Slots of Fortune "Bonus"...again, wtf?

[winbig]

My god. Is this "Take advantage of players that don't know any better" month when it comes to casinos giving out "bonuses?" Yes, I put bonuses in quotes for a reason.

This latest "bonus" offer I got from Slots of Fortune takes the cake. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought that the Virtual group had bought them out overnight.

1: 500% "bonus", up to $125 ($25 min AND max deposit)
2: 10x MAX withdrawal
3: 65x(D+B!!!!) wagering ($9750) - Can also be construed as 390xD!
4: Sticky "bonus"
5: Min Cashout(!!) 1x (D+B)
ok, here's the kicker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6: THE T&C WERE NOT in the e-mail offer, nor was there any link to them. Their website had no mention of this offer. I had to contact them via email to receive the T&C (listed below.) I assume that these T&C were inside the casino, but there's no way I'm downloading and reinstalling the casino after I heard about the details of this offer. IMO, this is bordering on roguish, but take it as you may.....it just seems to me that they're taking advantage of players that don't know any better.

Basically, unless you are EXTREMELY lucky, there's no chance in hell you're going to be able to cash out from this "bonus." Even with a 98% RTP (overly generous), it's STILL -EV, by $45 (or is my math off?)

side note: Yes, I know these bonuses are "take it or leave it," but my god, do they think all players don't have a clue?

Dear xxxxx,

Following up on your email.

Please find below the requirements for the 500% Exclusive Bonus!!

Please note that this promotion is a slots-only promotion. Wagering on other games than slots can result in your winnings being void by the casino when you request a withdrawal.

Wagering: 390 X deposit [65.00 X (D+B)]
Min. Deposit: 25.00
Max. Deposit: 25.00
Min. Cashout: 1.0x bonus + deposit
Max. Cashout: 10X bonus
Sticky: Sticky

Thank you for understanding.

If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact us again.

Sincerely,
<name removed to protect the guilty>
Slots of Fortune Customer Service

[chuchu59]

They must be living on hard times. They want your $25 so badly.

[Nifty29]

What an absolute load of cr*p.

[SoF]

Hello,

First of all I would like to thank you for taking your time and opening an account at Slots of Fortune.

We would like to clarify here that standard bonus terms apply for all bonuses and are listed on our site.

More specifically in regards to your complaint, specific bonus terms for each promotion are listed inside the Cashier Section.

At our casino it is impossible to claim a bonus without being presented with the bonus terms.

In order to claim a bonus at Slots of Fortune you have to visit the cashier and click on the promotion you are interested in. Once you have clicked the bonus, you are transferred to the next screen in which the complete terms of the specific promotion are displayed; finally on the same screen you are prompted to verify that you want to claim the promotion.

All bonus terms and conditions are disclosed to players on the aforementioned software section. We are using this system for higher transparency and to minimize any potential human errors.

Our support team acted in a professional and transparent manner by providing you with the complete bonus terms by email.

In regards to your accusation of taking advantage of players, this is not our intention. We want our players to have an entertaining gaming experience, please take into consideration that the promotion you were referring to is a high bonus in which we give players the chance to increase their bankroll by 500% with the house's money!

Our casino is designed to offer high payout slots and it has been embraced as such a property. Slots of Fortune does not have any payout complaints and players are always paid promptly. We are delighted to have some loyal players and winners that are members of the Casinomeister forum and we would like to thank them for notifying us of the existence of this thread.

Unless you have any solid evidence of "roguish" behavior we will appreciate if you or the moderators review this post and consider removing reference to such accusations in the thread title and the remaining post.

Player Relations
Slots of Fortune

[kmay87]

Hello...

In regards to your accusation of taking advantage of players, this is not our intention. We want our players to have an entertaining gaming experience, please take into consideration that the promotion you were referring to is a high bonus in which we give players the chance to increase their bankroll by 500% with the house's money!

Our casino is designed to offer high payout slots and it has been embraced as such a property. Slots of Fortune does not have any payout complaints and players are always paid promptly. We are delighted to have some loyal players and winners that are members of the Casinomeister forum and we would like to thank them for notifying us of the existence of this thread.

Unless you have any solid evidence of "roguish" behavior we will appreciate if you or the moderators review this post and consider removing reference to such accusations in the thread title and the remaining post.

Player Relations
Slots of Fortune

Personally, I think you have taken this the wrong way.

I don't believe I have played at your casino before, so I have no reason to disbelieve the facts you have stated.

However, what winbig was getting at (I think anyway ) is that a 390x WR on a STICKY bonus is extreme at the least. And slots only Many of us would think twice about a 30x bonus (as in the case of Intercasino) so this is quite frankly, unbelievable. Combined with a minimum cashout, AND a maximum, and what you are actually offering is very limited. If someone is lucky enough to make a withdrawal, the emphasis on lucky, they can make quite a bit on their initial deposit. I'll give you that.

I've bolded a couple of points. Firstly, you say you boost a players' account by 500%. The big issue I see here is that many players are going to come along, see this massive bonus - at a reputable casino - and no doubt take it. Fair enough, it might only cost them $25, but this multiplied many times adds up to one hell of a lot. And let's be honest here, the odds are stacked way in favour of the casino. In my opinion, it's offering a bit of false hope. Sometimes I've taken these bonuses just because it gives me the chance for a bit of high rolling. So if players are aware that their chances of cashing out are limited, but they are only playing because they want to try something different, then fair enough.

And fundamentally here, although you are giving the player a generous amount, you're taking it back afterwards. I can't see a feasible way of cashing out here.

Secondly, you say you offer high payout slots. This tells me one thing - high variance. Perhaps this is why you are offering such a high bonus. With a standard 100/200% one players could go through their entire deposit and bonus without hitting a thing. So by giving 500%, with me being cynical here, you are giving players a good chance of hitting big, and so getting a taste of the machines, but they probably won't be able to cash it out. Therefore they make fresh deposits, and because of this high variance, they lose. Again, it's a win-win situation for the casino.

All that aside, I think you should be commended for the speed in which you signed up and replied to this . It shows that clearly you value player relations highly, and overall you are not roguish. But winbig wasn't suggesting the casino as a whole was. Simply these bonus terms. In your opinion, do you really think they are favourable to players?

[oldtrvlagt]

I agree with kmay the rep did respond with incredible speed. The rest was pretty much summed up by winbig and kmay's discussion of the bonus. It is almost the same as the Vegas Regal one I posted about last week. Rival's are coming out with (IMHO) some ridiculous offers to lure people in. If in fact they do hit it big (and let me tell you from personal experience if you like the Scary's it takes a LOOONNGG time to hit a good feature) you are not going to be able to cash out what it should be worth. It is a false sense of hope, then it is discouraging, then annoying. Why would you want to offer players something like this when people are going to get frustrated and uninstall the casino?

Just my thoughts but it makes me want to stay away...NOT PLAY!

[Simmo!]

One good thing about the Rival platform is that when you claim a bonus, the T&C's are presented to you very clearly with a "Claim Now" button. Something in fact that MG etc could learn from. The 65x does seem very high it must be said and it should be in the email, or at least a link to the T&C's, but at least it's very transparent before you physically accept the bonus in the casino.

[winbig]

The 65x does seem very high it must be said and it should be in the email, or at least a link to the T&C's, but at least it's very transparent before you physically accept the bonus in the casino.

Yep, transparency is the main concern I was pointing out. I understand that they weren't trying to hide anything, judging by the speed that SoF replied to my email in regards to outlining the T&C, but I really don't see a reason that these couldn't have been included in the original email, or at least put on their website, for easy access.

I had uninstalled Rival casinos not too long ago; because I could never hit anything good there; mainly because of the ultra-high-variance slots (I thought 3Dice's slots were high variance, but Rival takes the cake IMO.) If this promotion had reasonable terms, I may have actually re-downloaded SoF's client again and deposited, but now, there's no way that's going to happen.

Some constructive criticism:

Not long ago, it was posted here at CM that all Rival casinos share the same back-end RNG, and casinos can't change the payout %'s on an individual basis. The only thing that sets each Rival casino apart from each other are cashout times, support, loyalty programs and finally, bonuses.

If you want to retain current players and attract new players, I would seriously reconsider the wagering requirements for bonus offers that you guys are sending out...bonuses with absurd requirements, such as this one, only pushes players away; because there are plenty of other Rivals out there that have much more to offer.

edit: And to clarify why I labeled this thread "Roguish" is because the T&C were not listed in the email, and were nowhere to be found on your website. I associate that with the way many rogue casinos (mostly RTG) operate, but if the mods want to change the title, that's fine with me...

[kmay87]

It surely can't be that difficult to make a slight change in the promo emails to cater for a link to the terms. I know how the system works, and I do like how it lists in simple format every single requirement if you take the bonus.

You would think that if people took the time to download the casino, they are probably going to play anyway, irrespective of what the small print might say. But I'd sooner like to know what I'm getting myself into before I consider taking the bonus.

I believe that if you are being offered something, you shouldn't be expected to have to conduct 'research' such as in the case here. A note to the rep - I wouldn't view any of these messages as criticism of your casino. More, as winbig said, constructive criticism from players and potential players. One of the great advantages of this forum is that a strong bond can be formed between the casino and the players.

In any business, the customer is most important. There are always people here that are willing to give you feedback on what's good and what's not; there's nothing better than having people on hand to vet and deconstruct anything and everything

[chuchu59]

Hello,

First of all I would like to thank you for taking your time and opening an account at Slots of Fortune.

We would like to clarify here that standard bonus terms apply for all bonuses and are listed on our site.

More specifically in regards to your complaint, specific bonus terms for each promotion are listed inside the Cashier Section.

At our casino it is impossible to claim a bonus without being presented with the bonus terms.

In order to claim a bonus at Slots of Fortune you have to visit the cashier and click on the promotion you are interested in. Once you have clicked the bonus, you are transferred to the next screen in which the complete terms of the specific promotion are displayed; finally on the same screen you are prompted to verify that you want to claim the promotion.

All bonus terms and conditions are disclosed to players on the aforementioned software section. We are using this system for higher transparency and to minimize any potential human errors.

Our support team acted in a professional and transparent manner by providing you with the complete bonus terms by email.

In regards to your accusation of taking advantage of players, this is not our intention. We want our players to have an entertaining gaming experience, please take into consideration that the promotion you were referring to is a high bonus in which we give players the chance to increase their bankroll by 500% with the house's money!

Our casino is designed to offer high payout slots and it has been embraced as such a property. Slots of Fortune does not have any payout complaints and players are always paid promptly. We are delighted to have some loyal players and winners that are members of the Casinomeister forum and we would like to thank them for notifying us of the existence of this thread.

Unless you have any solid evidence of "roguish" behavior we will appreciate if you or the moderators review this post and consider removing reference to such accusations in the thread title and the remaining post.

Player Relations
Slots of Fortune

While I wont say the casino is rouguish, it is certainly trying to extract $25 from players who have an impossible task ahead trying to meet WRs. You have to wager $9750 before making a cashout and which is capped at $1,250 (I certainly hope it isnt $250). If you start off with $1 spins and you are lucky to hit big at one of the scaries and have your balance at say $1000 after having achieved $150 in playthrough. Unless you hit big again at something else, your bankroll will dwindle whilst trying to meet the WRs and you may be lucky to even cash out $400 or $500. Even if you are extremely lucky, they cap your withdrawal and wont let you salvage what is left of your $25 if you have a balance that is just below $150 after meeting WRs.

There should be amicable relationships between players and casinos. While many of us have at one time or another been accused of being bonus absuers, this sort of thing is rather the reverse. The playthrough must be calculated in such a way that it is possible to meet eg 10 (D+B) for 100% matches with sticky bonuses and 15-20x playthrough with cashable bonuses. Ridiculous playthrough requirements coupled with sticky bonuses and max. and min. cashouts only serve to alienate the players and remind them that this is a casino to avoid.

As for the casino not providing the Ts and Cs in emails, this is an area which requires improvement because ultimately players will need to think of these as good offers before entering or re-downloading the casinos in question. If you have these absurd offers which few will take, it will be a case of 'once bitten, twice shy and nobody would bother looking at the terms new offers again though they may now be more attractive.

The fact that players should take up bonus offers at their own discretion remain valid. However, in these extreme cases, the relationship will be destroyed if such outrageous offers continue to trickle in.