Am I the only one who doesn't play with bonuses?

[mgibson99]

It seems to me that bonuses are more trouble than they are worth. The T&C are usually confusing, its a pain to keep track of how much you have wagered, and sometimes you end up betting more than you really wanted to because you're trying to meet wagering requirements. Even if you manage to win, casinos can label you a bonus abuser and confiscate your winnings. All this for bonuses which are usually pretty small.

I just find it easier and cleaner to play without bonuses. Maybe I'm missing out, because I have seen many people post that bonuses are the only way to get an edge over the house. Perhaps, but by the same token, many of the complaints in this forum are about problems with bonuses.

Would be curious to see what other people have to say.

 

[pstnpstn]

these are my casino list

intercasino
william hill
supervegas casino

always playing with their monthly deposit bonus
and always cash out just after wager requirement.

I did not go through any bad experience with these casinos.

 

[paul02085]

"All this for bonuses which are usually pretty small."

I think this is the key point. Example a low stakes player who has $100 to gamble with and gets a 100% bonus now has double his stake to play with. To him this is not "pretty small" bonus.

A higher stakes player say $500 or more to gamble would look at a $100 bonus as maybe not worth the accompanying potential hassles. To him this could easily be considered a "pretty small" bonus.

 

[mgibson99]

"All this for bonuses which are usually pretty small."

I think this is the key point. Example a low stakes player who has $100 to gamble with and gets a 100% bonus now has double his stake to play with. To him this is not "pretty small" bonus.

A higher stakes player say $500 or more to gamble would look at a $100 bonus as maybe not worth the accompanying potential hassles. To him this could easily be considered a "pretty small" bonus.

Ahhhh....I think you hit the nail on the head for me. I am a larger deposit player, and I don't get overly excited about a "relatively" small bonus that doesn't really advance my bankroll all that much.

 

[gambling800]

For a larger deposit player like you,It's really not worth to get $100,$200 bonus.



Because you can bet with your own money.

 

[Petunia]

**Hey,
I play at three top casinos... I never take a bonus, and if it is credited to my account, I ask for it to be removed.

Like you guys, I think it is just waaaaay too much hassle for such a small amount!

I do however take bonusses when I try new casinos and test the software & casino CS response times... but seriously, even that these days has become such a hassle, and I cannot be bothered! The casinos I use, are good to/for me, and believe it or not, the ONLY time I have to get in touch with them,is when I ask them to remove the promo money.... they do it straight away and the rest .. as they say... is history! **

 

[frafi]

Hi pstnpstn,

how long do you play with them already?
Wilhelm Hill does not give me the bonus anymore because I am "playing against the spirit of the bonus"

 

[Casinomeister]

Do I play with bonuses? Rarely. I even sometimes sign up at a casino and don't even bother with the sign up bonus.

The only bonuses I receive regularly are the ones from Vegas Partners, 32Red, and Intercasino. I never keep track of the wagering requirements because the bonus is inconsequential to me. I fly by the seat of my pants, and rarely have the cash-in reversed to my account because I haven't played enough. It's strictly entertainment for me.

 

[pstnpstn]

Hi pstnpstn,

how long do you play with them already?
Wilhelm Hill does not give me the bonus anymore because I am "playing against the spirit of the bonus"

hi frafi
my first deposit at william was last november.

this is my neteller statement about william hill.
as you see I am bonus oriented player.
but they do not ban me by this time.
in May i got the lucky and won $300 over.
so made withdrawal only a part($190).
I did not play if bonus was cleared.


Jul 1 00:52 William Hill Sports $50.00 - USD Accepted
Jun 7 22:08 William Hill Sports - $120.00 USD Accepted
May 5 22:05 William Hill Sports - $190.00 USD Accepted
May 2 20:12 William Hill Sports $100.00 - USD Accepted
Apr 27 22:24 William Hill Sports - $61.00 USD Accepted
Apr 25 00:17 William Hill Sports $60.00 - USD Accepted
Jan 12 22:03 William Hill Sports - $50.00 USD Accepted
Jan 12 11:10 William Hill Sports $40.00 - USD Accepted
Nov 18 22:10 William Hill Sports - $45.00 USD Accepted
Nov 16 21:23 William Hill Sports $40.00 - USD Accepted

 

[KasinoKing]

I (almost) never deposit without a bonus.
I make profit 9 out of every 10 months.
I strongly believe those 2 facts are very closely related...

 

[Webzcas]

Bonuses are good when evaluating new casinos that I come across or have never played at before. But if I want to try and make a few bucks, I don't touch them if I can help it.

 

[Simmo!]

I agree with Paul, the Meister and Webzcas. But essentially i always look on a bonus as there to be wasted. And sometime its fun to have a few "outsized" bets...you never know. Easy come, easy go!

 

[dominique]

I dislike bonuses. They just cramp my style. I don't like to be told what to play, how long to play it and when I can withdraw. It ruins all the fun.

I also have won and in the course of meeting a wagering requirement lost my winnings. What good is that?

I do not use bonuses and if they are automatically put in my account I ask to have them removed.

One exception: I accept RTG manager bonuses.

 

[Scorcho]

I like the new signup 300% or 400% slot bonuses. THis allows me to turn my $50 deposit into $200 or $250 right off the bat. Then instead of betting $.45 or $.90 per spin, I can bet $2.70 or $3.60 or even $4.50 and see what happens.

I've cashed over $3500 on 6 of the 300%/400% bonuses. All with really low risk ($50 here, $50 there, big deal).

 

[pstnpstn]

I like the new signup 300% or 400% slot bonuses. THis allows me to turn my $50 deposit into $200 or $250 right off the bat. Then instead of betting $.45 or $.90 per spin, I can bet $2.70 or $3.60 or even $4.50 and see what happens.

I've cashed over $3500 on 6 of the 300%/400% bonuses. All with really low risk ($50 here, $50 there, big deal).

hi scorcho
i think it is worth to try if casino offer 300% or 400% promotion.
what's name of casino you played ?

 

[vedat]

if you know to play with bonuses

its really very good if you know to play bonuses its lik casinos give you 50$ bonus makes a wagering requiremnst of 20x iits like %5 payout avarage so at the end you should lose your bonus and deposit but it doesnt end like that sometimes when you win you win more you win less thats why i use bonuses but i dont play at casinos who say you cant play this game .just play on which doesnt counts some games for wagering

 

[Tdoggy]

The famous bonus

Well they started out great. Hell when it all started out I remember several casinos that gave you a bonus without any T and C You could make a deposit and get a bonus and cash out right there and then and get paid!!! But what fun is that right? Yeah I have cut back on online casinos because of being screwed but if I were to play "throw me a freaking bonus" I'll take my chances with that rather then my own money!!!!

Question for all you none bonus users??? Why even bother with an online casino then??? Why not just go to a real land casino "where the drinks are free" and get out and have a good time and try your luck there???

 

[tim5ny]

Because the land casinos are a three hour drive away.

 

[MrWolf]

Well they started out great.

Question for all you none bonus users??? Why even bother with an online casino then??? Why not just go to a real land casino "where the drinks are free" and get out and have a good time and try your luck there???

I remember the early days too Tdoggy. I made tens of thousands playing blackjack with bonuses. In the good old days play through was really low - two, three, four or five times deposit and bonus.

But with the increased play through and gaming restrictions, I tend to play mainly without a bonus. I'll visit Intercasino, William Hill, Littlewoods, Total Bet and UK Betting only with a bonus to play blackjack.

These days my game of choice is Jacks or Better VP. So I'll also take up the monthly bonus at 32Red (where VP isn't a restricted game), but I deposit multipe times here per month regardless without a bonus. Same goes for Trident Lounge group, Bellerock casinos, Sun Vegas (where I've asked not to receive deposit bonuses because it's a 40 times play through on JorB for a 5% credit card bonus!) and occasionally Wildjacks.

As for going to a land-based casino. I live in England, and to be frank the casinos don't quite have the glamour and atmosphere of Vegas! There's no free alcoholic drinks at the tables, and I've only ever seen one JorB machine which had a ridiculous 6/5 pay schedule - talk about daylight robbery, and there was someone actually playing it! I'll go every couple of months or so, but it just ain't Vegas, where I tend to visit a couple of times a year.

 

[mitch]

I (almost) never deposit without a bonus.
I make profit 9 out of every 10 months.
I strongly believe those 2 facts are very closely related...

Not closely related KK EXACTLY related.

I only play at casinos which give me bonuses. I can't understand why people refuse to play with the advantage and prefer to play whilst the casino has the advantage.

The only 'fun' for me in gambling is winning money not clicking away against a random number generator and losing my hard earned money.

Still possible to earn 2000+ a month playing cleverly. (eg won 360 out of a 400 match bonus @ Ladbrokes in 15 minutes this morning. Probably play for the weekly 100 bonus @ Harrods later.)

Mitch

 

[clawback]

I will never play @ a new casino without the incentive of a bonus.
Reasons

1 Check out the games

2 What the customer services are like

3 How quickly and efficient they pay out if any cash left.

If a casino meets all these requirements then I will gladly play without a bonus in the future.

 

[mgibson99]

I can't understand why people play....whilst the casino has the advantage.

Ummm.....that's why its called gambling.

 

[johnsteed]

I don't ever touch bonuses now BECAUSE of all of the restrictions. And I must say that with the restrictions, it takes a lot of the "fun" out of playing and cashing-out when you want to. I'll also take the 32Red bonus, and I've only heard good things about the InterCasino bonus, but for the most part, I stay far away. Technically, there are advantages to receiving bonuses, but there's a significant difference between bonuses in '02, than there are to bonuses in '05. Too sticky these days, too many changing T & C's on the fly, too many horror stories, and far too many reasons and phantom reasons for the casino's to withhold winnings. Sorry, but in today's game, I just don't see the advantages anymore. If you're doing well, congratulations, really! But for me, it just ain't happenin' no mo'.

 

[mitch]

Ummm.....that's why its called gambling.

You still gamble when you play with bonuses. Its just that you win more when you win and lose less when you lose (or even win anyway). Apparently you feel true gamblers have to be masochistic (whip me harder Grunhilda)

It's just a nobrainer. E.g. as I said I played at Ladbrokes this morning and ended up 'losing' 40. Presumably you would consider this value for money for the 'entertainment'. I don't however and I was quite content actually as I ended up with 360 more than I started with because of the 400 bonus.

However, don't let me stop you playing without a bonus the casinos have got to earn enough money from somewhere to keep offering me bonuses.

Mitch

 

[mgibson99]

Apparently you feel true gamblers have to be masochistic (whip me harder Grunhilda)

Never said or implied that

It's just a nobrainer.

Other experienced players, such as myself, would beg to differ with you.

I played at Ladbrokes this morning and ended up 'losing' 40. Presumably you would consider this value for money for the 'entertainment'.

Nope, I actually like to win money. Imagine that.

However, don't let me stop you playing without a bonus the casinos have got to earn enough money from somewhere to keep offering me bonuses.

Ok, I will. And you keep playing with your bonuses. Perhaps we will both do well.