Rival Bonus Ban explained with permission from casino rep

[2young2care]

Yes, I'm the latest to be bonus banned. Mine came from Paradise 8. I was towards the end of the wagering requirements of a 250% bonus and I was up.... ALOT. I had made a $25 deposit and at one point I had my balance to over $1000. I was all proud of myself and everything. (I'll post some of my screenshots in the WS thread later.) I had been playing for several hours straight and just couldn't keep my eyes open any longer, so decided to go to bed and finish my wagering requirements the next evening.

Next night, I log on to the casino and begin to play. Hey, wait a minute. I can't choose a .10 coin size! The highest I can choose is a .05. OK, that's weird, but I'll go ahead and play a little. I played a few games and then noticed that my comp points had not increased at all since I logged into the casino. Hey, that's weird too! So I go to live chat and inquire what is going on and they tell me they have to forward my problem to management. Alright, that gets me thinking that I'm going to have a huge problem trying to withdraw once I reach my wagering requirements, so I contact the rep here to see if he can help explain. Boy, does he ever explain!

Basically, he told me I was a "bonus abuser". I nearly had a heart attack! What???? I follow every rule to the letter, how can I be an abuser?? Well, he proceeded to explain why I was a bonus abuser. I have cashed out from 3 bonuses in the past from Paradise 8. With each bonus, I cashed out within 10% of reaching the WR. Yes, I fulfilled all the WR. But they want us to continue to wager after that. At least 130% after reaching WR. Basically, what I took from his explanation is that the casino gives these bonuses as gifts to us and we are being considered rude if we fulfill WR and take the dough and run. So consider this post a public service announcement so that each of you can make an informed decision as to whether you would like to claim bonuses with Rival. I am posting, with Jason's permission, his explanation of Rival's position:

By no means do I want players who have no intention of abuse to be "labeled" as such and I truly apologize for any hurt feelings as a result but the reason for the security is legitimate.

Just to help you understand where Rival is coming from. When players constantly claim bonuses with the intention of consistently cashing out as soon as they meet the wagering requirements it creates a dangerous and potentially negative situation for the casino. If this happens often enough the casino either has to either drastically cut back their bonuses altogether or risk eventually going broke.

At Paradise 8 we have no intention of cutting back on our bonuses as we pride ourselves in being very generous with our players. I'm sure you can see why then, it's important to make sure that promotions are being used as they are intended, as gifts and not a way to gain an edge on the casino by barely meeting wagering requirements then cashing out.

In any case, I'm sure your intentions were entirely innocent as many others are, but the system thats in place must prevent promotions from any player with this bonus claiming style, regardless of intentions as I'm sure you understand.

So this is what you need to do if you like Rival casinos as much as I do and want to continue to be able to claim bonuses, earn comp points, and enjoy unlimited coin sizes. I wish I had known this wish of the casino's before I claimed bonuses there. I might have been a little more discerning when choosing which bonuses to claim if I had known beforehand that the casino wants me to continue wagering after meeting WR. I certainly wasn't intending to be impolite by cashing out when I had delivered my end of the bargain. I'm not sure why they just don't hike the WR to an acceptable level for them.

I am wavering between being miffed that they held me to a super-secret agenda that I would have been happy to comply with if I had known about it, or just being happy I've had the cashouts and good time playing that I have previously enjoyed with them (even when I lose). After all, I firmly believe a casino has the right to offer bonuses and the right to withdraw them if they want to do that. That said, I want to follow the rules. But I can only follow the rules if I know what all of them are.

So now you all know the rules. Wager at least 130% of your D+B after meeting WR and you'll live happily ever after in Rival BonusLand.

[hippo925]

So.... would that be like my vegas hotels telling me that i no longer qualify for free rooms because the last time i took them up on three free nights i stayed all three nights instead of just staying two?

Regardless, very helpful and educational post! Thank you!

[ballysdb]

I thought that's what the W/R were for!?

If they give you a 250% match bonus and ask you to play it through only once (fair) you could then cash out. But they would think that was "abusive" on the part of the player, so they give us 10 or 30 times W/R's. How the hell are we supposed to know it's "impolite" to wager only what they tell us???

I find this most bizzare...

[RobWin]

So.... would that be like my vegas hotels telling me that i no longer qualify for free rooms because the last time i took them up on three free nights i stayed all three nights instead of just staying two?

Regardless, very helpful and educational post! Thank you!

No, it would be more like them telling you that you no longer qualify for free rooms because the last time you took them up on three free nights you either stayed in your room the whole time and never put any of your money at risk in their casino or that the entire time of your stay with them you went and played at another casino !!

I have always kinda known of this unknown bonus rule as all of the casino brands look at this sort of play so I have always tried to play for at least a couple of hours longer AFTER I knew that I had already met the wager requirements just so I could show them that I was not a bonus whore as far as just meeting the wager requirements and then quickly cashing out...

[chuchu59]

I was once told that I abused a bonus when I had only wagered 1% more than the WRs. The problem is that coincidentally I reached the WRs just as I attained the max possible cashout so why should I risk my funds any more.

I think Rival is daft in saying you need to wager 130% more after meeting WRs. Be honest and just state the WRs as being the initial one multiplied by 2.3. Then there wont be any bonus abusers but of course with these incredulous bonus requirements they might not have any takers.

[hippo925]

No, it would be more like them telling you that you no longer qualify for free rooms because the last time you took them up on three free nights you either stayed in your room the whole time and never put any of your money at risk in their casino or that the entire time of your stay with them you went and played at another casino !!

Or... would it be more like i no longer get free rooms because the last time i stayed three free nights.... i won. AND i can only get free nights if i lose the value of the "free" nights... However.. i don't think vegas casinos work that way, lol!

These bonuses are designed to be difficult to complete and most often only enable extended playtime and enjoyment. I hardly believe the wagering requirements and restrictions are designed to be beneficial to the player and are, in fact, in place to prevent players from abusing the bonuses. The fact that someone adheres to the wr's and restrictions AND cashes out does not make them a bonus abuser!

I cannot make this more clear! This system that most rivals use is essentially telling you that if you are worthy of bonuses, you have a giant sticker on your forehead that says "LOSER" or "SUCKER!" THEY COULD NOT BE MAKING THIS MORE CLEAR. For heaven's sake, play at the independent rivals or other casinos and let the rest know that their obvious contempt for their players will not be tolerated. (phew.. don't know what got into me...sorry )

Ah...and for those who believe bonuses are a heavenly gift and not something that should be expected from an online casino, please let me know how the online casinos are getting you your free meals, shows, rooms, etc. AND as soon as my vegas casinos tell me that there will no longer be any comps or rewards for my play, i will be the first to swallow my words.

[RobWin]

I was once told that I abused a bonus when I had only wagered 1% more than the WRs. The problem is that coincidentally I reached the WRs just as I attained the max possible cashout so why should I risk my funds any more.
I think Rival is daft in saying you need to wager 130% more after meeting WRs. Be honest and just state the WRs as being the initial one multiplied by 2.3. Then there wont be any bonus abusers but of course with these incredulous bonus requirements they might not have any takers.

I agree Chu, that is a totally different circumstance there when a max cashout is involved and this unknown bonus rule should not even be considered in this case !!

[Jasminebed]

Well, thank you Jason for permitting your policy to be posted here. It's hard to win using a bonus with 20 or 30 times WR attached. The odd time I do manage a cashout, I do not think I should be considered a "bonus abuser". It's your bonus, so set terms that are favourable to your casino.

And if I took a sign-up bonus and got this treatment, I would not be making any future deposits. Do online casinos not want us to return with our winnings to make future deposits?

I read T&C's and check with support via livechat, to make sure I understand. No one has ever said...better keep playing, or we don't really want your business.

[chuchu59]

Okay, assumptions:

1/ 100% cashable slots bonus with 30x WR.

2/ RTP at 95% on average

3/ No min cashout.

I think that many bonuses are like these in Rival casinos with some perhaps more stringent with non-cashable bonuses, 1x min cashout and 60x WR.

Anyway, with the 3 assumptions listed above and the player just meeting the 30x WR who should fare better the casino or the player.

[2young2care]

I'm glad Jason told me what he did and he was completely upfront about it. Whether we think the policy is unreasonable or not, we are now able to form our own opinion and make our decisions to play at Rival based upon his disclosure. Until now, we have not had that courtesy and I appreciate that he extended it to us.