Casinomeister / Rant

4 of a kind

Repeated violations of forum rule 1.16 - troll
Joined
Mar 11, 2009
Location
New York
In a couple of days I will have been an active member here for one year. Soon after the UIGEA was passed I was on the hunt for new sites to play at, and was thrilled when I discovered this site. Learning how rogues operate with current updates of who they are, along with pertinent information U.S.A. players need to keep playing online, I have benefited in more ways then one by becoming a member here.

I know I should be keeping my mouth shut instead of getting into what Im about to, but with risking becoming alienated here, I decided to express my feelings about the drastic changes, (at least for me) Im recognizing as of late at this site.

Being an old man of 57 years and a 35 year veteran of gambling of all forms, and over ten years of online experiences, Im starting to really wonder about what online casinos and online players have actually evolved into over the last decade.

When I started gambling online before 2000, it was exciting and really nothing more then a great convenience to have a casino in my office or home with the simple click of a mouse. Of course rigged was always a fearful thought at first, but after a few nice hits and getting paid the confidence level rose and before you new it, I became a VIP at 2 of the 3 different sites I played at. No one was offering bonuses at the time as far as I knew, or maybe I was just to busy sticking to my two or three sites never looking else where. VIPs in the early days of online gaming were assigned a VIP rep, and when looking for special treatment for your loyalty, consulted this rep and usually got whatever it was you were looking for. Much like the same way you would be treated at a land based casino. The only comps you got from online casinos were cash comps with no play through crap like today, or sometimes free tickets to a big boxing match or show in Vegas, or AC.

Although many people think online casinos could do more harm to a gambler with the simple access, my experience and records prove I actually trimmed my annual losses by playing online and reduced my visits to land based casinos. What people forget about is after booking a room and traveling to a land based casino for a weekend, you usually go with your pockets full and access to more money if you needed it. If things are cold you will still dig in hoping for an up swing which may never come the whole weekend. You know you should have pulled the plug a long time ago but you say to yourself, well, Im here now and not certain when Im coming back, so just keep playing when you shouldnt be even with that loser feeling inside. This always results to accumulating larger losses. On the other hand when playing online, I cant tell you how many times I would just pull the plug after a half hour knowing todays not going to be a good day.

Im sure that most online gamblers during the early online days experienced the same things I did. Today Im not sure how the online gambler thinks or actually what he or she is expecting from online casinos. The whole online thing has evolved into an overloaded bonus ridden mess.

I think with all the online casinos that started to pile on top of each other they were forced into starting this, whose bonus is better then the others crap with hopes of recruiting loyal players. I think this all back fired on them since all they did was recruit players that probably shouldnt be gambling in the first place, but for $20.00 dollars they could technically (at least in their minds) start with a $100.00 or more, looking for that pot of gold, or that screen shot of a big hit and only $300.00 of it is really theirs to keep. Realistically how many players here would actually consider going to a land based casino with a $20.00 bankroll? Forget twenty, how many would consider even going with just a $100.00 dollar bankroll? Please dont bring up the seniors taking a bus ride, getting out of the house for a day, a free lunch for their bus ticket cost, and playing the penny slots.

What Im trying to get too I guess is that a year ago at this site I found great and interesting threads dealing with all types of gaming information, and conversation. I also recognize all the other platforms available to all of us for different topics, but for the most part their all dead.

There were many great posters and threads that for the most part seemed to have all but vanished. I dont only mean banned posters like JHV, who although had some great and informative threads the trade off for his obnoxious, belligerent, and arrogant behavior wasnt worth it, but many others I no longer see here.

I have played thousands if not hundreds of thousands, or maybe even millions of hands of video poker in the past decade online. No doubt what so ever things have tightened up, and the good spikes are becoming farther and fewer between. You dont have to be a rocket scientist to realize the sites are being forced to tighten up for the sake of survival with the present economic diasters.

As far as online casinos being rigged goes, playing programmed software for real money anywhere in cyberspace under any circumstances, will always and automatically also create doubt. If someone thinks their positively rigged, they of course shouldnt be playing. My only real argument with rigged was when CasinoJack said he could randomly change RTPs and follow you around the casino reducing your odds of winning at will. Thats certainly rigged to me anyhow.

If I had to base online casinos to what 90% of what is available to read at this site recently, I would conclude that the casinos are nothing more then bonus whores, working the streets at real discount prices. I dont belong or participate or read other casino forums, and maybe with the amount of time I spend online, Ive been visiting this forum to often. But Ive got to tell you, at least in my view its starting to look and sound like a site more concerned about bonuses then anything else.

Online casinos in its current form have evolved into a low rollers paradise. Now that they are being forced to even tighten up on the bonuses, visiting this site lately is like entering bonus hell.

There had to be a reason for them to concentrate on this strategy, which leads me to believe thats all they got left to go after.
 
Don't play with bonuses if you don't want them, seems striaght forward to me.

Forgive me, but some of your post seems a little elitist. Many people enjoyed the extended bankroll a bonus offers, not all have thousands to piss away. 20 dollar depositers shouldn't be excluded from playing online, its your right to take if you have an internet connection and the aformentioned cash.

I totally agree the casinos are getting desperate though, a never ending show of better offers only for them to realise the hole they are getting in, and capping the offers with restricted payouts and ever increasing wager requirements.

You have to admit some Casino offer amazing service and offer few bonuses, Red32 has to have one of the greatest number of (happy) users and you really only get a couple of offers a month. You don't mind because you are never dicked around.

Just for the record I play with and without bonuses. I find some Casino types (i.e RTG), you need a bonuses just to get a sniff at a win. You money can last moments. I normally deposit between 50-200 on each session. Lowrolling? Maybe, but I've other things to do with my money than gamble.
 
Good post IMO 4oak. I have long thought the signup bonus is something we could all do without - it causes far too many issues - but unfortunately it will never disappear while there is no suitable alternative.

I'd like to think that a casino could survive without offering a signup bonus. I look at Bodog and their 10% bonus as something to be admired and it has been in place long enough for me to think that you don't have to offer a big bonus to get the players. It doesn't sound very exciting, but Bodog seem to do OK.

The Wagerworks bonus structure is the one I most admire. Playthru the deposit to meet the WR, then get the bonus. How often do you see that abused? Never, obviously. But the casino still has the advantage of being able to offer a bonus and remain competitive in that regard. Might not be as attractive to some players, but then you have to ask: if a signup bonus is that important to a player, are they likely to be the sort of player that will be profitable over the long term and justify the expense involved in maintaining them?

Obviously human nature means that "free" money is going to attract free lunch hunters, but the casinos have only themselves to blame for the issues that brings, if that's the way they choose to attract punters. Someone, somewhere needs to take a risk, try something different IMO. But without guarantees it needs to be someone with a safety net.

I would have thought that the overheads involved in offering big bonuses - abuse, winners and support issues - would eat up any profit made from the players that stick, but I must be wrong or we wouldn't have so many casinos competing with big bonus offers.

It's a mess and until someone finds something different that works, it can only get worse IMO.

Oh...another thought occurs to me. There are a lot of us who don't take bonuses. What if a casino came along that didn't offer a signup bonus and sank more into loyalty bonuses for players, or had a vastly improved comp points rate. That would be attractive to me, as long as they met other criteria (fast payouts, good software etc). I wonder if a smaller subset of loyal players would make up, or exceed, the profits lost on signup bonus players? I'd like someone like 32Red to come along, take their Dash brand or something, drop the signup bonus and experiment with some loyalty offerings that are better/different to everyone else.
 
Hiya: Great Topic. I have played online for many yeras. This is funny to a lot of people as they ask, "If you are in Las Vegas, why would you play on the Internet?" It is the samething i tell my wife, when she ask why i do not play at a Casino we happen to be in with my $30?

Because at a Local casino, you have to bet $4 Min, and in Roulette, the game is divided into 2 parts, the Inside=where all the numbers are, and the Outside=red/black, odd/even, ect. If i wanted to bet on Red, and on the number 17, i would have to bet $8 total as the Min Bet. I only have to bet $2 making the same bet, "at any online casino".

There is 3/2 blackjack online, instead of 6/5. There is Single 0 Roulette online instead of 00. Want to play single 0 Roulette at the Wynn, here in Vegas? The Min bet is only $100. no that is not a typo.:mad:

I used to play with Bonus money in order to grind it out, and have part of it left over to withdraw as profit. I used to open an account at everyplace that had a Download Bonus, hoping to win 3-4 bets in a row, and deposit/cashout what i made. Both of there are really hard to do these days.

The biggest gripe/rant I have is this. There are 32 accredited Casinos, "just on this site", that accept players from America. They decided to stand firm, and keep a big portion of their player base, even though they could get in some sort of trouble for doing so. But I do not understand why they just stand by, and see deposit option after deposit option be taken away, AND NOT REPLACE IT WITH SOMETHING ELSE?:confused:

It is like saying, "Yes American players, you can play here. All you have to do is come visit us on our little isle, hand us the Cash, and we will deposit it into your account".:rolleyes:

The Greatest Bonus in the world is Useless if you do not have any way to deposit the required money into the casino to get the bonus in the first place.....
 
When I started gambling online before 2000, it was exciting and really nothing more then a great convenience to have a casino in my office or home with the simple click of a mouse. Of course rigged was always a fearful thought at first, but after a few nice hits and getting paid the confidence level rose and before you new it, I became a VIP at 2 of the 3 different sites I played at. No one was offering bonuses at the time as far as I knew, or maybe I was just to busy sticking to my two or three sites never looking else where. VIPs in the early days of online gaming were assigned a VIP rep, and when looking for special treatment for your loyalty, consulted this rep and usually got whatever it was you were looking for. Much like the same way you would be treated at a land based casino. The only comps you got from online casinos were cash comps with no play through crap like today, or sometimes free tickets to a big boxing match or show in Vegas, or AC.

Those were the good old days. I can't tell you how many unexpected gifts that I got from FL casinos. I'm still wearing that robe from many years ago and it's a good one. The vip and regular reps were excellent and up to a point they still are at the FL group.

I've only recently started back dabbling with them and I'm nowhere near what I used to deposit with them but I always take their low bonuses. There is absolutely no issues with them, they're cashable and you can grow that small bonus most of the time. 95% of the time I bypass rival and rtg bonuses as I've read too many issues about them and they're mostly not worth it.
 
Entering my 8th year gambling online, I can say without a doubt that it is a completely different experience now than it was say 5-6 years ago.

Yes, I am a bonus whore now....the games play so differently now than what they used to that I wouldn't think to play without a bonus. Anyone who has played online for at least a few years can tell there has been a change. No one needs to analyze 1000's of spins or hands to tell. After so much play you can just FEEL it.

That is why 90% of my gambling budget now goes to B&M casinos.....I used to set aside only 25% of it to B&M's.....

I mean it used to be so enjoyable. I would get off work friday evenings and go put $100 on my Netspend or send $100 via WU. I knew I would get a whole weekends worth of entertainment. A $100 deposit in those days would last for hours on end. I had countless nights where I would play and be on such a run that I found myself still playing when the sun came up and being thousands of dollars up. A $1000+ withdrawal on a $100 deposit was an attainable goal.

Now? My expectations are so low that I feel like ive accomplished something if I can make my $50 last 30 minutes. And as soon as I deposit I pretty much know its already lost. 5 years ago if I had the kind of luck I do now I would have stopped playing and never looked back. Of course, they have me hooked now so I pretty much just lowroll for a few minutes of entertainment.
I never would have thought back then that I would be making minimum deposits like I do now. I used to deposit about $3,000 a month....now its more like $150 a month. I just refuse to gamble big anymore with the games playing like they are.

So in that regard, 4OK is spot on....it IS a lowrollers paradise now....and the casinos can thank themselves for that.
 
Good thread and some great responses here. I have a thought regarding all these ridiculous bonuses and stipulations tied to them. If a player takes a bonus then they have to meet the WR before cashing out, "if" they can cashout, thus increasing the casinos odds the player will be 9 times out of 10 unable to cashout because the RTP is rarely in the players favor or drastically drops when WR is nearing completion. To quash the ones that do win possibly big, they come up with capping, thus again, reducing the casinos loss/increasing their gain.
Then you have the players high or low that prefer not to use a bonus, the RTP is "tight" and 9 out of 10 players just loose their deposit. Again the player gets stiffed time and time again and the casino makes out like bandits.
Either way, it is clearly becoming a win win situation for many casinos, IMO mostly RTG's, no matter if a player utilizes a bonus or not.
Their are MANY casino's/platforms I simply don't trust anymore to give me a fair session for money spent. But there are also some that I do totally trust win or lose and these are where I play.

Previously I was a staunch advocate for B&M casino's until my last visit at our local one. Although it is only a 10 minute drive, just the going is what makes you want to plan to spend some time, have some fun and hopefully come home even or up. I have to say my one day of 3 hours away from home was a total dissapointment. The casino had rows of slots "Out Of Service" or was working on them or going down the rows slipping in cards and I can only imagine what was going on. But this was the first time I never once hit a free spin or bonus round at the B&M. Needless to say, it will be the last time I ever go there.

So having said that, my feelings is keep sticking it to us with poor RTP, jailhouse bonuses and a leash around our withdrawals and as far as I'm concerned the casinos going this direction can dry up and blow away. I certainly won't miss any of them.

Funeral reminded me of the very first casino I played at 10 yrs ago? It was Palace of Chance, they offered $25 chip for sign up, I played on it for 4.5 days solid. A few years ago, when I finally got tired of the now obvious change of play/return not happening anymore, I called and asked why my money wasn't lasting for that amount of time, the CS person laughed and said there is no way $25 could last 4+ days. Well at one time it did, but not anymore.
 
Good thread and some great responses here. I have a thought regarding all these ridiculous bonuses and stipulations tied to them. If a player takes a bonus then they have to meet the WR before cashing out, "if" they can cashout, thus increasing the casinos odds the player will be 9 times out of 10 unable to cashout because the RTP is rarely in the players favor or drastically drops when WR is nearing completion. To quash the ones that do win possibly big, they come up with capping, thus again, reducing the casinos loss/increasing their gain.
Then you have the players high or low that prefer not to use a bonus, the RTP is "tight" and 9 out of 10 players just loose their deposit. Again the player gets stiffed time and time again and the casino makes out like bandits.
Either way, it is clearly becoming a win win situation for many casinos, IMO mostly RTG's, no matter if a player utilizes a bonus or not.
Their are MANY casino's/platforms I simply don't trust anymore to give me a fair session for money spent. But there are also some that I do totally trust win or lose and these are where I play.

Previously I was a staunch advocate for B&M casino's until my last visit at our local one. Although it is only a 10 minute drive, just the going is what makes you want to plan to spend some time, have some fun and hopefully come home even or up. I have to say my one day of 3 hours away from home was a total dissapointment. The casino had rows of slots "Out Of Service" or was working on them or going down the rows slipping in cards and I can only imagine what was going on. But this was the first time I never once hit a free spin or bonus round at the B&M. Needless to say, it will be the last time I ever go there.

So having said that, my feelings is keep sticking it to us with poor RTP, jailhouse bonuses and a leash around our withdrawals and as far as I'm concerned the casinos going this direction can dry up and blow away. I certainly won't miss any of them.

Funeral reminded me of the very first casino I played at 10 yrs ago? It was Palace of Chance, they offered $25 chip for sign up, I played on it for 4.5 days solid. A few years ago, when I finally got tired of the now obvious change of play/return not happening anymore, I called and asked why my money wasn't lasting for that amount of time, the CS person laughed and said there is no way $25 could last 4+ days. Well at one time it did, but not anymore.

+1 more that agrees
 
i think if were lucky the casino's are headed for a liken to the bear market shake out just like when the bear emerges from the river and shakes out the water from his fir

sory casino boys that are in the bad side of the players , have you ever heard the saying CASH IS KING so get ready and you know who you are

and the ones that are safe well they also know that playing fair is now about to pay a premium
in a nut shell RC

PS AS THE ADDAGE GOES DONT WORY ABOUT THE CHIEFS THE INDIANS SINK AND THE CHIEFS SURFACE
 
If these casinos are now a low rollers paradise, then surely that is not a bad thing considering most players would fit into that category.

IMO harking back to the old days and how it was all so rosy back then, is nothing more than nostalgia. A trip down memory lane, reminiscing over big wins of yesteryear, convincing yourself that it was all so different back in the day.

There is more choice than ever now, more games than ever, faster payouts than ever, better software than ever, more bonuses than ever. Players also have past experiences to fall back on as well. There are many positives. The way some players go on about the demise of online gaming does make you wonder why they bother even playing now, if their past v present experiences are so radically different.

Mike
 
there will always be solid stand up casino's ,of those some may hit rough patches a lot of times they consolidate with another thats in good shape

there's always going to be rogues popping up like weeds in a garden (so the likes of the casinomeister and his staff :thumbs up: ) will always be here
as long as they want to be

but the disposable money the player has witch is the seed to all of this

the sperm of gambling with out it its all history well at this point peeps are going back to recreational levels of play , or cutting back my self ive cut back from 4 to 5 deposits a month to one this month and if i go to two thats it till next check comes in
there's plenty reserve $$ in the bank lol but that's where that part of the floor plan stays to generate more income for little ole me :D
 
Sorry if I wander a bit. I tend to ramble.

Two things concern me when Im gambling. Payout speed and payout percentage. Casinos can pass around all the bonuses they like. I dont care if they do and I dont care if they dont. All I care about is that I get a fair shake when Im spinning the reels.

If any player has tens of thousands of dollars to toss around on slot machines and roulette wheels and decides to do it at his or her desk rather than taking a little trip down to the brick and mortar casino thats fine but they have to realize that theyre going to be playing along side the 20 and 30 dollar depositors. The reasons are pretty obvious why online gambling in its infancy attracted hard core gamblers at first with low rollers filtering in more and more as the years went by. And it makes good business sense for businesses to try to cater to all clients. Not everyone who walks into the grocery store buys sirloin steaks and the grocery store makes a good deal of money putting TV dinners on sale for people like me who are too lazy to cook real meat anyway.

If it wasnt for the fact that pretty much anyone can plop 30 dollars into a slot machine and sit at their desks for an hour a huge amount of clients at these online casinos wouldnt even exist. I would be one of them. And if any brick and mortar casino put a sign up that said High Rollers Only or $5000 bankroll min the building would be pretty quiet and pretty empty. Whether the high rollers like it or not, the millions of low rollers tossing 50 or 100 bucks in the pot once a week are driving the gambling industry and if they had only the really high rollers to rely on theyd be passing out a lot more free fancy robes but theyd also be relying on a few thousand people to pay for the entire show.

Now as for bonuses Id rather not take them. I prefer to play with my own money, cash out when I like and not concern myself with terms and conditions. If a casino wants to toss me a freebie when I crap out too fast Ill take it. I know with a 30X WR its unlikely Ill actually cash out but at least I get to play for a while longer on my deposit. If I paid for a movie and the ending credits rolled after the first scene Id feel a little disappointed. I know gambling isnt exactly the same but one cant help but feel that way sometimes when their deposit is gone and the coffee they made before they started is still too hot to drink. Right or wrong its just a fact.

There are a few casinos spread out around me here in Ontario and Quebec. Theres not a lot of competition between them and I dont see a lot of advertising and fighting over players. Ive never been to Vegas or Atlantic city but with entire streets lined with casinos Im sure theyre all doing what they can to suck everyone into their establishments. For the online gaming industry its much the same. Every casino is on the same street. All of them are one click away. Of course good service and fast payouts with decent game play is the best way to keep everyone playing at your casino but unless you want to rely on all online gamblers being in contact with each other hoping most of them will give your casino the good word you need to attract new clients. Handing out robes isnt going to work. And if you want to keep the low rollers who as a whole are just as important if not more so than the high rollers youre going to have to put those TV dinners on sale. All the sirloin steak eaters might not like it but its just good business sense.
 
If these casinos are now a low rollers paradise, then surely that is not a bad thing considering most players would fit into that category.

IMO harking back to the old days and how it was all so rosy back then, is nothing more than nostalgia. A trip down memory lane, reminiscing over big wins of yesteryear, convincing yourself that it was all so different back in the day.

There is more choice than ever now, more games than ever, faster payouts than ever, better software than ever, more bonuses than ever. Players also have past experiences to fall back on as well. There are many positives. The way some players go on about the demise of online gaming does make you wonder why they bother even playing now, if their past v present experiences are so radically different.

Mike

Mike, you certainly dont need any approval from me (just an average Joe nobody) that you are a constructive poster, that in many cases shed light on alternative views.

Yet, in just about all your posts when in threads that insinuate something negative about online gaming you always seem to squeeze in one way or another the comments similar too, you cant understand how a player is still even playing online and always recommend they should quit online gaming if they feel that way. If everyone took your advice you personally could have been responsible for online gaming going bankrupt.

My thread here and the walk down nostalgia lane, was nothing more then trying to express (in my personal view) the evolution of online gaming from the early days to its present form.

Although you may approve of todays online gamblings marketing strategy of bonus chaos, requiring a player to have a legal degree, or always having to check T&Cs for any current changes, to make sure they dont make any mistakes in their attempts to convert $20.00 into $60.00 dollars, personally I do disagree.

Maybe, my views are in fact just old school and I just cant accept contemporary thinking. But, land based casinos pretty much stayed the same from day one, except for maybe some of the gaming rules. You could bet your bottom dollar land based casinos arent going to give you their money to play against them with, unless they feel by giving some of what you already lost to them back is fair. (knowing of course they'll still end up with it)

In response to your comment above If these casinos are now a low rollers paradise, then surely that is not a bad thing considering most players would fit into that category. This is exactly my point, would these (most players) low rollers be playing at all without these bonuses? Gambling casinos when designed knew they werent going to be reasonable for all walks of life. The same thoughts Im sure were considered when online gaming began. Unfortunately, it appears that most online casinos were forced into another avenue and evolved into a desperate group trying to grab every dollar they can from anyone thats willing to give one up.

In addition, I certainly dont want to sound elitist as accused by mclee321 in a previous post, but I believe that most low rollers online today without bonuses wouldnt be playing online at all.

Instead of the forum being loaded with negative bonus issues, the discussions of playing strategies instead of who should be thrown in the rogue pit for offering a ridicules bonus would be more on topic.

Also, I would like to add in your response to your comment, The way some players go on about the demise of online gaming does make you wonder why they bother even playing now please stop wondering why or what I do. My personal view of this present online gaming mess is just conversation of how things look through a veteran gamblers eyes. Bonuses are the last thing that concern me and has nothing to do with my playing strategies, or how I feel Im treated at any online casino I play at.

Most importantly I'll be the judge and jury of what and when and if I decide to do anything.
 
I'll be the judge and jury

I loved Judge Dredd........:cool:

I agree. A lot of players who would not get match deposit bonus offers, "all the time", would still play, but end up playing an depositing less often. Maybe to the point of just giving up altogether. I hate the T&C policy of, "Give them a Bonus, and have several ways to make it useless"........This is why those of us who do not take bonus money opt not to.

If more On Line Casino Owners started, "Thinking like a player, instead of a Bait & Switch salesman, they would have more Players".
 
If I paid for a movie and the ending credits rolled after the first scene Id feel a little disappointed.

LOL. I like that analogy. :thumbsup:

Also, I would like to add in your response to your comment, The way some players go on about the demise of online gaming does make you wonder why they bother even playing now please stop wondering why or what I do. My personal view of this present online gaming mess is just conversation of how things look through a veteran gamblers eyes.

I don't think Mike is having a go at you specifically 4oak: it's a common theme, especially recently, and I suspect its a generalisation - one I wonder about a lot too. In fact if anything, it backs up your original post - there are lots more negative posts recently and speculation about RTP etc although a lot of the comments are the same posters reiterating previous opinions, something we all do with stuff that's important to us.

I think there's a lot of the "glass half full/glass half empty" in this. I'm an optimist, I trust people until they prove otherwise, while many are the opposite. When a casino loses my trust, I don't play there. When I think someone is rigging results, I won't play there. If I thought i couldn't trust any online casino, I wouldn't play. Simples. So I can totally see, and empathise with Mike's point. Just human nature, but when you get a passtime that involves money, it can get emotional and often, molehills can become mountains IMO.
 
I think there's a lot of the "glass half full/glass half empty" in this.

I was asked in an interview once if the glass was half full or half empty. I thought about it for a minute and asked "Am I emptying it or filling it?"
 
I was asked in an interview once if the glass was half full or half empty. I thought about it for a minute and asked "Am I emptying it or filling it?"

I have to try and remember that one, you would think I heard that already. lol

In addition skiny your previous post is well written and extremely logical. Although the weekend high roller at land based casinos truly have a majority role with red or black bottom lines, they still couldn't exist without the daily low roller patrons.

It just seems that online casinos have reversed that theory, concentrating more on squeezing the low roller for survival.
 
I don't want to sound like I'm diminishing the value of the high roller. Just that without the millions of low rollers a small handful of people would just be passing the same money back and forth with the casinos keeping their cut.
 
The way some players go on about the demise of online gaming does make you wonder why they bother even playing now, if their past v present experiences are so radically different.

Mike

That has nothing to do with why people play. This has caused a big decrease in revenue for the casinos due to these changes. More and more people are dissastisfied and some have stopped while others have cut their deposits in half or quarters. The casino in turn offers worthless bonuses that people take them up on and only a few cash out.

The premises here is about bonus complaints being the major focus of the board now rather than discussions about informative and pertinent information. I wish that people would stop taking bonuses and see if the casinos would make an adjustment or just scratch their heads.

There is nothing wrong with people who like bonuses but why start a thread everytime about the same issues with the same casinos.
 
Another thought I have about "bonuses" is like a department store that is planning a big sale, first they go around and mark everything up, then put up the big sale signs, tricking people into thinking they are getting a bargain. Bonuses could be pretty similar, put out these big bonuses then adjust the RTP, the player thinks they have a good deal when in fact "all" players high or low are paying for these offers without even taking them.
Just like with RTG, I would prefer not to have Random Jackpots on every RS slot and bonuses should be done away with completely as all players are paying for them in a very noticeable difference of return between a few years ago to today. Just put the games out there and take all the ribbons and bows off and players would probably be a lot happier and loyal.
As to whether a low roller would play without all these incentives, I say yes, as most of us do anyways.
If it weren't for these bonuses and free chips, a player wouldn't need them to get more play time for their money.
Just tired of paying for the hype and sales, when the bargain is not really there.
 
Like I said before, I can do without the bonuses and usually do but here's the question the casinos might ask. If we don't use bonuses to attract players what do we use?

Stores have sales to attract customers and sales usually do. I don't think the prices on all merchandise is being raised very much pre-sale. It would be kind of obvious if a store's sale price is the same as everyone else's regular price. At a casino, on the other hand its a little harder to tell if you're getting a bargain. Shopping around isn't easy for the best payouts since you never really know if you're dealing with bad luck or bad odds.

That being said, casinos are in competition for new players. Probably more now than ever. So without bonus offers how do they reel them in? How many casinos promise fast payouts and then don't provide it? Or promise good fortune and then claim everyone is just unlucky? It's hard to attract people with promises, specially when most of the time they're not fulfilled.

By the way. Convincing a casino to drop all bonuses doesn't necessarily mean they're raise the payouts.

If clients started dropping like flies with the same reason "I'm tired of hitting nothing every hand, spin, roll..." Maybe they'd think about it.
 
This is a damn good thread and I admit I have not read all the replys in full but ... my 10 cents. I started playing online around 8 years ago. First time I won it was around 2.5k usd they paid by check. I got paid by check. Check arrived around 3 weeks after cashout. Check was paid. Since then things have changed so much. If I have to wait more than 48 hours for a cash out back to my ewallet or card I never re-deposit at that casino ... ever period. As was the case with Rushmore who took 5 weeks almost to pay a Rj for 6k I won. I never made another deposit with them ... ever and They have lost 1000s from my deposits.

Yes I deposit 1000s monthly I am a lowly addict who can and has though cashed out 1000s. So these days we have choice - stacks of it - fast payouts (if check the right casinos) good bonus play ( if you check the right casinos) its sad and tiresome to hear all the bitching and moaning about how bad it has got .... come on people get real. USA closed down MG casinos ... and ? and ? and ? they are suddenly alot more outfits with the balls to allow the US market.

Somtimes you win - lots of times you loose - all the time you have choice. If you think its rigged or bull then quit and stop bitching. And funny to add that over past 24 months or so Im up. By quite a margin on all my play - thats 1000s in deposits 100s of hours of play time - lots of low and mid rolling but Im up. Damn this place can be so negative at times. Im of to deposit 1k at my fav casino and have sum fun. ?
 
Like I said before, I can do without the bonuses and usually do but here's the question the casinos might ask. If we don't use bonuses to attract players what do we use?

As a non-bonus player, a casino comes along, offers me instant Neteller cashouts and no reverse pending time on bank cashouts, a decent comp points system and maybe some sort of modest loyalty bonus (aka iNetBet's Manager Bonus or Canbet's 20% cashback on losses), and (assuming the software's decent) I'm hooked.

For a bonus player, you just asked the $64 milllion question I suspect and there may be no answer because they are here for the freebie, plain and simple.

I'd love to know if someone's done a valuation of the actual cost of a signup bonus taking into account the occasional (?) winners + processing costs, the support required to manage them and reputation management issues.
 
Bonuses could be pretty similar, put out these big bonuses then adjust the RTP, the player thinks they have a good deal when in fact "all" players high or low are paying for these offers without even taking them.
I know everyone's getting tired of hearing this, but please if you honestly think casinos adjust the RTP to compensate for offering bonuses then please just stop playing online now.

For a bonus player, you just asked the $64 million question I suspect and there may be no answer because they are here for the freebie, plain and simple.
Half way there...!
For the freebie, and to give me a stopping point. (I know - you've heard this before too! :p)
I deposit say $100, take a bonus but bust out before making WR; I stop and move to a different casino.
I deposit say $100, take a bonus, get lucky & meet WR with $200 profit; I stop, cash-out and move to a different casino.

If I didn't use bonuses I wouldn't know when to stop. In fact, why stop ever unless I was quitting gambling? What is the point of EVER cashing out if you are only going to deposit again later without taking a bonus?
Seriously, what is the point? :confused:

KK
 

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