The Worst Bonus Offers

[love2vegas]

Interested to hear from people about the WORST BONUS OFFERS you have found. Sometimes, it just blows my mind! I don't accept offers with more than a 20X wagering requirement and these have to be minimum of 50% or higher bonus-usually 100%. Also, I don't usually accept "sticky" bonuses, although I will in a rare case. (Lucky chance casino had some cool VP games which proved to be worth the sticky bonus) Anyway, I was checking out some bonus offers the other day and one place actually said that you had to wager your bonus 100X if you played video poker. (Come on!) Then another offer had a 20X bonus & purchase, plus it was a sticky bonus (non-cashable) plus you had to have a minmum dollars equal to your purchase or higher to cash-in, plus you would have the bonus deducted from your winnings before they were played. (not sure if you had to put up your first born as collateral or not!!) I would put the name of these casinos down here, but I deleted the offers so fast that I can't even remember which casinos they were.
What's your worst experience???

 

[love2vegas]

Come on- some of you must have found some pretty aweful bonus terms?
If not, I'll let it go! Just wondering what others had run into....

 

[thesmacker]

The most absurd and useless bonuses come from Music Hall Casino, Aztec Riches, Golden Reef and Challenge Casino. They give you a bonus but put it in a separate bonus account which may be turned into "real" money at the managers discretion. Basically the bonus is nothing and if you ask the casino support how much you have to wager for your bonus money to be turned into real money they will not give you a straight answer. There have been many problems with this bonus account system posted at other boards. Basically these casinos are trying to trick you into depositing thinking that your getting a bonus when in fact you are not. This system should just about put these casinos up for roguedom as they are blatantly trying to decieve players.

 

[drhein]

I'm new here so I hope I'm doing this right!

From Grand Royal Casino (seen it in some other RTG casinos too):

Are you up for the Challenge?
Deposit $US100 and we'll add $US1500 to your real money casino balance. Push your winnings up to more than $US20,000 by playing our exciting casino games. Winnings exceeding $US20,000 is yours to cash out, up to a maximum of $US2,500. The $100 deposit is the entry fee to participate in this challenge. Note: Progressive games are excluded from this promotion.

Huh?!?!?! I've got to WIN (not wager) 20 grand then I only get to keep what's over that amount. And progressives don't count. I don't think so...

 

[love2vegas]

Hey, smacker- I have heard there is a lot of problems with the bonus system from Golden Reef group. I have found the same thing myself- they still state that you have to do a 20X (bonus & wagering requuirement) but put your bonus $$ in a separate account. I thought that it automatically transferred as you wagered the 20X bonus- but it doesn't! I did receive one offer that made a big deal about putting the bonus into your regular account. Too bad they have started doing this, as they were one of the best for awhile- you use to be able to go into the "casino action" and simply add the bonus to your own account.

drhein- WELCOME! That is the craziest promo I have heard of! You have to exceed $20,000 before you can cash out and you can only cash out a maximum of $2,500! You get to turn their "1,500" of fake money into over $20,000 & without even using progressive amounts!!! If I could do that, I wouldn't need their silly-assed bonus

 

[hhcfreebie]

I'm new here so I hope I'm doing this right!

From Grand Royal Casino (seen it in some other RTG casinos too):

Are you up for the Challenge?
Deposit $US100 and we'll add $US1500 to your real money casino balance. Push your winnings up to more than $US20,000 by playing our exciting casino games. Winnings exceeding $US20,000 is yours to cash out, up to a maximum of $US2,500. The $100 deposit is the entry fee to participate in this challenge. Note: Progressive games are excluded from this promotion.

Huh?!?!?! I've got to WIN (not wager) 20 grand then I only get to keep what's over that amount. And progressives don't count. I don't think so...

This promotion is bad, but you still have a chance to win.
The best strategy is to shoot for $22500 or go bust trying. Therefore you should bet as much as possible and play the game with highest variance.
If there is no house edge at all, the chance of reach 22500 with 1500 is 6.67%. Your espected return would be 6.67% x (2500) = 193.33. The net profit for this promotion would be 93.
The main problem is that the table limit is normally set at $500, therefore the chance of reaching 22500 is a lot smaller due to the house edge.

 

[love2vegas]

This promotion is bad, but you still have a chance to win.
The best strategy is to shoot for $22500 or go bust trying. Therefore you should bet as much as possible and play the game with highest variance.
If there is no house edge at all, the chance of reach 22500 with 1500 is 6.67%. Your espected return would be 6.67% x (2500) = 193.33. The net profit for this promotion would be 93.
The main problem is that the table limit is normally set at $500, therefore the chance of reaching 22500 is a lot smaller due to the house edge.

You say that with the house having no edge at all and a larger limit than most places allow, the return would be 93. However, since the house does have a built in advantage and there is vitually no money to be had unless you hit the 22500, wouldn't this make your return even smaller? So, in reality, the expected return would be that you go bust? (Plus, having a return that's under say 90, would be some tremendous house odds wouldn't it??!)

 

[GrandMaster]

I'm new here so I hope I'm doing this right!

From Grand Royal Casino (seen it in some other RTG casinos too):

Are you up for the Challenge?
Deposit $US100 and we'll add $US1500 to your real money casino balance. Push your winnings up to more than $US20,000 by playing our exciting casino games. Winnings exceeding $US20,000 is yours to cash out, up to a maximum of $US2,500. The $100 deposit is the entry fee to participate in this challenge. Note: Progressive games are excluded from this promotion.

Huh?!?!?! I've got to WIN (not wager) 20 grand then I only get to keep what's over that amount. And progressives don't count. I don't think so...

A simple strategy would be to put everything on the banker in baccarat. The probability of banker coming up before player is 0.50685 (in case of a tie just keep playing), so the probability of banker winning 4 times before player is 0.066. If this happens, you have 23134.41, so you can cash in $2500. The expected value of your cash-in is 2500*0.066=$165, so the EV of the promotion with this strategy is $65. Of course, you lose your $100 with probability 0.934 but win $2400 with probability 0.066. You can improve on this slightly. If you win 3 times, you have $11863.8. You only need to bet $11196 to have $22500, so if you lose at this stage, you will $667.8 which you can put on a single number on roulette, this adds about $2 to the EV.

A more complicated strategy might involve a combination of roulette and baccarat, using roulette to get close to $20000, and then baccarat to aim for exactly $22500, but I cannot be bothered to calculate the details.

All this assumes that you can play any games without any limits on the size of your bets. If the table limit is a problem, then play pontoon or Caribbean 21 at the table max instead of baccarat for a lower house edge.

If Joker Poker with expected return 100.18% is available, then you could play it at the minimum stake. This might provide the best chances to reach $22500, but expect to wager more than 1 million dollars to get there, so it may take a while.

 

[hhcfreebie]

You say that with the house having no edge at all and a larger limit than most places allow, the return would be 93. However, since the house does have a built in advantage and there is vitually no money to be had unless you hit the 22500, wouldn't this make your return even smaller? So, in reality, the expected return would be that you go bust? (Plus, having a return that's under say 90, would be some tremendous house odds wouldn't it??!)

I think you confused the house edge with the hold. For most games the house edge is less than 3%. The more you wager on the game, the more you will loose. Therefore the best strategy is to bet maximum on the game with highest variance so that you can reach the goal with less wager, or go bust trying. The same rule apply to sticky bonus promotions or promotions with a minimum cashout limit.
The maximum profit for this promotion is 93, or the expected withdrawl of 193. You will go bust most of the time but when you win you win big. A better strategy would push your profit closer to 93, but never exceed it. A poor strategy such as flat betting $5 on BJ would result a guaranteed loose.
Since the table limit is normally 250-500, I'd suggest go for the games with highest variance instead of BJ or bacarat. The pair plus bet on Tri-card poker, muti hand VP with doubling feature or bet big on single number roulette would all suit this purpose.

 

[gfkostas]

I believe one of the most difficult bonuses to get away with a win is from Ritz club.100% bonus if you deposit 50 and then you have to wager x60 the bonus amount

 

[love2vegas]

hhcfreebie- Thanks for that info. There are a few of you (like yourself & grandmaster) who really have these odds down. I think I'll stick with the standard offers, although it is an intersting way to get people into the betting trend! (& You're right- I did think you meant the casino edge not the hold.)

gfkostis- WOW! Ritz club has a 60X WR??! LOL. I did notice you said 60X the bonus, though. This would be equal to 30X bonus & Purchase- which is still ridiculous. Guess I won't be going for that one anytime soon!

 

[hhcfreebie]

Actually, the promotion from connectocasino is not that great either.
They offer 2 types of bonus
(1) 300%-450% sticky bonus, must play 30x deposit and bonus before withdrawl. Only slots and kenos are allowed.
(2) 200% sticky bonus, BJ and VP (8/5 on JoB) are allowed but you still have to play 30x deposit and bonus. To cash out the bonus, you must play 100x deposit and bonus.
Like I said before, the best strategy is to use variance to my advantage and try to shoot my bankroll sky rocket high or go bust trying. I've been up with these promotion for months until the recent two months.
Definitely not for the weak of heart.

 

[drhein]

Just a caveat to anyone considering Connect To Casino's bonuses...

I did pretty well there but they are trying to not pay me stating that I didn't lose my whole $15 free chip that I claimed prior to depositing, and therefore am only entitled to the 5x cashout of the free chip (I cashed out over $1000 after subtracting the sticky bonus of $550 that I received for depositing $100). They say because I didn't log out of the software prior to making the deposit and claiming the (then) 550% bonus, they don't show the zero balance. They were responsive when I had questions about depositing and even called me to explain this situation with the cashout after I emailed them twice. However, since then when I ask how it is possible that the RTG software couldn't tell them what my balance was during a session, no response. RTG does stand for REAL TIME Gaming, right? I've pitched a bitch with the Meister so we shall see if anything gets done, but I wanted to warn those who might see that info posted here by hhcfreebie. Whatever you do, log out before you deposit!

As a positive note, I really do like the RTG software and the Super Diamond Mine bonus slot was very profitable. Perhaps that was the problem. Too bad most of the operators of that software are untrustworthy...

(sorry if this is a little bit off topic)

 

[love2vegas]

Actually, the promotion from connectocasino is not that great either.
They offer 2 types of bonus
(1) 300%-450% sticky bonus, must play 30x deposit and bonus before withdrawl. Only slots and kenos are allowed.
(2) 200% sticky bonus, BJ and VP (8/5 on JoB) are allowed but you still have to play 30x deposit and bonus. To cash out the bonus, you must play 100x deposit and bonus.
Like I said before, the best strategy is to use variance to my advantage and try to shoot my bankroll sky rocket high or go bust trying. I've been up with these promotion for months until the recent two months.
Definitely not for the weak of heart.

Thanks HHCFREEBIE- I knew I saw that 100X WR deposit & Bonus somewhere. I almost fell off my chair & deleted this offer so fast! Just too big of a WR for me- I don't go over anything more than 20X. That's just me.

 

[love2vegas]

Also drhein- Sorry to hear about your bad experience with casino-on-net. Hope you get that resolved soon!

 

[GrandMaster]

gfkostis- WOW! Ritz club has a 60X WR??! LOL. I did notice you said 60X the bonus, though. This would be equal to 30X bonus & Purchase- which is still ridiculous. Guess I won't be going for that one anytime soon!

The best way to compare bonuses is to express the WR as a multiple of the bonus, even if the industry likes to obscure it by specifying it a multiple of deposit+bonus. 20(D+B) is reasonable for 100% match bonus, but totally ridiculous for a 10% match bonus. In the latter case you would have to wager 220xB, which means that unless you play a game with a house edge of less than 0.45%, your expectation of this promotion is negative! You should only take it up if you were going to wager that much anyway, regardless how well or badly you were doing.

 

[love2vegas]

The best way to compare bonuses is to express the WR as a multiple of the bonus, even if the industry likes to obscure it by specifying it a multiple of deposit+bonus. 20(D+B) is reasonable for 100% match bonus, but totally ridiculous for a 10% match bonus. In the latter case you would have to wager 220xB, which means that unless you play a game with a house edge of less than 0.45%, your expectation of this promotion is negative! You should only take it up if you were going to wager that much anyway, regardless how well or badly you were doing.

Good points GRANDMASTER. I should have specified that a 20X WR I only accept if it is 50% or higher bonus OR if the 20X is based solely on the bonus amount. Even at 20% I have to consider whether it is a trusted place where they pay back decently, etc. I prefer bonuses which are less than 20X and will
go for them when avaialable- but again only if the bonus amount is 30% or higher. I've had a few times where I was up nicely, but down by the time my WR was fulfilled, so I know the larger the WR the more chance to lose your stake.

 

[drhein]

More T&Cs from the $1500 Grand Royal Casino offer:

-A playthrough of 15 times will be required on both the deposit and the bonus.
-Wagers on Blackjack will require a playthrough of 25 times.
-Playing Bingo, Roulette, Craps or Baccarat for the duration of this promotion will void the bonus money and all winnings.
-You are not allowed to play any progressive game on offer at Grand Royal Casino or multi-player poker for the duration of this promotion. Placing a bet on the progressive games will result in the immediate removal of your bonus money and any winnings from your account. The following games are progressive games: Card Shark, Caribbean Stud Progressive, Crazy Dragon, It's Good to be Bad, Let Em Ride Progressive, Light Speed, Shopping Spree, Mid-Life Crisis and I.R.I.S. 300

Gee wouldn't it have been easier to list the games you CAN play?

 

[love2vegas]

Gee wouldn't it have been easier to list the games you CAN play?[/QUOTE]

That's the part they probably are hiding! It probably comes down to their
worst odds slots games! LOL!

 

[GrandMaster]

More T&Cs from the $1500 Grand Royal Casino offer:

-A playthrough of 15 times will be required on both the deposit and the bonus.
-Wagers on Blackjack will require a playthrough of 25 times.
-Playing Bingo, Roulette, Craps or Baccarat for the duration of this promotion will void the bonus money and all winnings. [\QUOTE]

This kills my strategy. In this case the best thing is to play BJ or one of its relatives aggressively by betting the table max, while still allowing for splits and doubles. You probably want to go easy on doubling, because you want to maximise your chances of winning, rather than the expected value. The WR is unlikely to be a problem, but if you get to $22500 before meeting the WR, then reduce your stake.

 

[markey111]

when you join william hill casino you are given a 50 welcome bonus. you then have to win(and lose 2000) before you can claim any winnings. The same applies to the 25 monthly cash match bonus( although you need to play 500 before you can claim any winnings).
Note that when you sign up you are not asked if you want these bonuses they give you then wanted or not. the only way to make sure you are not ripped of with this bonus crap is .. before you deposit any funds go to cashier,then -my account, then -change account details. then uncheck the box in the bonus options box-(always credit any bonus to my account). this box is ckecked when you sign up.
i just got this 25 cash match bonus which would have cost me 500. i phoned customer support (as live help is a joke) asked them to remove this absurd bonus and they refused replying "it wont cost you 500......if you are lucky!!!" needless to say i have now closed my account with william hill after these rip off bonus schemes.
My advice...avoid them!!!

 

[love2vegas]

i just got this 25 cash match bonus which would have cost me 500. i phoned customer support (as live help is a joke) asked them to remove this absurd bonus and they refused replying "it wont cost you 500......if you are lucky!!!" needless to say i have now closed my account with william hill after these rip off bonus schemes.

Some people don't like to take the bonuses because of the wagering requirements. I like them, as long as they are reasonable. Actually, the Will Hill bonus is 20X the bonus (or 10X the bonus & purchase), which I don't find to be too bad. In fact, intercasino is 25X the bonus. True, sometimes I lose it all even with the bonus. But often, I bet much more than the minimum needed. And, if you hit a couple of things (like the ROYAL I just hit at intercasino) Both Will Hill & Intercasino pay fast. I definitely agree they should remove the bonus if you don't want to use it. Good luck markey!

 

[markey111]

i just got this 25 cash match bonus which would have cost me 500. i phoned customer support (as live help is a joke) asked them to remove this absurd bonus and they refused replying "it wont cost you 500......if you are lucky!!!" needless to say i have now closed my account with william hill after these rip off bonus schemes.

Some people don't like to take the bonuses because of the wagering requirements. I like them, as long as they are reasonable. Actually, the Will Hill bonus is 20X the bonus (or 10X the bonus & purchase), which I don't find to be too bad. In fact, intercasino is 25X the bonus. True, sometimes I lose it all even with the bonus. But often, I bet much more than the minimum needed. And, if you hit a couple of things (like the ROYAL I just hit at intercasino) Both Will Hill & Intercasino pay fast. I definitely agree they should remove the bonus if you don't want to use it. Good luck markey!

thanks for that, just a line to say the welcome bonus at william hill is 50 with a 40x play off(2000) and yes they both (intercasino and william hill)do pay very fast .I think they should inform customers at sign up about these bonuses and the consequences and be asked at sign up if they want the bonuses or not and maybe remove the bonus when requested but as they seen to make a lot of money with them this will be unlikely
gonna stick to ladbrokes in future, payouts seem better, software is better ,good bonuses with no silly play offs and fast payouts too.
keep it up ladbrokes!

 

[Darcus]

The William Hill offer is not so bad. 7/10 I make the requirement and it is a nice way to start the month with a little outlay betting 2 a hand for maybe an hour. Someone also mentioned the Ritz monthly match bonus which I think is great! My results for the last two months for 50 were withdrew 275 and 390 for this month. Not bad eh? Playing at 5 a hand it is no big deal and it is a trustworthy, straightfoorward casino with no hidden clauses etc.

 

[padanian]

I couldn't believe my eyes, while surfing the CCC website



"Arthur's Grinners!!! - Monthly promotion..

Arthur will turn our losers into winners this month by rewarding the 10 people who lose the most with a $500 gift each! Now is your big chance to win! All you have to do...is lose!"



The only positive thing about such a weird idea is that they're a family run business: paying a marketing manager for such campaign would be definitely a waste of money...