Karamba Review

Karamba screenshot

This colourful and characterful casino / sportsbook is sure to put you in a good mood. Karamba treads the delicate line of being vibrant and fun without spilling into becoming obnoxious and annoying, and they do it perfectly.

Their slightly convoluted backroom setup does nothing to detract from the player’s enjoyment at the site, and their 750+ instant play games are available via the desktop site, mobile site, or a dedicated casino app.

This is a site that serves customers all over Europe, so it has been built and designed to be universally simple to navigate, and it is available in multiple languages and also accepts way more payment methods than you would usually find.

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18+. New depositing sport players only. Offer only applies to players who are residents of United Kingdom. Min deposit £10, minimum wagering on sport £20, req qualifying bets at min odds at 1/1. Bet expires after 14 days of being credited. Max one £10 free bet per customer, paid as bonus token with min odds 4/5 req. PayPal, Neteller, Paysafe or Skrill not eligible. Gambling can be addictive. Please Play Responsibly. www.begambleaware.org. T&C's apply.
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In terms of sports, Karamba offer a fully fledged product powered by BtoBet.  By opting for the more expensive platform Karamba ensures deep markets for all sports, including horse racing which is a rarity among sportsbooks attached to casino sites.

BtoBet power the likes of Mr Play, who are classified as bookmakers in their own right so there is no reason to see Karamba’s sports betting as any different, and once you sample their innovative betting features you will no doubt agree, especially if you bet in-play.

The brand have really come into their own since their face lift in 2015, and they were rewarded for their efforts with an EGR Award and a huge boost in customer numbers in 2019. That means players are choosing Karamba over rival casinos/sportsbooks, and if you want to know why, read on.

Software, Platform, & Games

Karamba Welcome

This is an attractive, lively place to do your gaming, given a real sense of fun by the Karamba parrot popping up all over the place. Navigation is simple for the most part, although some more useful ways to search through the games wouldn’t go amiss, and the platform reacts quickly most of the time with only the occasional spot of lag.

Karamba have good links with many different software providers so you can expect a nice variety of titles from providers old and new. What’s more, if you like the idea of getting access to games that aren’t available anywhere else than Karamba give you that opportunity with their exclusive titles from NeoGames.

Other providers touting their wares include old hands like NetEnt, Microgaming, and NextGen, plus newer flashier studios like Elk Studios, Thunderkick, and Iron Dog Studios – plus many more besides, collectively throwing together almost 750 different games plus the live casino.

  • Video Slots – A good 650+ slots include branded games like NetEnt’s Jimi Hendrix, plus newer quirkier titles like Taco Brothers.
  • Classic Slots – Players who have been around the block once or twice may miss slotting in simpler times, and for those people, games like Jackpot Jester and Reel Gambler will suit.
  • Table Games – The 25ish titles consist mainly of blackjack and roulette variations, but there is also baccarat besides.
  • Live Casino – A whole suite of blackjack, roulette, and baccarat variations exist in this section of the site, powered by Evolution, except these come with a live dealer streamed to your screen. You can also play the Dream Catcher and other game show style games which is proving massively popular.
  • Scratchcards – Karamba were something of a go to casino for scratch card enthusiasts, offering Golden Island and Club Pearl amongst their 20 or so titles. There is no tab for them anymore but they are still there.

Sports Betting

Karamba Sportsbook

Karamba don’t have the longest list of sports betting options in the world, coming in just under 30, but they put plenty of effort in with all of the big guns like golf, cricket, football, tennis, and horse racing. Niche sports are there too, just not in huge numbers.

However, the odds at Karamba are something else, offering particularly good value on golf, darts, and basketball. Odds are strong across the board though, and could even prompt worrying glances from the big established high street brands. If you want top prices without doing your homework then Karamba will usually see you right.

As mentioned, the BtoBet platform is an absolute beauty to work with, laying out all of your options clearly and always feeling intuitive. No other platform can offer the same ease of workflow. It comes with great betting features too, like live betting (not streaming), the best live match graphic in the industry for our money, in depth statistical information on all sports, and fast markets.

They can also lay claim to the invention of the KaramBot. This will be too gimmicky for some bettors, but it’s a novel idea nonetheless. The Bot comes up with betting tips through the wizardry of mathematics and technology, and bettors can choose to take the bot’s advice or ignore it. No profit is assured of course, but it’s a fun unique little feature to try perhaps if you have some loose change floating around in your account.

Karamba Battle

Then there are Karamba Battles, where you compete with other bettors to climb the leader board based on how successful your betting has been. There are many different leader boards with their own criteria, so you can compete in an area you were going to bet anyway.

Again, we are not aware of any other sports betting platform that is thinking outside the box in this way, and it offers a totally new dimension to sports betting which will appeal to those with a competitive nature.

In terms of appearance and features it’s a little bit different to what many bettors may be used to sure, but fundamentally Karamba provides the essentials; big sports, strong depth of market, and excellent odds throughout. Whether or not you engage with the other stuff is up to you.

Mobile Site

Karamba MobileWe really love Karamba as a brand, so we were a little disappointed with our mobile experience.

It exists both as a mobile optimised browser based website and as a downloadable app, but we had issues when using either option. Mainly with performance.

The build and design are fine, the layout works and there is plenty of fun to be had, but loading times are below average and there were a few instances when we ended up accidentally navigating to the wrong place because the app was taking so long to respond, or it jumped unexpectedly.

This needs a serious kick up the backside because impatient players and bettors will simply go somewhere else, and that would be a real shame.

On the positive side there is still an awful lot available on mobile, including the live casino which just goes to show that they do have the technological capabilities needed to create a strong mobile product.

The app is also an intelligent piece of software as it minimises certain menu options when they are unlikely to be needed before revealing them again at just the right time. This maximises screen space without removing options. There is also a ‘back to top’ button that appears after you have been scrolling for a while, going some way to solving the issue every casino has when displaying their hundreds of games. The same can be said for depth of market within the sportsbook.

Banking

Banking Method Max/Min Deposit Max/Min Withdrawal Notes
Debit Card £10 £10 Instant - 6 days
PayPal £10 £10 Instant - 2 days
Neteller £10 £10 Instant - 2 days
Skrill £10 £10 Instant - 2 days
Paysafecard £10 N/A Withdraw Via Other Method
Bank Transfer £10 £10 2 - 6 days

Interestingly, among the throng of other European facing payment methods that Karamba accept, are ecoPayz and Trustly. However, these are only an option if using Euro’s, so it’s a no for UK customers.

That still leaves you with plenty of other options though, and the low minimum deposits remove all financial barriers even for those with the smallest bankrolls.

We should also say that the £7k maximum withdrawal is per month, and the long wait for withdrawals is due to their internal processing procedures.

Slow withdrawals are becoming seriously outdated in online gambling these days, so Karamba should put every effort into catching up with the bigger brands they are trying to coax customers away from.

About

Karamba LogoThis parrot fronted online casino flew onto the scene in 2005, but it was ten years later in 2015 after a makeover of sorts when they really started to ruffle peoples feathers.

Their set up is a little complicated, but bear with us.

Aspire Global Ltd is one of the companies behind the brand, and they are a fully licensed Malta based operator that deal with the platform amongst other things.

In the UK only, the games on the Karamba website are operated by AG Communications Ltd, another Malta based operation, and it is AG who hold the license to operate in the UK.

Why the split? No idea. But it won’t affect your experience on site so don’t worry about it.

There are a handful of other brands owned and operated by the two companies, including Hopa which you may have heard of, as well as plenty of white labels.

2019 was a big year for Karamba as they grew their market share considerably, beating many of their targets thanks to increased marketing and their likeable feathery mascot, as well as winning in the customer relations category at the EGR Awards.

Customer Support

Karamba SupportAt Karamba, they believe in C.A.R.E; Customers Are Really Everything. Their words, not ours.

Although it seems they are as good as their word, because even though your Nan probably has a more active social media presence than the guys at Karamba, their customer support team are a polite and helpful bunch who are easy to reach 7 days a week.

They rest from midnight until 7.59am, but that means you can contact them at an ungodly time in the morning as well as late into the night. If they could push that past midnight it would be ideal, but they are certainly no slackers.

This is evidenced by the fact that they won the Best Customer Relationship Management Campaign at the EGR Awards in 2019, so they must be doing something right.

Players can use their live chat service, phone support, or contact them via email, so there are options for everyone. You could even write to them if you have your quill handy.

License & Contact

  • Live Chat – Bottom of each page, hit the Contact Us button, and bingo, you’re in (Karamba do not offer bingo).
  • Email – We have two for you to try you lucky thing you: [email protected] or [email protected]
  • Phone – 0203 318 9367 is the quickest way to have a squawk with an advisor if there is one available.
  • @karambacasino – In 2015 the Karamba Casino Twitter account posted four tweets. No one has seen or heard from them since. Sounds like a movie strap line.
  • Address – High Street 135, SLIEMA, SLM 1548. It’s in Malta, surprise surprise.
  • UK License – 39483
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