing at Golden Reef from Canada has the freedom to use Interac, iDebit or Instadebit in unison with their local bank account or credit card to make secure payments and enjoy real money wagering on casino games. This approach can help our review readers to remain as safe as possible when depositing online.
Customer Support
Golden Reef Casino Canada now operates with quite a basic platform that limits the support players can receive. On the one hand, there's an email address and 24/7 live chat support for registered users. On the other hand, Golden Reef doesn't provide any info pages for players to review. FAQs and guides on getting started are always appreciated in a Canada review.
Security and Fairness at Golden Reef Casino
When registering here, there isn't any advice given for creating a secure password. Anyone reading this review can seek advice online, with the best passwords using the combination of small and tall letters, numbers and symbols. A three-monthly review can even be made to update your password and remain extra secure.
In this review, we noticed the registration form doesn't shield the password that's entered unless you tap on the image of the eye with a line striking through. However, we can assure you that no deposit is completed at Casino Golden Reef without encryption. A review of the in-browser credentials showed that Golden Reef is encrypted and certified by the Entrust Certification Authority.
In every Canada review, we aim to determine the name of any independent auditor tasked with testing the online casino's software. Unfortunately, we couldn't find any such auditors and all we can say about the fairness is that Golden Reef is reported to operate with a Kahnawake licence from here in Canada.
Casino History/Complaints
Golden Reef Casino has operated in Canada and other jurisdictions since 2001. As of this review, the day-to-day management of the brand lies with Casino Rewards, which is much more than just a loyalty bonus network offering free spins. Casino Rewards operates Golden Reef and many other well-known brands.
With this online casino, we found no direct complaints made by players across major online portals, which is impressive for a brand operating since 2001. We did encounter complaints about other brands on Casino Rewards, so it's worth remaining vigilant.
Player Location Restrictions
While being accessible in Canada, Casino Golden Reef can process no deposit made from the following places: Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Armenia, Asia, Australia (including overseas dependencies), Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, Congo-Kinshasa, Cyprus, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France (including overseas dependencies), Germany, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Malawi, Maldives, Malta, Mauritania, Micronesia, Myanmar (Burma), Nauru, Netherlands (including overseas dependencies), Niger, Nigeria, Niue, North Korea, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Rwanda, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Uganda, UK (including overseas dependencies), US (including overseas dependencies), Western Sahara and Zimbabwe.
Unique Casino Features for Canada
Registering at GoldenReef Casino from Canada brings the convenience of the signup form recognizing your home province and CAD as your preferred currency. A change in language isn't possible on the registration form. However, a French option should be made available once players have signed in to the online casino platform.
Summary/Personal Recommendation
Only a few lines of data are needed to complete the signup form. Golden Reef Casino uses IP address tracking to determine where in Canada you are from. This is part of the casino's security system that is typical for the safest and best online casinos in Canada. Seeing this from another angle, this is a good thing as you will be at a piece of mind when playing on this site. Even still, it's smart to review your country, province and currency to ensure that every piece of information is accurate. Changing personal data at a later stage is tricky at many online casinos.
Golden Reef Casino didn't blow us away with the $100 first deposit bonus. Equally, we weren't disappointed by the $100 bonus - it's a common offer in the market. However, this review does believe the 500+ games would be better served if there were more bonus promotions in the form of free spins for slots and no deposit credit. Golden Reef excels in several ways, though the bonus options could be more competitive.
