Imperial Casino (Grand Virtual)

[indievertigo]

Hi, I'm a bit perplexed playing here.

I originally put in $200 and got a 200 bonus, which I played a bit (about $3k) on Bj. My balance went from 400 down to 270, so I thought I'd just gamble it all on roulette.
I got it up to $750 after a few stakes. Went back to BJ and started playing again.

Now, I checked my balance, and it shows a balance of $712, of which $577.5 is BONUS money...

How can this be? I assumed any winnings were cash winnings rather than bonus winnings.

Has anyone had a similar experience here or elsewhere? And does anyone have their email address or contact info?

[Casinomeister]

The casino rep is here:
http://www.casinomeister.com/forums/...liatedweb.html

I've PMd her asking to check into this.

[vinylweatherman]

Perhaps this is the punishment for "bonus abuse"

[indievertigo]

Thanks Casinomeister.

vinylweatherman, I don't quite understand if that's an accusation or something.

Playing BJ (micro stakes is the only BJ they allow you to play...) shouldn't automatically be deemed as bonus abuse.

And throwing all my balance on to roulette should definitely not label me as a bonus hunter. Just because I don't like playing slots, doesn't mean I'm a bonus abuser.

[vinylweatherman]

Originally Posted by indievertigo

Thanks Casinomeister.

vinylweatherman, I don't quite understand if that's an accusation or something.

Playing BJ (micro stakes is the only BJ they allow you to play...) shouldn't automatically be deemed as bonus abuse.

And throwing all my balance on to roulette should definitely not label me as a bonus hunter. Just because I don't like playing slots, doesn't mean I'm a bonus abuser.

It was in jest

Some casinos seem to think that "bonus abuse" IS what you described above. Both the big bet strategy, and min stakes Blackjack have been used in the past to justify someone being a "bonus abuser" rather than a serious player.
Players do not, on the whole, share this view, but rather hold the view that claiming a bonus through falsifying details, or opening more than one account, is what constitutes "bonus abuse", although this is also fraud, and against T & C.

The problem you describe may be a glitch, but it may be an unusual bonus system designed to "punish" certain types of play by allocating winnings made with bonus chips to the bonus balance. I have seen this before, with the casino talking about bets made with "green chips" and "red chips". In this model, a large bet that was made from both "green" and "red" chips, ie from the whole of a player's cash balance, and some or all of the bonus, would be paid out, if successful entirely in "red" chips, or added to the bonus balance.
If the roulette bet was treated as such, it would explain how a starting bonus of 200 became 577.
This may seem odd, but is better than having winnings voided due to "style of play".

[indievertigo]

Ahh, sorry

Yes the green and red chip scenario seems to ring a bell, I can't quite recall where from.

I don't see what the point of giving a bonus which can't be withdrawn is though, if any winnings used betting with it are voided. That would effectively just amount to free play cash. Kinda like saying we'll give you $200 to play with in our freeplay casino on the condition that you deposit $200 real money.

Their terms and conditions also suggest that any winnings from use of the bonus can be cashed out, so hopefully it IS just a glitch.

[gerilege]

Originally Posted by indievertigo

Hi, I'm a bit perplexed playing here.

I originally put in $200 and got a 200 bonus, which I played a bit (about $3k) on Bj. My balance went from 400 down to 270, so I thought I'd just gamble it all on roulette.
I got it up to $750 after a few stakes. Went back to BJ and started playing again.

Now, I checked my balance, and it shows a balance of $712, of which $577.5 is BONUS money...

How can this be? I assumed any winnings were cash winnings rather than bonus winnings.

Has anyone had a similar experience here or elsewhere? And does anyone have their email address or contact info?

Did you meet the wr when you were at 270$? As you got $200 bonus I guess not. So at that point you had 200$ bonus and 70$ cash balance. I guess that any wagers made from the bonus before meeting the wr will probably be shared between the bonus and the cash balance in the same percentage ratio as the wager was made. This is not necessarily the case after meeting the wr, but can be so also in case of mixed (bonus + cash) bets. But it's not very likely, usually wagers made from pure bonus after meeting the wr are credited to the cash account. So I think the reason might be that the wr was not fulfilled, as you also can't cashout until the wr is ready in that case.

[indievertigo]

Ok I've had a very clear detailed response from their CS, it's explained it very well.

The jist of it is pretty much like the above-

The WR wasn't completed (I knew it wasn't when I checked my balance) and as such any winnings from the bonus money are credited to the bonus account. Upon meeting the WR, the winnings above the initial $200 bonus are credited to my cash balance.

[vinylweatherman]

Originally Posted by indievertigo

Ok I've had a very clear detailed response from their CS, it's explained it very well.

The jist of it is pretty much like the above-

The WR wasn't completed (I knew it wasn't when I checked my balance) and as such any winnings from the bonus money are credited to the bonus account. Upon meeting the WR, the winnings above the initial $200 bonus are credited to my cash balance.

The Cryptos had this curiosity when they used to allow the deposit to be withdrawn before meeting WR (they don't now).

The terms dont make this clear, but they do make clear that the $200 bonus can not be withdrawn. It is effectively a phantom/sticky bonus.
Also to note, you may NOT take the SUB at any other Grand Virtual casino as it is one similar promotion per player over the entire group (a trap well worth avoiding).

[KasinoKing]

Originally Posted by vinylweatherman

The terms dont make this clear, but they do make clear that the $200 bonus can not be withdrawn. It is effectively a phantom/sticky bonus.

Just to clarify: it's a sticky bonus, not a phantom one.
When you withdraw, your bonus stays in your account so you can use it to make yet more profit..
..like I did!

KK