When Not To Take an Online Casino Bonus
Wednesday, July 17th, 2013
Posted by Roger
This may sound crazy, but many experienced casino players never take online casino bonuses. Why? Here's the thing - when you take a casino bonus you're tied in to the terms of that bonus. Almost all internet casino bonuses come with standard
game restrictions,
wagering requirements, and
maximum withdrawals. There are times when you'll be happy with that, but other time when you may want to play without any restrictions. Keep reading for more information about online casino bonuses and how their terms affect your play.
Best Internet Casino Bonuses
Game Restrictions
Game restrictions restrict you from betting on casino games that have nearly even odds, like red/black bets in roulette or pass/no pass in craps. You can still play blackjack, craps, and roulette, but your bets may not count towards the wagering requirements for your bonus - so you'll never be able to cash out your winnings. When you look at all the games that are excluded by most bonus terms, you'll find that you're basically left with slots and video poker. Some people love slots, but I'm a table games kinda guy so I prefer to play without a casino bonus.
Wagering Requirements
Wagering requirements are in place to make sure that you play your
online casino bonus several times. Since all casino games have a house edge, this is a clever way for the casino to give themselves a good chance that you'll lose your money before you get to cash it out. Most casinos have wagering requirements from 10 to 100 times your deposit plus your bonus.
Here's an example: If you deposit $50 and take a 200% match bonus with 20x wagering requirement, your bonus ($100) plus your deposit ($50) is $150. You'll need to bet $3,000 before you can cash-in your winnings.
Really, this isn't so bad. If you track your average wagering patters, you'll quickly see that in a normal session of blackjack (for example) you wager many times your initial deposit. Wagering requirements get in the way for
bonus abusers but not for honest gamblers looking for some fun at the tables (or slots if that's your thing).
Maximum Withdrawals
Max withdrawals are usually only in place for free money casino bonuses. These internet casino bonuses often come with very high wagering requirements. When a casino offers you $10 or $20 free just for signing up, they're really giving you a test drive of their real money casino games. You're not going to get rich and retire off that $20 free. Most casinos have maximum withdrawals of a couple hundred dollars for free money offers. That's not too shabby for something that cost you nothing.
Opting Out of an Online Casino Bonus
If you would rather play at an online casino without any restrictions, that's your right. Most casino bonuses happen automatically when you deposit though, so be careful. Before you bet a cent, contact customer support and tell them that you don't want the bonus. They'll remove it from your account right away and you'll be able to play and withdraw with no restrictions at all. If you wager anything at all before contacting support, however, you may be locked into the bonus restrictions.
Summary
Whether or not you take a bonus from an online casino is entirely up to you. There are pros and cons to the decision. On one hand, you'll have to meet certain requirements before cashing out your winnings. On the other hand, well, it's free money and more time gambling. I suggest checking out our list of
approved online casinos and trying out some of the great online casinos. Many of them have amazing bonus offers that will let you get a feel for the software and their customer support. When you find one or a few that you really like, trying depositing again and playing with no restrictions. You may be surprised by how much it feels like gambling in a Las Vegas casino!
