Microgamings New Bonus System

[darkpixie]

I was wondering if anyone knows exactly how the new bonus system works. I was under the impression that it is a drip? However yesterday I deposited $100 and got lucky before my $100 bonus came in. As a result I wagered more than 50% of the wagering requirements. At other casinos, the bonus would work as such, if it was a 30X rollover you had to Wager $3000 and for every $300 $10 of your bonus would be freed up.
Can anyone correct me if my understanding is wrong? Or let me know if each individual casino can set up the bonus system however they like?
The reason I ask is that when my bonus finally showed up it says I have wagered zero and i do not have access to any or my bonus.
Thanks!
I will refrain from naming the casino for now as I am still trying to work out the issue.

 

[vinylweatherman]

Normal

The system only calculates wagering from the point when the bonus is credited. This is the norm with any bonus, although there are exceptions. In this case, the system calculates the wagering at each spin/hand, but transfers the bonus in increments of 10 credits. A $100 bonus would need $3000 of wagering from the point the bonus is added. It would be best to deposit and log off and wait for the bonus. Check that a 1x playthrough of the deposit is not required beforehand (Roxy Palace and Fortune Lounge - although they do not use the EZbonus system).
The games are weighted, and table pokers and roulettes etc require a 60x playthrough ($6000). Video Poker and Blackjack require a whopping 300x playthrough. Two games, Classic Blackjack (rare) and All Aces are weighted at 2%, this equates to a mind numbing 1500x WR, or $150000.
It looks to me as though all casinos are using the same game weightings and turnover requirements. This does not mean they cannot tweak it though, this system has only recently been introduced and casinos have little data as to how it is performing for them.

 

[Simmo!]

So why is it called "EZbonus" exactly?!

 

[tennis_balls]

So why is it called "EZbonus" exactly?!

because it's EZ to go bust!

 

[darkpixie]

Thank you Vinylweatherman, I have spoken to a few people in support and they all said that the amounts I already wagered did count towards the WR, and specifically there is nothing in the t&c about WR starting once the bonus is credited. The problem I am having is that no one seems to want to fix it in the software and they are telling me it is a microgaming issue. I'm up $600 and am wavering between going for the bonus or just cashing out. Ack! So my money is just sitting there and I don't know what to do. This particular company is also giving me mixed advice as to the 'drip' some support say yes it works that way, others say no it does not. I have sent a PM to the casino rep here so here is hoping I get a response!

 

[Zoozie]

I got a 30$ 100% deposit bonus and decided to play video poker. Then I found out wagering requirement was 9000$! (for a 30$ bonus!). I managed to get it up to 120$ after 1 hours play and I had only wagered 2000$. I just cashed out, at least that is possible now. They just remove the deposit bonus, so I was paid 90$. Actually there was a small mistake and I was paid 60$ (think they removed the 30$ twice). After emailing they gave me the last 30$. So maybe you should watch out for this.

Wagering 9000$ on JoB has expected loss of 41.4$. So you lose money trying to play through the bonus. So just withdraw before you have fullfilled wagering if you are up and still very far from the wagering.

Zoozie

 

[Darem1]

Bonus

When in doubt, always CASH OUT! $600 in the hand is great! Use $100 of that at Intercasino and get $90 or $100 matchplay immediately. Maybe you will get lucky again. No, I am not a spammer for Intercasino, I would just like to see you come out ahead from where they are giving you a hard time and get an honest, up front match straight away from an honest casino.

 

[soflat]

The big advantage to the new system is that you can cash out winnings anytime.

With the new enormous wagering requirements there is no incentive to keep playing for the bonus.

 

[darkpixie]

Darem1 thanks! I cashed out at $500 up!
I'd like to try other softwares but I am pretty attached to microgaming
Does intercasino have free play? Also how do they manage thier wager requirments?
Thanks!

 

[KasinoKing]

Darem1 thanks! I cashed out at $500 up!
I'd like to try other softwares but I am pretty attached to microgaming
Does intercasino have free play? Also how do they manage their wager requirments?
Thanks!

All Crypto's have free play - offline too!

At Inter they give you the bonus instantly on deposit. WR is Bx25 ($2,500).
They have the fabulous 'Log Viewer' where you can see exactly what you've wagered, and there's a 'promotions' page in the cashier section where a screen tells you exactly what % of playthrough you have already achieved.

I believe you can cash-out at any time - even if you have not met WR - but I VERY STRONGLY advise against doing this as you might get banned from future bonuses.
You get 100% on $100 EVERY month (if you don't 'abuse' the bonus) - the best monthly offer on the whole internet!

PS: Well done for cashing out at the MG - that would have been my advice too!
I am (literally in the next few minutes!) going to try the EZ-Bonus for the first ever time myself - I'll let you know how it goes!

 

[vinylweatherman]

EZ Bonus

I have now had an opportunity to play a few bonuses with EZ Bonus. Under the WR rules, there is no such thing as a bonus with a positive expectation for the player. This means that taking a bonus specifically to abuse it should no longer be profitable in the main, although high risk methods used for "sticky" bonuses may still be profitable for good sign-up bonuses.
I can confirm that the bonus is earned in increments of 10 credits from the bonus account to the real account. The "bubble" will let you know at any time the amount of real cash available to withdraw, and the amount of bonus left. Casinos that allow wagering prior to crediting the bonus have a disadvantage because the software does not calculate wagering from the time of deposit. This makes the system anything but "EZ".
Oddly enough, grinding out at $1 on Vegas Strip gives the least amount of loss. The best method is probably to use the bonus to increase bet size and take slightly higher risks. If a big win is made, the system then allows immediate withdrawal without the need to grind out WR during what could prove to be a dead spell.
The other main advantage is that players can no longer be denied a cash-in due to not meeting WR and being blamed for doing it deliberately. Any cash-in that falls outside of T & C would be a result of software error in the EZ bonus system.
I suspect "bonus whores" will play this as a sticky bonus, and this may still lead to problems between casinos and players. This is inevitable when the best bonuses go to new players, and less to regular punters (there are exeptions though, and that is where I play the most).

I first heard of EZ Bonus when Grand Privvy had it, claiming to have "invented" it. When it appeared at Casino Action I nearly had a coronary thinking the Privvy lot had bought them out! It turns out to have been programmed by MG, and is an option now available to operators. Recently corrected is the earlier bug where the EZ Bonus "bubble" appeared in non-participating casinos with a bonus balance of zero.

 

[darkpixie]

I think its fantastic, though they just need to work out that kink with the making the player hold off on wagering before the bonus hits the account. I pretty much won't take a bonus or frequent a casino that does not have that in place now.

 

[KasinoKing]

I first heard of EZ Bonus when Grand Privvy had it, claiming to have "invented" it...

That's where I was going to try it yesterday... until I discovered that Grand Prive do not give sign-up bonuses to UK players and you can not open an account in $US

Now I know what it feels like to be Danish!

Anyone know why GP have this peculiar rule?
I've never had this problem at ANY other casino or group.

 

[tennis_balls]

no bonus for Brits? that's hard to fathom.....everyone knows they're the nuttiest gamblers on the planet after the first six or seven pints. There is even a guide to fruit machines on their motorway network.

i was just reading the terms at grand bay and I didn't see any mention of Brits. Are you sure their customer service didn't confuse UK with Ukraine?

 

[tennis_balls]

from re-reading the terms at grand bay, it looks to me like you have to wager the amount of your deposit one time before you are eligible for the bonus. anyone know if that's right or can you just deposit and do nothing for 24 hours and the bonus will appear?

the other confusing thing to me is if I play a few hands of blackjack, does that then alter the WR for all the rest of my play even if I play mostly slots?

i know i could just call customer service for an answer, but I have more confidence in the answer on this forum.

 

[KasinoKing]

I can answer that for you!

Once you deposit you must wager your deposit through once. (Do this ASAP)
They will then add the bonus 'within 24hrs'.

Only then does your 30x Wagering Requirement start.

You can play any games, but the amount of WR 'eaten' varies.
e.g. $1 on a slot takes $1 off your WR
$1 on Roulette takes 50c off your WR
$1 on BJ takes 10c off your WR.
(At least, that's the way I interpret it).

As for Brits, their T&C's say:
If you live in the UK you can ONLY open a £UK account.
And for the sign-up bonus:-
SUB is only available for $US $CAN & €uros.

I actually missed this the first time I read the T&C's, and I deposited in $US.
I played my deposit x1 (and made 14% profit!)
I waited for 24hrs, but instead of getting a bonus, I got an e-mail saying I had to withdraw my funds & open a £UK account instead!
Errrr... no thanks!

 

[tennis_balls]

As for Brits, their T&C's say:
If you live in the UK you can ONLY open a £UK account.
And for the sign-up bonus:-
SUB is only available for $US $CAN & €uro.

wow! that's bizarre? must have something to do with regulations? maybe Prince Charles had a bad run there and rogued them?

 

[vinylweatherman]

Insult.

Regulations? BullSh**. It is an insult to us Brits, and coming from a dodgy operator such as Grand Privvy, who had many "odd" issues with Neteller options "disappearing and reappearing", and allegations this was to prevent certain players from depositing.
Banning bonuses with UK accounts was the first move, and there was a plausible excuse for that (preventing currency weight leading to bonus "abuse" by playing in ponds). That was OK, Brits could play in an allowed currency, such as dollars and euro to be treated equally with the rest of the planet. It seems that the addition of the terms that Brits had to play in pounds only was aimed specifically at us, no other country on the planet has such a dual-term exclusion planned solely to prevent eligibility for bonuses. USA residents must use dollars, but they are allowed the bonuses.
Given that they are eCogra seal holders, and have been allowed to pull this without explaining why loweres my opinion of eCogra in ensuring a level playing field for all players. It seems they can do it, provided it is in the terms and conditions, irrespective of whether it is fair or not.
Given their earlier problems, I really did NOT need a further disincentive to play there, they had performed badly enough to put me off already
Given that EZBonus provides a negative expectation bonus environment in the long run, I fail to see why they still keep the country exclusions in place. The Grand Privvy term is not just for bonuses, Brits are banned from participating in EVERYTHING that the casino puts on for players, so what is the point of a Brit playing there - our losses will be subsidising the other players, and our house edge is not reduced on the games to compensate.