Lyra Casino’s aesthetic can be described as “big and bold”. The banners, branding and navigation buttons are all large and chunky, designed to be read at a glance on large or small screens. While it may take some time to scroll around to find what you are looking for, you are certain to find it in the end. So, the site gets good marks in terms of design, but how exactly does it function as a casino? Read our Lyra Casino review, and all of your questions will be answered.
To start our Lyra Casino review, we shall discuss the bonuses and promotions that (like so many online casinos for Canadian players) it touts as its primary selling points. As is now standard practice across online casinos, Lyra offers both a welcome bonus for newcomers and regular promotions for those who come back to keep playing.
You will doubtless have come to expect just about all of the online casinos Canada has to offer to feature bonuses for newcomers, but Lyra Casino stands out for a particularly generous welcome bonus: 200% up to 750 $. To put this in context, rival casinos typically spread their welcome bonuses across multiple deposits, offering a 100% match for the first deposit and lower amounts for subsequent bonuses, meaning that by the time you have obtained the bonus you will have already deposited a greater sum than what you have received. Lyra Casino stands in stark contrast: if you deposit $375, then you will receive a princely $750 as a bonus. However, there is a catch. Like many casino welcome bonuses, this comes with a wagering requirement of 30x. If you deposit the full $375, then your real money wagers will have to meet $11,250 ($375 x 30) within three days before you can claim the bonus.
Beyond the welcome bonus, the main promotion at Lyra Casino is the 10% daily cashback bonus. This Lyra casino bonus allows you to earn back 10% of the money you spend on the slot games per day, wager-free. The only strings attached are that your balance must be no more than $5 and once you have obtained your cashback money, you will need to withdraw or play it within seven days. Also on offer are various tournaments tied to specific providers, plus promotional events that are held to celebrate particular holidays; to keep updated about these events, visit the promotions section that can be accessed from the site’s main menu. There is currently no loyalty or VIP scheme at Lyra Casino.
The next topic that our Lyra Casino review shall cover is the site’s line-up of games. The games section at Lyra is well-designed, being chunky enough to fit into a small screen: make no mistake, this is a mobile-friendly casino. But exactly what games can you expect to find yourself playing? Read on, and you shall find out…
Head to the Lyra Casino’s slots section and a wide array of titles will be spread out before you. These range from older but still-popular hits like Big Time Gaming’s Bonanza, Pragmatic Play’s Wild West Gold and Microgaming’s Thunderstruck II, through to new additions to the line-up such as Wazdan’s Sizzling Moon, Relax Gaming’s Money Cart and Spinomenal’s 1 Reel Xmas. Even when you look past the “new” and “popular” tags you will find plenty to keep you occupied, with a variety of different themes covered by the games. If you are a slot machine traditionalist you can go with Hot Spin, Fire Strike, Twin Spin or other such old-fashioned games. For a trip into ancient history or mythology, you can choose between Egypt (John Hunter and the Tomb of the Scarab Queen, Pharaoh’s Reign), Rome (Legion X, Victorious), Greece (Titan’s Rising, Chronicles of Olympus) and Scandinavia (Hammer Gods, Story of Vikings). Other themes on offer include animals (Roo Riches, Razor Shark), vampires (Immortal Romance, Brides of Dracula), music (Motorhead, Jimi Hendrix), crime (Gangster’s Gold, Jack Hammer), pirates (Boom Pirates, Captain’s Bounty), anime (Our Days, Fortune Girl) and the Wild West (Wild Jack, Wild Wild West).
All of the casino favourites are covered in Lyra Casino’s table games section. For blackjack fans, the options include Classic Blackjack, Multi-Hand Atlantic City Blackjack, Vegas Single Deck Blackjack, European Blackjack, Atlantic City Blackjack, Red Queen Blackjack and more besides. The other “big two” game, roulette, is represented by such variations as Lightning Roulette, American Roulette, French Roulette, Gem Roulette, American Roulette Multiplayer and Premier Roulette Diamond Edition. Baccarat fans have not been left out: they can choose from First Person Baccarat, Punto Banco Baccarat, Big Win Baccarat, Baccarat Deluxe, 1X2 Baccarat, Multiplayer Baccarat, iSoftBet Baccarat and Pragmatic Play Baccarat. Poker variations include Casino Hold’em Poker, 3 Card Holdem, High Card Flush, Texas Hold’em Poker 3D and Caribbean Beach Poker. You can also try out Dragon Tiger, Cribbage, Poker Dice, First Person Craps, Sic Bo and multiple versions of keno.
Like all of the best Canadian online casinos, Lyra has a live gaming section that covers all of the classic casino games, using a live element to ensure that they are as close to the authentic casino experience as possible. If you would like a game of roulette, then your choices are Lightning Roulette, Lightning Roulette First Person, Immersive Roulette, Real Roulette (with a range of different hosts), Real Auto Roulette, Vivo Roulette, Cumbia Ruleta and Mega Roulette. For blackjack, the variations on offer are Speed Blackjack, Blackjack VIP, Power Blackjack, Rumba Blackjack, Mambo Unlimited Blackjack and ONE Blackjack. Baccarat and, to a lesser extent, poker are also included, as are sic bo, rock paper scissors, Andar bahar and Teen Patti. Game show-style titles on offer are Dream Catcher, Monopoly, Mega Wheel, Fortune Finder, Crazy Time, Mega Ball and Gonzo’s Treasure Hunt.
The main gaming menu at Lyra has a “providers” option, and when you click it you will be taken to a list of providers including many names that you will recognize from other online casinos for Canadian players. It has to be admitted that this page is not easy to navigate. it is not immediately obvious what order the providers are listed in, as it is neither alphabetic nor the size of output, and as each provider name is followed by one or two rows of games it may take you a while to find the company you are looking for. On the positive side, Lyra has managed to attract a wide variety of significant providers such as Pragmatic Play (Aztec Gems, Mega Roulette), Microgaming (Pachinko, Fortune Rush) and Big Time Gaming (Pirate Pays, Opal Fruits).
Next, our Lyra Casino review shall discuss the payment methods that can be used at the site. After all, even the best Canadian online casinos will be no fun to play if you cannot make a deposit or withdraw your winnings.
Canadian players have access to a slim but reasonably varied range of different payment methods when depositing at Lyra Casino. If you prefer credit cards, you can deposit via Visa or MasterCard. Alternatives on offer are Interac, InstaDebit, iDebit, EeezeWallet and Funanga. In most cases the minimum deposit is $30, the exceptions being InstaDebit and iDebit which each have minimums of $15. If you prefer, you can also make a deposit using cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum and Litecoin are all accepted at Lyra Casino. There is no waiting time: deposits will be handled instantaneously.
While the deposits are handled instantly, the withdrawals at Lyra Casino will take a longer time to be completed. The exact period will vary depending on your chosen method: you might find yourself waiting a few hours, or you could end up waiting days. The slowest method is Interac, which comes with a waiting period of 2 to 3 working days.
If you require technical assistance at Lyra Casino, the site offers two means of getting in touch with a customer support team. One is email; this will be sufficient if you do not mind waiting for a reply. The other is live chat, accessible via an online form. The customer support team is available from 9 am to 5 pm CEST. this translates as 2 am to 10 am EST. When time zones are factored in, Lyra is one of the online casinos Canada residents might find inconvenient in some respects.
Lyra Casino is operated by Damagi Marketing Solutions LTD. This is an Estonian-based company that is regulated by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission under license number #00876. In addition, Damagi Marketing Solutions is also regulated by Gaming Curacao, under License No. 365/JAZ, sub-license GLH-OCCHKTW0706152021 i.
To conclude our Lyra Casino review, we can report that this is a quality casino with few real drawbacks. What will make or break it for many players, as with many casinos, are the nature of the welcome bonus and the promotions system. If the offers appeal to you, then it will be worth signing up and enjoying the games. If not, then you will be best off looking for other casinos.
