Bonus Hunting

[Ping]

This is actually a spin-off from the other topic "Thoughts on Bonus".

Question, how does one take advantage of these welcome bonuses, now that they require you to play a wagering playthru of about 10x to 20x??

Btw, is bonus hunting illegal?



Ping

[bpb]

Let's say you're playing blackjack with a .5% house advantage. Even with a 100x playthrough requirements on deposit + bonus, you're still breaking even.

For example, a $50 deposit with a $50 bonus with 100x playthrough.
Wagering requirements = $100x100 = 10,000. $10,000 x .5% house advantage = $50 expected loss.

Since you can still break even at 100x playthrough, you can see that 20x playthrough still offers an expected return of 80% of the bonus.

To combat this problem, a lot of casinos have started prohibiting play on blackjack, and forcing play on games with a higher house advantage, such as slots, pai gow, roulette, etc.

And bonus hunting is certainly not illegal. However, some of the less scrupulous casinos will not honor the terms and conditions of their bonuses if they feel you have no intention of risking your own funds.

[Ping]

@bpb,

But, normally, Roulette and Baccarat are also not included in the list of wagering playthru, too ...



Ping

[bpb]

Roulette, baccarat, and craps are often prohibited because of even betting (betting simultaneously on red/black, banker/player, pass/don't pass). Strangely enough, blackjack offers a lower house advantage than these so called risk free bets.