Bonus Abuse . . . Bonus ADVANTAGE Player . . . give me a BREAK!

[pmutts]

This was going to be a post on the following thread https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/threads/57435/ in response to vinalweatherman:

"Being limited to the 35% coupon is effectively a "bonus ban". Odd that they do this to a player that doesn't even use bonuses in the first place.

Maybe it's down to the ASKING for comps, rather than just letting them give them out when they want to. It may be their way of stopping front line CS getting talked into offering yet another comp.

I also got bonus banned at CW, but I was ahead, pretty well ahead too, and I took plenty of bonuses (as one is supposed to with RTG). I didn't bother with the 35% coupon, I just stopped playing."

IT ONLY BECOMES BONUS ABUSE WHEN THAT BONUS FAILS TO PART YOU FROM YOUR MONEY.


OK, Perhaps there are some "abusers" out there but in my eyes, these casinos shouldn't be offering the bonuses at all if they are not going to offer them to everyone. If they don't like somebody's action--BAR them! This is how it's done in a REAL casino.

Oh yes, those crummy bonuses they are so concerned someone may actually cash out on are an extremely inferior alternative to B & M comps--such as a Tower Suite at Wynn, complimentary for 3 nights! How about VIP tickets (not comped but held in the most prime seats at the MGM Garden Arena) until 1/2 hour before the show for BARBRA STREISAND!

How about a free and absolutely delicious buffet at ElDorado Shreveport, LA every single day because I have a Gold Player Card (which is not that hard to get). But wait,. I also get free play & yes CASH in these places in addition. These comps are extended based upon how much I WAGER, not how much I win or lose. And yet, the online casinos see their crummy bonuses which by the way---tilt the odds in their favor MOST of the time factoring in WR. If I could only count the times I threw back a nice win trying to meet WR for a bonus.

Yes, it is easy to see why I'm on the verge of swearing OLG off for good.

 

[bigjohn]

You are so right about these bonuses working in favor of the casino for the most part.

I take all the bonuses they offer me and if a particular casino bonus bans me for accepting an offer they made I will never deposit there again. Until they learn to tailor bonuses to each individual player they are going to have this problem. Accepting an offer they make should never be turned around to make it look like the player is behaving badly or doing something wrong.

At all the B&M casinos I play at if I accept any freebie type offer, as long as I continue to wager, the result is usually more and better offers.

Sorry if this sounds like a rant but this issue really gets me going.

 

[dunover]

Well of course the boni will favour the casinos 90% of the time - they're in business to make money, not give it away free and easy!
They say it 'extends playtime' which is true, but of course we all know the intent is a big lasso for your deposit, to reel it in and keep it.
There is absolutely NO point in grizzling about being in front after a 'nice win' and then not being able to cash out because of the WR not being met. Comparing OLG and land casinos is like chalk-and-cheese. For a start casino slots will have a RTP of hugely less than an online casino - any experienced slot player will tell you that there is a massive difference between a slot on 96% and a land-based on 91% for example.

Any experienced online player will also be wise to the bonus T&C's and the likelihood of succeeding the WR. They can make an informed judgement on whether to take a bonus. NO-ONE has to. Trouble is, dollar-signs light up in players eyes when they see the bonus because it plays on greed basically. They thing it's free money. It isn't. It's a bind, and you may be lucky to break it - but mostly not.

If in doubt, don't complain, keep it simple, hassle-free and play cash only. Simples.

 

[Nifty29]

This was going to be a post on the following thread https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/threads/57435/ in response to vinalweatherman:

"Being limited to the 35% coupon is effectively a "bonus ban". Odd that they do this to a player that doesn't even use bonuses in the first place.

Maybe it's down to the ASKING for comps, rather than just letting them give them out when they want to. It may be their way of stopping front line CS getting talked into offering yet another comp.

I also got bonus banned at CW, but I was ahead, pretty well ahead too, and I took plenty of bonuses (as one is supposed to with RTG). I didn't bother with the 35% coupon, I just stopped playing."

IT ONLY BECOMES BONUS ABUSE WHEN THAT BONUS FAILS TO PART YOU FROM YOUR MONEY.


OK, Perhaps there are some "abusers" out there but in my eyes, these casinos shouldn't be offering the bonuses at all if they are not going to offer them to everyone. If they don't like somebody's action--BAR them! This is how it's done in a REAL casino.

Oh yes, those crummy bonuses they are so concerned someone may actually cash out on are an extremely inferior alternative to B & M comps--such as a Tower Suite at Wynn, complimentary for 3 nights! How about VIP tickets (not comped but held in the most prime seats at the MGM Garden Arena) until 1/2 hour before the show for BARBRA STREISAND!

How about a free and absolutely delicious buffet at ElDorado Shreveport, LA every single day because I have a Gold Player Card (which is not that hard to get). But wait,. I also get free play & yes CASH in these places in addition. These comps are extended based upon how much I WAGER, not how much I win or lose. And yet, the online casinos see their crummy bonuses which by the way---tilt the odds in their favor MOST of the time factoring in WR. If I could only count the times I threw back a nice win trying to meet WR for a bonus.

Yes, it is easy to see why I'm on the verge of swearing OLG off for good.

I disagree.

Operators are entitled to offer whatever bonuses they like to whomever they like whenever they like.

Why should someone depositing $20 a week get the same perks as someone depositing $1000 a week? It makes no logical sense at all.

I will reiterate once again....bonuses are NOT an entitlement. I think some of us need to think about that a little more.

It's also pretty much comparing apples with oranges when it comes to B&M vs OLG. The B&M don't (and logistically can't) give you an extra $500 chip on top of your own $500 chip to give you more play time and an extra chance to win, so they give you comps like rooms and shows and food etc. The reverse is also true for OLG.

Depending on the bonus terms, a bonus can actually HELP you win. In any case, it gives you more play time. The comps from Vegas etc don't help you to win at all. Just like bonuses (some of them anyway), they exist to attract you down there in the first place and spend as long as possible there so you have the most opportunities to gamble as possible. Also, OCs generally have better slot payouts than B&M, and there is no tax component.

I simply don't understand the thinking behind your statement "these casinos shouldn't be offering the bonuses at all if they are not going to offer them to everyone.". It just doesn't make sense.

 

[vinylweatherman]

The other thing with land casinos is that you can enjoy your comped room, and then walk straight out after your comped breakfast. If they worked like some online casinos, they would block your exit and confiscate the breakfast by pumping your stomach, and then yell at you for hours so that you "unsleep" your good night's rest, and then finally let you out.

It seems land casinos have things the other way around, it is rare to get a "welcome bonus", and if you do get one, the WR is 1x, and you have to sign up for the player's card. Only after you have played will they look at their logs and offer comps based on "loyalty", and where online casinos give back 0.1% of the amount wagered, which itself is often subjected to a further WR, a land casino will offer free meals, and even free rooms.

The online casinos seem to have been a hit in the US because the land casinos are concentrated in a relatively few places, and it's a large country. Perhaps when US land casinos can offer an online version to all US customers, there will be no worthwhile market for the likes of RTG and Rival. The problem now with the US is that most of the reputable operators have pulled out, and the land casinos have yet to enter. This void is being filled largely by the rogues, and by a few die hard reputable casinos that are restricted in their choice of software and payment options.

It is clear that they DO remove perks advertised as "for everybody" based on the overall outcome, rather than the amount wagered, and that these perks are almost all bonuses.

An online casino can't comp a VIP player with a room, but they CAN offer the online equivalent, a new PC or laptop. They can (and do in some cases) comp players to a short break, such as a stay in a four star hotel for a night coupled with an American cuisine and wine event, and some clay pigeon shooting after breakfast. My mum thought it was great, and I had an "advantage gun" and scored over 150, after which gun No 3 was retired

Online casinos only have themselves to blame, THEY invented "bonus culture", and now they are trapped by it.

 

[pmutts]

Yes--there are differences.

Still, most RTGs offer 50-100% Match or Sticky bonuses with WR of 20 to 30x the Dep + Bonus. If you prove to be a consistent loser of course they will call you VIP and sweeten the pot even more.

I never said a bonus is an entitlement, however, comps at B & Ms are an entitlement. All players expect them. My point is that it is ridiculous to accuse a player who takes advantage of these bonuses and wins an abuser when in reality they are simply LUCKY and perhaps even more important----disciplined in managing their money and not giving back their wins in spite of the obscenely long reversal periods these sites use.

I have received thousands of "Free Play" vouchers and "Match Bonus Chips" at various B & Ms over the years in addition to standard comps. Again, play builds a "Cash Back amount and/or a "Free Play" amount based upon my action.

As for RTP----make no mistake about it. My primary games at B & Ms are Blackjack (since I play on a professional level) and Video Poker (since I know what machines to play and how to play them). Sure, I'll throw away a little in the slots here and there but the key is "little." Actually, a good B & Ms RTP on their Dollar Slots is 97-98% if you look carefully before you play. That is definitely better than many online sites. The key is to to your homework.

I see the opposing points of view and understand where you are coming from but come on now---I think the established online casinos are making a substantially higher margin than ANY of the major B & M companies. I contend that the main reason for this aside from their extremely low overhead is the lengthy time withdrawals sit in pending status before we are paid. The longer it sits in pending the less likely it will EVER be paid.

I'm sure there are a few of you on the site who have an extremely high level of discipline when it comes to not reversing your withdrawals but most people--if given plenty of time and ALL of them go out of their way to give us ample time--such as myself admittedly given back a sickening amount of my wins to the "Reverse Withdrawal" button.

 

[skiny]

I disagree.

Operators are entitled to offer whatever bonuses they like to whomever they like whenever they like.

Why should someone depositing $20 a week get the same perks as someone depositing $1000 a week? It makes no logical sense at all.

They can be offered the same percentage. A 100% bonus would be $20 for the $20 depositor and $1000 for the $1000 depositor and they would be receiving the same perk. Sounds fair to me.

To be honest any casinos that "bonus ban" people seem a little shady to me. If they weren't offering the bonuses the players wouldn't be able to accept them and if they're going to offer perpetual bonuses they should expect people to use them. These bonus bans always show up when people start winning and all that does is prove that the casino is only happy when you're losing.

People are supposed to win once in a while at a casino. Maybe not everyone but there are enough players at any given time that at least some players should be winning and when they are the casino should still be making money. A reputable casino will cheer you on when you're winning and congratulate you when you make a withdrawal. Any operator that doesn't like it when players win shouldn't be running a casino.

Set your bonuses up so they're fair for the player and the casino. Set limits to how many bonuses can be used per day, week or month if need be. Everyone follows the same rules and there should never be a need to ban anyone from using these bonuses.

VIP perks are a different story. If you're a high roller and a loyal player and the casino wants to show their appreciation they can email exclusive bonus offers or give higher comp point percentages. They can even have a separate VIP webpage with details about what VIP players can expect and bonus offers separate from the less loyal players and the low rollers. But in the end VIP offers should be the same for all VIP players. Regular bonus offers should be the same for all regular players. If you have a multi-tier system then you should receive the same benefits as everyone else in your tier. It's just a matter of being fair and treating all players equal within reasonable limits.

And if you can't figure out how to set up a bonus system that doesn't result in you bonus banning players you should be hiring someone who can because banning a player from anything at a casino is a sure fire way to stop receiving deposits from them.

 

[bigjohn]

If you see an offer in a publicly accessible place (eg. casinos homepage or opening screen before you log in), and you are a player there in good standing, you should be able to claim it without being frowned upon by the casino.

If they don't want players taking a bonus on every deposit they should not offer it on every deposit and if they tell you, "Play up to VIP level and we will give you X, Y, and Z" and you play up to that level they should give you X, Y, and Z. IMO at that point bonuses and comps are a right which the player has earned by meeting the casinos criteria.

Imagine going to your local supermarket, seeing a sign that says, "Save 25% on chicken legs today", then at checkout being told that that offer is for everybody except you because you took their offer last week for, "Buy one bottle of soda, get one free" and you enjoyed it. Absurd.

And, yes, the casinos have only themselves to blame. The solution is so simple that its almost stupid, run a good honorable casino with efficient CS and offer bonuses at regular intervals (not all the time). Seems to work pretty well for 3Dice.

 

[pmutts]

Awesome . . .

If you see an offer in a publicly accessible place (eg. casinos homepage or opening screen before you log in), and you are a player there in good standing, you should be able to claim it without being frowned upon by the casino.

If they don't want players taking a bonus on every deposit they should not offer it on every deposit and if they tell you, "Play up to VIP level and we will give you X, Y, and Z" and you play up to that level they should give you X, Y, and Z. IMO at that point bonuses and comps are a right which the player has earned by meeting the casinos criteria.

Imagine going to your local supermarket, seeing a sign that says, "Save 25% on chicken legs today", then at checkout being told that that offer is for everybody except you because you took their offer last week for, "Buy one bottle of soda, get one free" and you enjoyed it. Absurd.

And, yes, the casinos have only themselves to blame. The solution is so simple that its almost stupid, run a good honorable casino with efficient CS and offer bonuses at regular intervals (not all the time). Seems to work pretty well for 3Dice.

What an AWESOME analogy! Classic.

 

[X-Raided]

I've always viewed deposit bonuses great for the smaller depositors.
If a player wants to make a $35 deposit last longer, why not take a 100%
match bonus with a 40x WR and play with $70? $2,800 play-through, that's
feasible, IMO.

Now taking a 100% match bonus with deposits of a $100+.. Why would a player
want that type of ball and chain attached with their deposit? $8,000 WR?

Pmutts, how much is your typical deposit? Are you a $25 depositor? For example
$25 with a 35% bonus, that's laughable. But if your a $100 or more depositor, that
ain't too shabby for a player like yourself who the online casinos view as a "high risk"
or "advantage" player.

P.S. I have to agree with others, comparing B&M with online casinos is like comparing
two different things.

 

[chayton]

The other thing with land casinos is that you can enjoy your comped room, and then walk straight out after your comped breakfast. If they worked like some online casinos, they would block your exit and confiscate the breakfast by pumping your stomach, and then yell at you for hours so that you "unsleep" your good night's rest, and then finally let you out.

Sorry but I quit reading right after this, I had to clean the coffee off my screen.

 

[Cogge]

OK, Perhaps there are some "abusers" out there but in my eyes, these casinos shouldn't be offering the bonuses at all if they are not going to offer them to everyone. If they don't like somebody's action--BAR them! This is how it's done in a REAL casino.

Short of a bonus having 100x wagering requirement, all bonuses are "abusable" or "able to be taken advantage of". By that I mean, if you play correctly, you will always in the long run walk away with more money than what you put in.

If a player only deposits when he gets a bonus, always play the "correct" way to take advantage of the bonus. Why should a casino, online or offline, keep giving him offers?

If casinos didn't ban advantage players from bonuses, all bonuses would literally be shit, as the casinos would, like you say, have to tailor the bonuses with a higher ratio of advantage players in mind.

If you're a normal player, who actually plays for fun and for the thrill of winning (advantage players with any "skill" just puts on autoplay after depositing and watches a movie or something instead), why would you ever want the casino to spend any money on such players?

If the casinos spend less on those players, they can spend more on the real players and offer them better bonuses, better comps, etc...

 

[vinylweatherman]

Short of a bonus having 100x wagering requirement, all bonuses are "abusable" or "able to be taken advantage of". By that I mean, if you play correctly, you will always in the long run walk away with more money than what you put in.

If a player only deposits when he gets a bonus, always play the "correct" way to take advantage of the bonus. Why should a casino, online or offline, keep giving him offers?

If casinos didn't ban advantage players from bonuses, all bonuses would literally be shit, as the casinos would, like you say, have to tailor the bonuses with a higher ratio of advantage players in mind.

If you're a normal player, who actually plays for fun and for the thrill of winning (advantage players with any "skill" just puts on autoplay after depositing and watches a movie or something instead), why would you ever want the casino to spend any money on such players?

If the casinos spend less on those players, they can spend more on the real players and offer them better bonuses, better comps, etc...

The issue needs to be addressed with up front honesty, not the retrospective bonus ban. If a player is set to get bonus banned if they use bonuses more than xx% of the time, this should be stated up front, not used as an excuse for a bonus ban.

It should be easy to put such a system in place. Have the same bonuses for all available, but make the players have to do something to "unlock" them, with this something being stated clearly up front. The easiest would be to base the unlocking on wagering, and set it at a level that makes it impossible for advantage players to beat the house through clever unlocking tactics. There could even be types of play that award negative points towards unlocking the next bonus, such as depositing 100 and shoving the lot on Black in order to get 200 to use for generation of low risk unlocking points. The big bet could award enough negative points to counter the advantage of having an extra 100 with which to generate positive unlocking points.

3Dice have a system along these lines. It is not popular with all, but I haven't seen any cases where a player has complained that 3Dice has accused them of "bonus abuse". You even need to play for real to unlock the best "freeroll" tournaments at 3Dice.

There are a very small number of other casinos that are trying out new ways to reward loyalty than the traditional deposit bonus or free chip. There is nothing much for those hoping for a quick killing, so little danger of them getting hit by players who go around just playing the welcome offers.

 

[PlayHippo]

Lot of different view point

It is refreshing to see plenty of different viewpoints when it comes to bonuses and comparing land based vs online casinos.

First of - I dont think that many landbased have given away anything for free if you are a first time customer - at least it has never happened to me.
Yes I have been comped a better room - but I still paid for the normal room - so it was not just they threw a upgrade my way - they probably had some extra rooms available and I caught them in a generous mood.

When it comes to online casinos -at least what I know - no one is forced to take a bonus - but yes they do offer bonuses to first time visitors with a varying degree of difficulties to clear that bonus.

If you play a lot of slots or other casino games that is not video poker - does not take a bonus - and keep on depositing, winning, cashing out, depositing again etc you will be contacted and comped in some way - same way as a offline casino does it they look at turnover and repeat business. If you pop up as a 5+ or 10 + deposit customer with no or few bonuses - there most likely will be room for more generous bonuses.

On the other hand

I know we did a campaign that we gave out personal bonus codes to a bunch of players that gave them money for free - they could cash it out, play with it do whatever basically and we would not stop them some cashed out and it was our loss but some returned to us cause they just wanted to make sure they could cash it out as we said - sadly the code in itself was not personally but you needed to have a record of receiving it in our system and then some brand new people starting using it and try to cash out straight away - and those we did stop - cause that bonus was not meant for them.

All in all the main problem is that there is a lot of casinos out there and everyone is trying to scream higher and higher about who has the best casino with the highest bonus and so on - some will not be honest some will be.
So trying out a casino - be careful - ask support about the specific bonus T&C to have it in writing.

But claiming a general clause saying we can do this and that - is a chicken move from a casino - I personally think that it is mainly there to protect themselves from human errors - we might release a 100% up to 1000 Euro 30x turnover and then the person setting up the bonus make it a 1000% up to 10 000 Euro - 3x turnover then we would need a clause saying - hey we fucked up - sorry about that -keep the deposited money and we can credit the intended bonus manually and remove the faulty one.

 

[vinylweatherman]

It is refreshing to see plenty of different viewpoints when it comes to bonuses and comparing land based vs online casinos.

First of - I dont think that many landbased have given away anything for free if you are a first time customer - at least it has never happened to me.
Yes I have been comped a better room - but I still paid for the normal room - so it was not just they threw a upgrade my way - they probably had some extra rooms available and I caught them in a generous mood.

When it comes to online casinos -at least what I know - no one is forced to take a bonus - but yes they do offer bonuses to first time visitors with a varying degree of difficulties to clear that bonus.

If you play a lot of slots or other casino games that is not video poker - does not take a bonus - and keep on depositing, winning, cashing out, depositing again etc you will be contacted and comped in some way - same way as a offline casino does it they look at turnover and repeat business. If you pop up as a 5+ or 10 + deposit customer with no or few bonuses - there most likely will be room for more generous bonuses.

On the other hand

I know we did a campaign that we gave out personal bonus codes to a bunch of players that gave them money for free - they could cash it out, play with it do whatever basically and we would not stop them some cashed out and it was our loss but some returned to us cause they just wanted to make sure they could cash it out as we said - sadly the code in itself was not personally but you needed to have a record of receiving it in our system and then some brand new people starting using it and try to cash out straight away - and those we did stop - cause that bonus was not meant for them.

All in all the main problem is that there is a lot of casinos out there and everyone is trying to scream higher and higher about who has the best casino with the highest bonus and so on - some will not be honest some will be.
So trying out a casino - be careful - ask support about the specific bonus T&C to have it in writing.

But claiming a general clause saying we can do this and that - is a chicken move from a casino - I personally think that it is mainly there to protect themselves from human errors - we might release a 100% up to 1000 Euro 30x turnover and then the person setting up the bonus make it a 1000% up to 10 000 Euro - 3x turnover then we would need a clause saying - hey we fucked up - sorry about that -keep the deposited money and we can credit the intended bonus manually and remove the faulty one.

A mistake made by many casinos.

Not all players have knowingly misused such a code as some site may have hijacked it in order to drive their own traffic, and not mentioned anything about it not being a general available for all code.

As well as good first impressions, it is a players' first withdrawal at a new site that MUST be done right by the casino. Messing an honest player around at this stage makes them feel the casino is intentionally trying to rip off naïve players. Apart from the audit of play, the big problem is poor handling of verification, such as telling the player vague things like "your documents are blurred" where what they really need to know is that the dpi of the scan is too low, not that the image is actually blurry to the eye. Most players are not IT professionals, so would simply put their document in the scanner, scan, and save, all using the hardware defaults, and then expect this to be perfectly acceptable to the casino. The problem is the hardware, it is set up for "home use", whereas document images need to be of a "professional standard" such as a solicitor or bank might do for a document that is to be used for legal purposes. I have caught my own scanner getting it completely wrong when using the defaults to scan my ID and utility bill. It defaults to 150dpi, even for the photo ID (wrong), and it is far too harsh in cropping the background, where it often randomly crops the edges of parts of the document itself (again wrong for verification purposes).

 

[PlayHippo]

A mistake made by many casinos.

Not all players have knowingly misused such a code as some site may have hijacked it in order to drive their own traffic, and not mentioned anything about it not being a general available for all code.

As well as good first impressions, it is a players' first withdrawal at a new site that MUST be done right by the casino. Messing an honest player around at this stage makes them feel the casino is intentionally trying to rip off naïve players. Apart from the audit of play, the big problem is poor handling of verification, such as telling the player vague things like "your documents are blurred" where what they really need to know is that the dpi of the scan is too low, not that the image is actually blurry to the eye. Most players are not IT professionals, so would simply put their document in the scanner, scan, and save, all using the hardware defaults, and then expect this to be perfectly acceptable to the casino. The problem is the hardware, it is set up for "home use", whereas document images need to be of a "professional standard" such as a solicitor or bank might do for a document that is to be used for legal purposes. I have caught my own scanner getting it completely wrong when using the defaults to scan my ID and utility bill. It defaults to 150dpi, even for the photo ID (wrong), and it is far too harsh in cropping the background, where it often randomly crops the edges of parts of the document itself (again wrong for verification purposes).

Agree it is sometimes done to drive traffic etc - but then usually there is some wagering requirements - and when checking where the traffic comes from you see it is a bonus forum where they only share this and try to help each other on how to capitalize as much as possible on a code they know is not valid - which usually comes out in the forum quite quick when the first few are denied their cash outs.

We had a discussion about the usage of the code - since we knew the risk was that it would leak - but we rather make a few people mad trying to take advantage of a code if we can at the same time keep our members happy. It was either using a code - or making our members jump through hoops to get the money - we chose to let them get it easy and that we would handle the abuse quickly by letting them know.

Also in the info sent out to the players that received it it was clearly mentioned that it was a personal code - and if used by other people it would not be valid - but that was not posted in the forum that spread the code in the first place.

 

[vinylweatherman]

Agree it is sometimes done to drive traffic etc - but then usually there is some wagering requirements - and when checking where the traffic comes from you see it is a bonus forum where they only share this and try to help each other on how to capitalize as much as possible on a code they know is not valid - which usually comes out in the forum quite quick when the first few are denied their cash outs.

We had a discussion about the usage of the code - since we knew the risk was that it would leak - but we rather make a few people mad trying to take advantage of a code if we can at the same time keep our members happy. It was either using a code - or making our members jump through hoops to get the money - we chose to let them get it easy and that we would handle the abuse quickly by letting them know.

Also in the info sent out to the players that received it it was clearly mentioned that it was a personal code - and if used by other people it would not be valid - but that was not posted in the forum that spread the code in the first place.

One of your players clearly couldn't keep it to himself.

Can't the software be set to only let the code work on those accounts that are supposed to use it?

This would stop it being spread on a forum and misused, and it would avoid the need to tackle the problem in hindsight by voiding winnings from players who could easily argue that there was nothing in your terms to say a code wasn't valid.

The other problem is that these bonus forums are allowed to be affiliates for casinos, and then there is a REAL incentive for them to post all the codes they can find, along with guides on how to beat them, and the casino ends up paying for this "bad traffic" on top.

If they didn't get commission for referring players, they would make no money, and this would limit their ability to spend money on hosting and reaching out to potential members, usually via spam. They may even have to charge a membership fee for access to the best codes and how to beat them, but this would further reduce the volume of players using the code.

Another possible method is to have the code only last a day, and each day send a new one to those players who were selected, but haven't taken the offer yet. By the time such a code leaked into the wild, it would already be out of date. This would not only protect the casino, but discredit the sharing forum as "none of these codes work" would be a common complaint.

 

[skiny]

I don't see how making personalized bonus codes could be done without a whole lot of manual entering of data before the codes are sent out or rewriting the software to automatically generate and store independent codes while they're being emailed. These codes could be going out to thousands of people. If the software was designed to go through a list of players, generate a code, store it and then email it, then everyone would get a personalized code that can only be used once.

A simpler option would be to put in nice big bold print under the code entry box "If you're email address is not in our mailing list all winnings will be void. Please check with customer support." Of course then support has to deal with bonus hunters asking if they can use the codes they find.

Personally, I think it would be simplest not to send out free chip codes. Offer a free chip as an incentive to new accounts and then give everyone the same deposit bonuses. These bonuses for RTG casinos have become so out of hand, it's long past time that RTG started setting up some general rules to end the deposit bonus war that's creating all of these bonus bans and refusals to pay.

They could also offer basic math courses to some of these operators so you don't see ridiculous statements like 600% deposit bonus on your first 3 deposits and then find out in the details that it's 200% for each deposit. That's not 600% of anything.

 

[vinylweatherman]

I don't see how making personalized bonus codes could be done without a whole lot of manual entering of data before the codes are sent out or rewriting the software to automatically generate and store independent codes while they're being emailed. These codes could be going out to thousands of people. If the software was designed to go through a list of players, generate a code, store it and then email it, then everyone would get a personalized code that can only be used once.

A simpler option would be to put in nice big bold print under the code entry box "If you're email address is not in our mailing list all winnings will be void. Please check with customer support." Of course then support has to deal with bonus hunters asking if they can use the codes they find.

Personally, I think it would be simplest not to send out free chip codes. Offer a free chip as an incentive to new accounts and then give everyone the same deposit bonuses. These bonuses for RTG casinos have become so out of hand, it's long past time that RTG started setting up some general rules to end the deposit bonus war that's creating all of these bonus bans and refusals to pay.

They could also offer basic math courses to some of these operators so you don't see ridiculous statements like 600% deposit bonus on your first 3 deposits and then find out in the details that it's 200% for each deposit. That's not 600% of anything.

It's not a different code for each player, but having a validity flag set against player accounts that are allowed to use the code. When a player entered the code, the cashier would check for the validity flag against the code on the players individual account. If the flag was not set "true", the cashier would reject the code with a message like "this code is not valid on this account, please contact CS for clarification". Many softwares have already introduced something like this in order to combat the problem of these codes being shared on the internet.

Players could be grouped into classes, perhaps tied to the VIP or Loyalty scheme. The manual data entry would be much simpler:-

1) Define the code and enter the parameters of the offer against it.
2) Select which player classes will be eligible for the code.
3) Press "do it". The software then takes over, setting the validity flag to "true" for the defined player classes, and then triggering a mailer to those players who are eligible.

They can leak and share the code as much as they like, but no ineligible player will be able to use it.

Make sure CS know how to check for eligibility as some players may try to blag their way to getting CS manually add the offer by pretending they got the email, but suffered "technical issues" trying to redeem their code.

 

[jstrike]

Online casinos only have themselves to blame, THEY invented "bonus culture", and now they are trapped by it.

Truer words have never been spoken.

There's this idea of "entitlement". It's pretty clear from the casino's perspective that no-deposit bonuses don't attract loyal players, at all, ever. And at the same time, it's very difficult to balance a deposit bonus so that it works for everyone.

Just my own personal philosophy here: Ideally, a deposit bonus for a new player should give them extended play time without changing the expected RTP on the original deposit. That means that on a per-game basis, their ability to withdraw is locked up to the extent that they're playing with the house's money. That's not the same as what we'll give to a long-time loyal player, which might be a "thank you" deposit bonus that puts them EV+, or a post-betting bonus like a cash back reward. Both of those are actually comps, not bonuses.

The problem with the fierce online casino advertising in terms of bonuses -- aside from the affiliates who are always itching to have the highest percentage number up there -- is that casinos hide their terms and make it seem like the bonus is a comp. It isn't. No one should think it is. It's wrong for the casinos to make it so hard to figure out what the terms are, sure. But then again they aren't charities.

I think the best bonus you can hope for is a cashback. After that, it's one where you have a few more chances and more time to rally if you lose your deposit. But no one should expect a casino to just hand out money at the door. It doesn't happen in real life, and when we've tried it online we get a whole lot of duplicate accounts, and no one coming back to deposit.

[edit: The best way to handle Comps -- as you pointed out VW -- is to put players into classes or even better to have staff who deal with players personally and are authorized to an extent to reward them independently. I developed a risk system on the back-end of my software that lets my managers comp anyone based on a calculation of the player's loyalty as well as the ratio of comps to floor income for that manager. If a manager tries a comp that goes over the risk threshold, I get a text message and I have to approve it personally. Knowing my clients is key to this, because there really is no one-size-fits-all situation.]

 

[jstrike]

Short of a bonus having 100x wagering requirement

If you mean perfect play in terms of Blackjack, are there any casinos that offer lower than 125x WR for BJ? Most don't count Roulette at all towards WR, and they usually count BJ at 10% to 20% per bet towards a 25x WR. You're right that anything less than that would be giving money away, so I'm not sure why any casino would do it, except to a player who already had long-term loyalty rewards.

 

[binary128]

That's not the same as what we'll give to a long-time loyal player, which might be a "thank you" deposit bonus that puts them EV+, or a post-betting bonus like a cash back reward. Both of those are actually comps, not bonuses.

For me that is a valuable distinction. We have a "bonus casino" product (not currently deployed) - all bonuses are post-betting so:

1.) They don't assist in achieving the WR.

2.) They don't assist in extending "play time".

I like your indication that these are thus "comps" and not "bonuses".

The problem with the fierce online casino advertising in terms of bonuses -- aside from the affiliates who are always itching to have the highest percentage number up there ...

(Emphasis mine.)

Agreed - comps don't fly at all in the (typical) affiliate world. I agree with VWM that the Casinos are responsible for creating the "bonus trap". However, in my (admittedly limited) experience it is the Affiliates that are the primary fuel in keeping that engine running.

Chris

 

[jstrike]

it is the Affiliates that are the primary fuel in keeping that engine running.

Sure. But I'd rather pay an affiliate twice as much per player to run something not deceptive, than create a bonus that made players feel deceived. And any affiliate worth their salt should really understand that, and I wouldn't want to do business with one who didn't.

 

[vinylweatherman]

For me that is a valuable distinction. We have a "bonus casino" product (not currently deployed) - all bonuses are post-betting so:

1.) They don't assist in achieving the WR.

2.) They don't assist in extending "play time".

I like your indication that these are thus "comps" and not "bonuses".



(Emphasis mine.)

Agreed - comps don't fly at all in the (typical) affiliate world. I agree with VWM that the Casinos are responsible for creating the "bonus trap". However, in my (admittedly limited) experience it is the Affiliates that are the primary fuel in keeping that engine running.

Chris

Lazy affiliates. All they need is to rate the top 10 in terms of bonuses, and that often means the rogue casinos are very prominent in their listings. The casinos then use deceptive descriptions in order to make the huge bonuses look far more attractive than they are.

A casino with 95% slots and a 6% of wager cashback comp is actually guaranteed to let a player win, yet it would not feature in any "best of" list based on the size of bonuses. If bonuses are made out to be about the only thing on offer, then banning a player from these bonuses is banning them from everything that makes the different casinos running the same software more or less appealing than one another.

 

[spike38]

.............

Wow, I just found out that I'm no longer eligible for bonuses at Buzzluck. Tried to redeem a lousy 75 % bonus and was also denied and offered the 35 % with a 30 times playthrough. Just for the record I have deposited over 50 times here and only cashed out twice , both times not for a very large amount. These CWC's are going to pot fast. Once they're done alienating all their loyal players they'll be in the crapper like all the rest of these RTG casinos.
Oh well, like Nifty likes to say, bonuses aren't an entitlement so I guess I'll just delete this software and close my account like all the rest and head to the brick and mortar five minutes down the road.
What a bunch of dummies !