Taking a (welcome) bonus or not?

[yoshirules]

I've been playing online for 2 months now (only slots)
All this time I was looking for the highest welcome bonus.
But now I'm starting to doubt.

At most casino's you get 100% match or a little more. That sounds nice, but all the wagering requirements are mostly very high.
If you deposit for example 50 and you get 50 match and you have a wagering requirement of 30, that means you have to play for 3000.

So I started to think maybe its better to play with your own money, that way you can keep what you are winning?
But is so tempting to take a bonus................................

What do you think is best: taking a bonus or not?

Thanks for answering

[BingoT]

Some people live by taking a bonus because yes it's extra cash to play with.and they are hoping to hit a good one that will meet the requirements.
I say if you feel it in your heart that you will hit something good Yes the bonus is great.
I myself 99% of the time never take a bonus.
If I play with $50.00 I know it's mine.and if I hit something with that $50.00 I can cash out.
I don't have to wait for any requirement.

[yoshirules]

Thanks for answering.
That was my idea exactly. You are playing with your own money

When I take a bonus, my money was long gone before I made the wagering requirements.

[Spin21]

Slots are about the only game worth taking the bonus on in my opinion. If yu think the wagering requirments are tough on slots, try playing roulette, blackjack or video poker. Either these games don´t count´s towards the requirement, or only 10% of your bet amount does, so you can get up to playthrough requirements of 300 or so...crazy.

I play quite a bit of roulette and hardly ever take the bonus. Always read the small print before you accept it- in some cases you´ll have to play through your deposit AND bonus before cashing out any winnings which sucks

[Rusty]

I think people take slot bonuses for One of Two reasons.
Either they are essentially playing for entertainment and the bonus gives them extra playtime or they are playing to hit a big win or jackpot and a bonus allows them to play at higher stakes.
Of course you must always read the T&C's of a bonus thoroughly as they vary wildly from decent value to throwing your money away.

If neither of the above sound like a good idea then stick to playing without a bonus. Good luck.

[Antonia1953]

A large percentage of problems evolve from taking bonuses when a player gets lucky while playing with one and tries to withdraw. For this reason, I never take a bonus.

[funky_seagull]

What started out as a way to give players the equivalent of free drinks online has become a trap.

The amount of times I've cashed out with a bonus I can count on one hand. The amount of times I've cashed out without a bonus I can count on five hands.

In my opinion taking a bonus greatly reduces your chances of winning. Mainly because you are unable to cash out while you are ahead.

The only times I have cashed out with a bonus are if I've hit big on slots or the casino had decent wagering requirements like wagering 10x bonus and all games count.

Nowadays finding a bonus with wagering requirements that allow all gameplay and has a fair x playthrough is like going fishing in a puddle.

My main game at the moment is videopoker. As I feel it is the only game online where the player has a chance, and even then, you have to check the paytables aren't skanking you. But even if you could get a bonus for this game. Wagering it 30x or more is going to be hard going, and is even going to be hard going for someone playing blackjack at basic strategy, because of the streaky nature of these games. But slots with the worst house edge, you haven't really got a chance unless you hit a big win. Which happens so rarely you will be lucky to break even in the longterm.

It is much better to play and have the freedom to cash out whenever you want and be able to quit while your ahead.

Some people can make money with bonuses by grinding through them. But I've never had any luck doing this and it is really tedious.

I still fall for the temptation of taking the occasional bonus and always wish I hadn't...

[love2winalot]

Hiya: I guess if you are gonna take a Bonus, and you are a slots player, then it is OK, as Slots are almost all that you are allowed to play anyway. But, you are right, those small wins, and a little bit bigger win, get eaten up by the wagering requirements.

You Play, Made a good Profit, BUT HAVE TO KEEP PLAYING, INSTEAD OF CASHING OUT=

imhop: Playing with your OWN Money is much better. You can play what you want, when you want, and cash out when you want.=

[aka23]

I've been playing online for 2 months now (only slots)
All this time I was looking for the highest welcome bonus.
But now I'm starting to doubt.

At most casino's you get 100% match or a little more. That sounds nice, but all the wagering requirements are mostly very high.
If you deposit for example 50 and you get 50 match and you have a wagering requirement of 30, that means you have to play for 3000.

So I started to think maybe its better to play with your own money, that way you can keep what you are winning?
But is so tempting to take a bonus................................

What do you think is best: taking a bonus or not?

Thanks for answering

Bonus wagering requirements can vary from zero (can cash out any time) to hundreds of times the size of the bonus. Some bonuses are obviously helpful and others obviously are not. The threshold of what bonus/wagering is worthwhile varies from one player to the next. I think one of the most important reasons for claiming a bonus is they can greatly reduce the effective casino advantage. If you don't claim bonuses and make a large amount of wagers, you will almost certainly lose over time. If you do claim quality bonuses, you are expected to lose less over time or win over time, depending on the specific details.

[yoshirules]

Bonus wagering requirements can vary from zero (can cash out any time) to hundreds of times the size of the bonus. Some bonuses are obviously helpful and others obviously are not. The threshold of what bonus/wagering is worthwhile varies from one player to the next. I think one of the most important reasons for claiming a bonus is they can greatly reduce the effective casino advantage. If you don't claim bonuses and make a large amount of wagers, you will almost certainly lose over time. If you do claim quality bonuses, you are expected to lose less over time or win over time, depending on the specific details.

I normally deposit around 50, so not much. I play mostly all lines x 001 or 002 cents. Do you think for me its better to take a bonus or not?

Thanks in advance