Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Casino bonuses and requirements

By Steve Briggs

Whenever getting a bonus from an online casino it is best to know every detail of the agreement before entering into a deal that you may later be sorry about having accepted. Online casino bonuses come in all forms and some of those are not player-friendly. Some of the bonuses are outrageously favoring the casino and if the player was aware of the detailed terms for accepting that bonus it is unlikely they would ever have chosen to enter into the agreement. Some bonuses go as far as to limit the amount of money you can cash-out of the casino. This isn't always a bad deal for the player but it certainly is if the player has any of their own money involved in the bonus scheme. For instance a good side of this kind of bonus with a limit on winnings is a bonus that is given to the player for free such as a no deposit bonus or perhaps one that gives a set number of free spins on a slot machine. Those are no investment bonuses which anything you get out of them is better than what you started.

Once your money becomes invested or involved in the bonus scheme its a whole different story. The whole idea of gambling is to hopefully turn a small amount of money into a large amount. Yet some bonus offers state that both the bonus money and the deposit made to get the bonus are subject to a limit the player can win using that money regardless of how much you gamble it. One such bonus has play through requirements and a maximum amount you can cash out of two thousand dollars. Almost any jackpot on a dollar slot machine is going to top that amount. A Royal flush on a dollar video poker machine pays four thousand. These kind of wins come seldom but what a shame it would be to hit one when you can only cash out half the payoff.

What a deal for the casino. Imagine having someone with a limit hit a royal flush or slot game jackpot, or a progressive? Having what would have amounted to a huge payout be reduced to a small percentage of the normal amount. The odds will remain the same on the next payout but the casino dodges that huge bullet. No wonder they like these kind of bonus offers.

Not all casino bonuses are evil, or set up to prevent you from winning large amounts of cash but it is well worth the time to read the fine print concerning any bonus offer before you jump into an agreement that later may prove to cost a lot of winnings. Check into casino loyalty reward programs as they often offer a much better play through requirement and come after you've wagered therefore they do not tie up your deposit into some kind of bonus scheme that requires you play certain games or wager a certain amount of times.

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