Drake Live Casino Review

Drake Casino is one of those gems of the gaming world that shines brightly in some aspects and seems a little rough around the edges in others. Held at arm’s length so it can be examined in full, and then brought in closer for a deeper look, we end up seeing it for what it is – a proprietary platform online casino with live games that has been operating for well over a decade.

The live lobby is not exactly what many international players would cross the Seven Seas for with only half a dozen tables streamed by a sort of generic provider, but it is one that is highly regarded by players where it is known, and which has been operating since 2019. Fresh Deck Studios hosts the live lobby at Drake.

The whole ball of wax is what to look at here, from the live lobby to the unique slots and other games and the bonus system for those who like to play with incentives.

If you are familiar with game providers like Lucky Streak and VIVO you might already be familiar with the games provided by Fresh Deck Studios. We can’t say for certain, but the games appear to be provenanced through a veil or over a layer from EU-licensed operators for deployment in sensitive or gray markets.

Perhaps you’ve seen situations such as Evolution or NetEnt signing up with a Canadian Crown Corp provincial lottery casino. From that moment forward, they stopped providing games to aggregators that served the market, or at least required geo-location blocking of their games. That’s not to say that we are seeing that precise scenario here, but it is one possibility. It could also be simply a matter of the contributing studios not wanting their brands associated with some other marginal markets such as Australia or the US. The third possibility which would be quite a stretch is that the games were simply cloned. The earlier user interface that changed from game to game when the provider first launched would seem to put that theory to rest.

Looking at the lumps and bumps from arm’s length and up close we find some anomalies in how the API works for this proprietary platform. It would seem the folks behind this brand are from the English Harbour days, as in the first days of internet gambling. The platform is highly competent, certainly secure, and in no way suspect – the merging of the live lobby plug-in, however, is not without flaws – or perhaps they are purposeful features that are only useful for the operators.

One thing is that you aren’t able to visit a table if you don’t have enough in your account to place a bet. With unlimited bet-behind games, this doesn’t make much sense. Chat and other interactive functions could easily be toggled at the software level with a balance query rather than a stop/go command. The other oddity is that you can’t open a table if you have uncompleted wagering requirements from a bonus. However, the gate swings open and you can make bonus-disqualifying bets once wagering has been completed.

Now that we’ve seen all the nubbly parts, you shouldn’t feel that something is glitchy when you discover them yourself. We’re confident of the platform and integration and don’t have any problem with the sort of cross-dressing of the tables. The games are completely fair and the results are as expected when the games are played.

It’s an instant-play browser-based secure HTML5 gambling hub with a good variety of games and some of those games are captivating, harking the slot player back for more at the oddest times and with the most abstract triggers. Perhaps calling some of them works of art is too much, and perhaps not. E.A. Bucchianeri may have said it best, ‘Art is in the eye of the beholder, and everyone will have their own interpretation.’

You’ll find all of the classics here including blackjack, roulette, and baccarat. The lobby is small with just six tables on most nights, we’ve never seen fewer.

English dealers cover live blackjack, American roulette, baccarat, and European roulette while the Spanish teams cover blackjack and American roulette. You won’t find any game shows or dice games, and you won’t find craps with a robotic arm doing the shooting for you while the croupier handles the entertainment. What you will find is straight-up classic casino floor games.

Blackjack

The blackjack tables also offer side bets, but they are optional. Players can stick to the basic game and use basic strategy or the optimal strategy for the game. The help files are not the most robust but the rules will give you what you need to adjust your strategy or use a blackjack calculator to come to the best move.

21+3

Wins pay 9 to 1. The game is dealt from 8 decks and while returns can be much better at 9:1 than the basic game offers at 3:2 for Blackjack, the house edge goes up to 2.74% when including the side bet.

Perfect Pairs

The house edge explodes to a little over 13% for this optional side bet that pays 25:1 when your cards match perfectly – both in rank and in suit. Again the game is dealt from a shoe of 8 decks so the hand is possible.

Adding a little volatility to the game at the expense of perfect strategy play is a personal choice – winning streaks do happen against the odds because that is the nature of randomness, but it might be best to play the straight game on most hands unless you feel a winning streak in your gut and your bones. The “smart money” is on sticking with the straight game and playing your cards right to catch a streak and ride it out.

Roulette

Look for single zero and double zero versions. Play single zero to reduce the house edge to 2.7% American roulette (0/00) is available in English and Spanish.

Baccarat

This is a standard baccarat game with bets on one hand or the other or a tie. It’s also a very robust optional bet game with seven possible side bets. These are Player Pair, Player Bonus, Banker Bonus, Perfect Pairs (Player or Banker), Small, and Big.

Other Ways to Play at Drake Casino

There’s a little bit of everything here from RNG blackjack, poker, roulette, craps, and Teen Patti to a great selection of slots. Video poker and instant win games are popular too.

One of the big attractions here is the slots jackpot suite. There are three main jackpot categories and each is shared with a group of games. Some of the slots are repurposed from Day 1 time and may be recognizable to well-seasoned players. Others are fresh and new. There’s also a catch-all section that includes these games and others under the progressive jackpots tab – navigate there to play for the thrill of catching a jackpot of any size.

Drake Casino Bonuses

One of the elements is a focus on offering new, current, and returning players all the bonuses they would want to use.

Not everyone likes to play with casino incentives and the system here can be a bit abstract or seem complicated until you get accustomed to how things work. In general, it’s simply a lot of bonuses, but under the surface, some eccentricities are not “industry standard”. If you tread gently at first, learn the nuances, and come to understand silly things like zeroing out your balance to avoid carrying over wagering requirements, the rewards offered here can raise the player’s level of engagement and enjoyment (if not profit on every try) considerably.

It’s as if the marketing team wants players to win so they can introduce all parts of the business process, not to mention build goodwill. It appears that way because the first deposit bonus is simply huge and if you don’t get a cashout, it’s Deja Vu. Your first chance can become three chances and then the fun stuff just keeps piling on.

The marketing pages call the experience a “Player Journey”. It unfolds in several steps. Please visit the site for more details on these elements.

• Every wager earns rewards
• Daily bonus spins (for 7 days, deposit to refresh cycle)
• Daily Cashback
• Expanding reload bonuses
• Extra bonuses 8x a month (requires newsletter subscription)
• Unified rewards system (use points at any sister site)
• Tournaments (Weekly table, $25,000 slots)
• Increased percentage matches for crypto deposits (first 3)

Things to know about Drake bonuses

Always check the terms and conditions. RNG table games, video poker, and instant win games have lower game weightings (increased wagering). Wagering requirements can carry over; zero out your balance. Some tournament winnings can be awarded as bonus funds so they should be cashed out completely when eligible or zero your balance.

Deposit using your debit card or credit card for instant play. Visa, Mastercard, and American Express offer immediate access to all the games. Bitcoin deposit speeds can be nearly instantaneous – they can also take up to half an hour to post depending on network activity.

Use Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, or Ripple for crypto deposits. Bitcoin is supported for withdrawals as are bank wires.

The cashier section offers a link to a crypto service that will allow you to buy virtual coins with your regular credit card or debit card (depending on local regulations).