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What exactly is a "bonus abuser"?

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Oct 4, 2006
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I have been reading through the various awards given by Casiomeister and following some of the threads. Specifically one concerning Captain Cook Casino.

Fall From Grace Award 2005 (runner up)

Exactly how does one abuse a bonus? If you sign up for a casino, take their bonus, meet the wagering requirements and happen to have money to withdraw how is this abuse?

Are players limited to the number of casinos they may join? I would think if you aren't making duplicate accounts then what is the beef?

I have seen this term thrown around and decided I needed to know what it really meant. :what:
 
technically, it should be impossible to abuse a bonus because if one doesn't meet the stated requirements, they don't get paid. they have this "good faith" clause though that expects more play from the punter than satisfying bonus requirements.

what can you do?
 
At quite a few casinos if you make your first deposit, take a bonus and win, then you're a bonus abuser.

I know it's been beaten to death, what is an abuser, who's abusing who, etc.
but I know that one of the accredited groups (GV) changed their T&C's to combat what they deem is bonus abuse...making a killing on the sign up bonus with low house advantage games.
Now they only allow small stakes for BJ , for example..
 
I know it's been beaten to death, what is an abuser, who's abusing who, etc.
but I know that one of the accredited groups (GV) changed their T&C's to combat what they deem is bonus abuse...making a killing on the sign up bonus with low house advantage games.
Now they only allow small stakes for BJ , for example..

I'm a blackjack player myself...so I guess I'm a bonus abuser if I take a bonus that's offered where I can play blackjack? Hardly so...

If other places don't want bonus abusers, or even the thought of it, then they need to disallow all games except for slots.

If they want to allow BJ and claim 100x+ WR, then by all means HONOR cashouts if someone gets lucky enough to make it through. Don't label them as a bonus abuser...the same goes for other high WR games.
 
So what I am getting from all your input is there is no such thing as a bonus abuser. Just online casinos that hate it when we win. :lolup: :lolup: :lolup:

Exactly ;)

Here is a good old example:

Reef Club Casino - Cassava Enterprises
Bonus policy - Link Removed ( Old/Invalid)
1. ...This Initial Deposit Welcome Bonus may be Cashed Out
only after an amount totaling no less than 200 times the Bonus amount has been wagered - for example, a Member must wager $10,000, before Cashing Out an Initial Deposit Welcome Bonus totaling $50.

And then

6. In the event of abuse, Reef Club Casino reserves the right to discontinue the Member's Reef Club Casino Membership and to prevent the Member from accessing the Casino in the future.

"Happy Gaming" @ Reef Club! :thumbsup:
 
I always though a bonus abuser was someone who only plays with a bonus every time. Waiting for that definition to come out in websters,lol

Ama
At some casinos a bonus abuser is someone who takes a bonus and is smart or lucky enough to come out ahead. You can even be labelled a bonus abuser if you do not take a bonus. :confused:
 
Bonus Fraud

Anyone who can "abuse" a bonus with 200x WR is clearly up to something:D


Casinos seem keen to muddy the distinction between bonus abuse and fraud, with the implication that those who win with their bonus must be committing fraud, but the casino is having trouble working out how (perhaps because the player didn't). They then bring out the "abuse" accusation to deny the cashout.
Unlike a court of law, it is usually down to the casino manager's "gut feeling" that cash-ins are denied and the player called a criminal (Fraud is a crime, whether committed by player or casino).
Business, be it casino or double glazing salespersons, find it easy to screw the customer, and some rogue characters deliberately set up shop to do this from the outset, given that casinos are less regulated than double glazing companies, it is hardly surpising that fraudsters are attracted to the idea of starting their own casino.

Casinos now suffer the consequences of this cavalier attitude in the development of the player fraudsters. They see casinos getting away with "murder" and just want a slice of the cake too. Casinos then have to tighten even further, and end up screwing innocent players, who then may decide that the whole industry is corrupt, and that they cannot get a fair deal unless they play the casinos at their own game. This began with "bonus abuse", and soon went on to multiple account bonus abuse, using false identities to have several goes at the bonuses. Beyond this, financial fraud, with fraudsters using money from stolen sources to play (or withdraw into a "clean" account); this includes players who make a chargeback when they lose and pocket the winnings when they win (there are a few casinos that do this also, deny a cash-out when a player wins, but happily accept deposits and play when the player is losing - if a player is in breach of terms, they are just as in breach when losing than when winning, so ALL wagering should be voided, not just the last winning session).

A definition? this has been discussed at length, but casino operators will not define what is a bonus abuser, as doing so would limit their ability to identify other forms of abuse. Initially, abusing a bonus meant making thousands of tiny bets on a game like Blackjack and cashing out at the end of meeting WR with a small profit. Now, abuse includes making a very high risk bet, or series of bets, in order to win big or die very quickly with the bonus. As soon as another strategy turns out a significant number of winners, this too will become "bonus abuse" - this implies that playing to win is sufficient to attract attention.

With casinos making bonuses ever more complicated, players need to get cleverer too, and many websites have sprung up to cater for this, and now a brand new form of bonus abuse emerges, playing by rote (usually the accusation is that the new player got a skilled friend to play for them, and they justify this by saying that their pattern of depositing for the maximum bonus and playing skillfully means that they MUST be a member of a ring of friends rather than playing for "their own entertainment".
 
B&M casinos also like to confuse card counting and cheating and try to give the impression that card counting is somehow illegal.

I conside the following to be bonus abuse: withdrawing the player's own money after receiving the bonus and only playing with the bonus, or hedging bets at baccarat, roulette, craps or sic bo to make a guaranteed profit.
 
Some casinos require you to play your deposit AND bonus in the WR? I noticed once when I thought I had met my WR and tried to cash out the message told me I would forfeit my bonus amount. I didn't cash out.

Others require you to play the bonus X amount of times before they will allow you to make any withdrawals. I see this a lot in the RTG casinos.

I haven't run across a casino that would allow me to withdraw my deposit once my bonus was applied without some T&Cs being met.
 
Bonuses.

I haven't run across a casino that would allow me to withdraw my deposit once my bonus was applied without some T&Cs being met.

Until recently, the Crypto casinos did allow this, and even more than once in some cases. This changed recently with the use of codes and an announcement that no withdrawals could be made till the full WR had been completed.

Grandmaster has the best definition "I conside the following to be bonus abuse: withdrawing the player's own money after receiving the bonus and only playing with the bonus, or hedging bets at baccarat, roulette, craps or sic bo to make a guaranteed profit."

Pity this is too simple for casinos to use. They seem to include any winning strategy as abuse.

Another definition some casinos rely on is a player who only ever deposits when a bonus is offered. However, this makes sense from the player's point of view as many players are playing with bonuses, and if other casinos are offering bonuses it makes sense to deposit there first before depositing at a casino that offers nothing. Most casinos are seen as the same as each other, the only way they can stand out is by the promotions on offer.
 
For me there is a distinction between a "bonus abuser" and a "bonus hunter".

An "abuser" is IMO someone who acts dishonestly in some way: IE; signs up multiple accounts to get more than one bonus (like the old "a friend/wife/son/cat of mine played on my computer" excuse - lol).

A "hunter" is one who works the casinos offering bonuses using them to their advantage, but within the terms.

In my mind, a casino that relies on bonuses to obtain and retain players has to expect that both types of player will pass through their doors and I have little sympathy with either casino or player when problems arise to be honest, although "hunters" are quite within their rights to try IMO.
 
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For me there is a distinction between a "bonus abuser" and a "bonus hunter".

An "abuser" is IMO someone who acts dishnionestly in some way: IE; signs up multiple accounts to get more than one bonus (like the old "a friend/wife/son/cat of mine played on my computer" excuse - lol).

A "hunter" is one who works the casinos offering bonuses using them to their advantage, but within the terms.

In my mind, a casino that relies on bonuses to obtain and retain players has to expect that both types of player will pass through their doors and I have little sympathy with either casino or player to be honest, although "hunters" are quite within their rights to try IMO.

This is how I see it, too. Nothing wrong with a bonus hunter/advantage player or whatever who honestly uses bonuses, hewing to the T&C's offered by the casino management.

To me an abuser is someone who dishonestly breaks those terms and conditions and still expects to be rewarded.
 
Things that would tick off a casino, in decreasing level of probable anger:

1) Cheating/hacking
2) Creating multiple accounts
3) Robot software
4) Only depositing when there's a bonus
5) When playing a bonus, just barely meeting the WR, then cashing out.

I would expect that, eventually, a casino would close the account of someone doing 1 through 3. And 4 and 5 combined would get you closed too, if they detected it.

Personally, I don't think it's "abuse" in the bad sense as long as the player follows all the annoying byzantine rules that the casino sets out. Even if the player's goal is to flog the casino like a rented mule.
 
Emotion has no place in this, although I suspect that casino managements occasionally let that get the better of them.

It's a straight business decision and the casino really holds all the cards because management frames the T&Cs and should consider the risks attached to their offers in full before these are launched.

And casinos always have the legitimate right to lock out players whom they feel are "flogging them like a rented mule" or cheating. Provided that in cases where there is not dishonesty and wilful breaking of the T&Cs they (casino management) first meet all obligations accrued to date.
 
There is no such thing as a bonus abuser.

It's just a term the casinos and affiliates made up so they can steal winnings from players.
 
There is no such thing as a bonus abuser.

It's just a term the casinos and affiliates made up so they can steal winnings from players.

How can you say that?

Ok, so let's say I take a bonus at a casino. The deposit is $500. The bonus is $500, and it's cashable, and given up front.

The WR is 15*(D+B), which would be $15,000.

I head over to slots, winning $5,000 after $2,000 of wagers.

I then try and withdraw my deposit, bonus, and winnings without meeting the WR.

I'm not a bonus abuser? :eek:

From what you're saying, the casino would have to pay me *everything*, eating $500 on top of my deposit & winnings, because of the bonus. Instead, they have this clause to rightfully label me a bonus abuser and void my play, winnings, and bonus - thus giving me back only my deposit.

I do, however, agree with part of your statement. There are a few rogues out there that will apply this FU clause - only because you won too much.
 
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I think it was UKBetting that closed my account after 3 months of playing their monthly bonuses. Lost the bonus and my deposit every month and they said I was abusing their bonus as the reason for closing my account. Well they didnt actually close my account, just wouldnt allow me to play for bonuses anymore. They said I could still play there.
 
I think it was UKBetting that closed my account after 3 months of playing their monthly bonuses. Lost the bonus and my deposit every month and they said I was abusing their bonus as the reason for closing my account. Well they didnt actually close my account, just wouldnt allow me to play for bonuses anymore. They said I could still play there.

:lolup: Sorry, but that's soooo funny. One would think it'd be smart of them to keep letting you accept their bonuses since you were losing with them. Now when you win a good chunk, they won't have any reason to cry 'bonus abuse'.
 
:lolup: Sorry, but that's soooo funny. One would think it'd be smart of them to keep letting you accept their bonuses since you were losing with them. Now when you win a good chunk, they won't have any reason to cry 'bonus abuse'.
I had the exact same thing happen at a Crypto years back - only took the monthly, lost overall, but got banned anyway! :what:
 
I got banned at Casino Euro before I even got a bonus. Opened an account, deposited, didn't receive my bonus, emailed them for it, banned instantly. Their loss, because I was ready to lose $$$ to them.

But honestly, if sites are so worried about bonus abusers, STOP offering them. Do they realize that they are fueling the fire? Without them, bonus abusers would not exist.

But oh, wait, they need to attract new customers...and they need to be competitive....in the end, it's all give and take...
 
Actually, what I preferred was 49er casino, which banned me from bonuses because when I would play them, I could cashout after the wagering requirement was met. Their wording seemed to imply that they wanted me to play more than the WR to not get flagged as an abuser.

If they wanted people to play more with a bonus, why don't they just increase the WR?
 
The WR is 15*(D+B), which would be $15,000.

I head over to slots, winning $5,000 after $2,000 of wagers.

I then try and withdraw my deposit, bonus, and winnings without meeting the WR.

I'm not a bonus abuser?


"TRY TO WITHDRAW"

No you are NOT a bonus abuser because

1) You wouldnt get paid and would have any winnings confiscated

2)You were attracted to a bonus and new to online gambling.You made the common mistake of not meating the WR.

Get a grip Winbig

I once abused a bonus and now I am on the Bonus abusers register.Hope the neighbours do'nt find out:p
 
Baaad Mousey! Bad! :D Received this little xmas 'treat' today. :rolleyes: (Another one bites the dust and gets uninstalled. I can see my desktop!) I guess I don't usually deposit much beyond what is required to receive the bonuses, so therefore I don't qualify to receive the bonuses anymore. :what: I believe I am now, officially, a GG bonus abuser. It's nice to know I am still elligible for the casino tourneys and promos that a low roller like me never has a chance in hell to win. pfffft.... Buh-bye.

Dear mmmmm,

Thank you for your loyalty to Fortune Lounge and your activity at GoneGambling.

As you know, in partnership with Fortune Lounge, GoneGambling offers casino credits to players for activities at the GoneGambling site and at Fortune Lounge casinos.

When GoneGambling asked us to provide our shared customers with special bonuses, we happily accepted. However, we have noted for some time that there are a few customers whose usage of these bonuses significantly exceeds our expectations, to the point where it is no longer viable for us to continue offering them.

Unfortunately, you are among this group. Although we sincerely value your business, the high volume of GoneGambling casino credits you've benefited from means that from January 9th, 2006 you will no longer be eligible for Fortune Lounge bonuses generated by the GoneGambling website.

Your eligibility for other Fortune Lounge bonuses and tournament prizes will in no way be affected by this decision.

We apologize for any disappointment this may cause.

Thank you for understanding,

John Hughes
Marketing Director, Fortune Lounge
 
The same happened to me at Roxy :(

I had only claimed gonegambling bonuses for 2 months actually and Roxy was
my favorite casino over the last year meaning I played there a lot.

And all this loyalty was also lost since Roxy also banned me from the normal weekly loyalty deposit bonuses. I wish I had not taken the small bonuses from Gone Gambling if they resulted in the 'bad standing' I somehow got with Roxy.

Zoozie
 
Baaad Mousey! Bad! :D Received this little xmas 'treat' today. :rolleyes: (Another one bites the dust and gets uninstalled. I can see my desktop!) I guess I don't usually deposit much beyond what is required to receive the bonuses, so therefore I don't qualify to receive the bonuses anymore. :what: I believe I am now, officially, a GG bonus abuser. It's nice to know I am still elligible for the casino tourneys and promos that a low roller like me never has a chance in hell to win. pfffft.... Buh-bye.

whoaaaaa....isnt GG screaming for members? If this is what you are going to get for joining and using what is offered by GG..they are in trouble. ...:eek2:
 
Baaad Mousey! Bad! :D Received this little xmas 'treat' today. :rolleyes: (Another one bites the dust and gets uninstalled. I can see my desktop!) I guess I don't usually deposit much beyond what is required to receive the bonuses, so therefore I don't qualify to receive the bonuses anymore. :what: I believe I am now, officially, a GG bonus abuser. It's nice to know I am still elligible for the casino tourneys and promos that a low roller like me never has a chance in hell to win. pfffft.... Buh-bye.

Maybe they can get the year right next time they send out the form letter. Jan. 9th 2006? Almost a year ago :D
 
Bonus Bans

I got banned by Fortune Lounge from the GG bonuses, and I was depositing $1000's !!!! Somehow, they lifted the ban and I got a few tiddlers recently.

I was banned from Roxy Newsletter deposits in May, and have just been banned from these as Splendido (assumed as I didn't get the last two).

I have been receiving GG bonus only at Roxy (no Newsletters).

GG need more members, and have lost many sponsor casinos. This will only add to problems as fewer casinos mean they will be handing out more bonuses, and this could lead to more members getting banned. Once a GG member is banned from the bonuses, then it is just a forum and free games site. It looks like the problem is the casinos, they want loads of NEW accounts opened through GG to justify their sponsorship, but they don't like handing out the bonuses to the existing players for too long.
If there was more of a turnover at GG, then it would be less likely that casinos would end up getting fed up of handing out bonuses to the same old members, and new casinos would offer the chance to win bonuses where the player has no history of winning too much free GG money.

In order to prevent more bans, I use GG a lot less than before, and win far fewer bonuses - so far, this has done the trick, no new bans:D
 
All this talk about GG makes me excited as I've never heard of them before...

Let me get this straight, we get paid in the form of bonuses to play games, so that we can play even more games? What kind of games do we play to achieve these bonuses? Free? Real money? Are these bonuses worth it?
 
Have a Look

Go have a look www.gonegambling.com

There is no easy explanation. The only rule is "no Aussies!". When you register you get 1999 points free, this is one less than needed to claim a bonus:D

As well as playing the games, points are earned by opening NEW casino accounts through the auction game, or bidding in the auction game to make repeat deposits into existing accounts.

Each Month, half a dozen casinos allow 2500 points to be redeemed as a $25 bonus chip, and more give 5% to 15% extra for set monthly deposit levels. (10% is for $500 per 30 days).

There is a forum, and many games that are played with your points.
There are also ways to win more points through certain parts of the site. They are crying out for new members to just try them out, and if more join this will encourage more casinos to become part of it, and in turn this should take the heat of us regulars who are winning too many of the bonuses.

NO MONEY is paid to GoneGambling for membership, you deposit with the casinos just as you would anyway, but you qualify for these extras.
 
Went thru their site, read it, but still confused... it's so complicated!
I signed up there last year.... got total head-spin... had not the faintest idea how it all worked... and never went back.

The impression I got that it meant a lot of complicated farting about for tiny rewards.. but maybe I'm wrong...?

If someone could explain it in simple, single sentences, bullet point, one syllable words, maybe I'd look again... :p
 
I signed up there last year.... got total head-spin... had not the faintest idea how it all worked... and never went back.

The impression I got that it meant a lot of complicated farting about for tiny rewards.. but maybe I'm wrong...?

If someone could explain it in simple, single sentences, bullet point, one syllable words, maybe I'd look again... :p

Playing at GG is a lot of 'farting about' scrambling for points, etc., and can be quite time consuming if you let it. I used to get upwards of $100 of bonuses per month out of GG participation. I just don't have the time (except when I'm broke LOL), and now I cant earn bonuses for FL so it's not worth my time.

Back to bonus abuse... This is in Big Dollar (and probably GrandPrive) T&C.

In cases where a player has been identified as a bonus abuser in BIG DOLLAR CASINO or any of its associated casinos, BIG DOLLAR CASINO reserves the right to deny a player any download bonus on his / her first deposit. In such cases, the original deposit will be refunded, however, the player will not benefit from the bonus-promotion he / she is judged to have abused.
A bonus abuser is defined as a player who uses promotional-bonus money to deviously profit from bonus-promotions that are offered, in good faith, by the Casino with a view to gaining player loyalty. Such players generally accept bonuses, wager the minimum amount and immediately cash out. BIG DOLLAR CASINO reserves the right to take appropriate action against such Players.

"Deviously profit"? Just what does that mean? It's illegal for us to use our brain?

Hmmmm.... and " Such players generally accept bonuses, wager the minimum amount and immediately cash out." That's the way I play whether I use a bonus or not. And if they don't like their own WR, then change it!!

:what:
 
Bonus abuse

In my experience a bonus abuser is someone who never actually risks their own funds i.e. deposit 50, get 50 bonus, withdraw initial 50, and try and wager bonus up to wagering requirements.
 
bonus hunter

just heard from a friend, who works for a casino what their controllers deem bonus hunting:
scenario: new player deposited $80, got $80 match sticky bonus. Played BJ and cashed out same day for just $105. ($25 winnings+$80 deposit). His cashout was denied. Few days later tried again. Cashout denied again. Finally , player support told him to send his docs. Why? because their controllers labelled him a bonus "hunter'.
My friend says usually that casino only verifies for large payouts or when players break the T&C.

Goes to show how important CM's advice is to cover your tracks... when you sign up somewhere, play over a few days..don't make yourself an easy target.
 
just heard from a friend, who works for a casino what their controllers deem bonus hunting:
scenario: new player deposited $80, got $80 match sticky bonus. Played BJ and cashed out same day for just $105. ($25 winnings+$80 deposit). His cashout was denied. Few days later tried again. Cashout denied again. Finally , player support told him to send his docs. Why? because their controllers labelled him a bonus "hunter'.
My friend says usually that casino only verifies for large payouts or when players break the T&C.

Goes to show how important CM's advice is to cover your tracks... when you sign up somewhere, play over a few days..don't make yourself an easy target.

Why should it matter if they tried to cash out $25 over his deposit the same day? There's many players that will try a same-day cashout to test out how fast the casino is in processing withdraws.

Those type of casinos need to get their act together. What's to say that the same type of person will try a $25 net profit cashout, get the run-around, and will never be back...but would have deposited thousands in the future had they sent his money quickly?

A similar scenario would be driving in a new car lot with a piece of junk, dressed shabbily, but not doing business there because they couldn't get waited on, or didn't get any respect when a salesperson did talk to him.

But yet that person is actually a millionaire, and would have paid cash for brand new car had they waited on him, or at least treated him with respect as they would any other customer.

Some food for thought....
 
Rogued

just heard from a friend, who works for a casino what their controllers deem bonus hunting:
scenario: new player deposited $80, got $80 match sticky bonus. Played BJ and cashed out same day for just $105. ($25 winnings+$80 deposit). His cashout was denied. Few days later tried again. Cashout denied again. Finally , player support told him to send his docs. Why? because their controllers labelled him a bonus "hunter'.
My friend says usually that casino only verifies for large payouts or when players break the T&C.

Goes to show how important CM's advice is to cover your tracks... when you sign up somewhere, play over a few days..don't make yourself an easy target.

This casino has pretty much confessed to being Rogue material in my eyes. This was a STICKY bonus, so most likely never came into play, and the player made a profit of $25 playing their own funds. Also, this exposes the "documents" routine for what it really is - to jerk around the player!
Sadly, this means that a legit casino asking for documents sooner rather than later will also be assumed to be employing delaying tactics.
Whoever heard of this at a B & M - "Sorry sir, you can't leave the premises with your own money until you have been iris scanned and fingerprinted. Our guy will be in next week to do you all! - We have to make sure you are the same person who walked in earlier to prevent fraud & money laundering. We apologise for this inconvenience, have a nice day & come again soon."
 
This casino has pretty much confessed to being Rogue material in my eyes. This was a STICKY bonus, so most likely never came into play, and the player made a profit of $25 playing their own funds. Also, this exposes the "documents" routine for what it really is - to jerk around the player! ...
.... We have to make sure you are the same person who walked in earlier to prevent fraud & money laundering. We apologise for this inconvenience, have a nice day & come again soon."

Actually, I heard online casinos have measures in place that detect potential fraud, including the following scenarios:
-player deposits with neteller, wagers nothing and cashes out to a check. suspected money launderer/
-player deposits, as above, cashes out same day losing no deposit...red flag
-player deposits with someone else's credit card, wants to cash out to the same card...red flag..player told to use his own credit card
-son borrows father's credit card to deposit, name on card and player's account registration don't match...red flag
-player registered in one country, connecting through a proxy server in another country...red flag
and on and on....

And get this vinylweatherman ... the original scenario where you'd consider that rogue behavior .. is actually an accredited CM casino! ha, bet you didn't see that coming. :eek2:
 
There is no such thing as a bonus abuser.

It's just a term the casinos and affiliates made up so they can steal winnings from players.

Classic bonus abuse is hitting your rollover, withdrawing your entire balance and then depositing, rinse, repeat. Abuse constitutes receiving a bonus on the same funds multiple times. So if you deposit $500, get a $50 bonus, withdraw $550 and then immediately deposit $500 again you're effectively getting the same bonus twice. Not that the casinos don't hold their house edge while you're trying to hit rollover, but if you're playing with a disciplined strategy it's fairly easy (and boring) to play to break even.
 
Actually, I heard online casinos have measures in place that detect potential fraud, including the following scenarios:
-player deposits with neteller, wagers nothing and cashes out to a check. suspected money launderer/
-player deposits, as above, cashes out same day losing no deposit...red flag
-player deposits with someone else's credit card, wants to cash out to the same card...red flag..player told to use his own credit card
-son borrows father's credit card to deposit, name on card and player's account registration don't match...red flag
-player registered in one country, connecting through a proxy server in another country...red flag
and on and on....


Hey you missed some!

-player deposits with own debit card,meets WR, tries to cash out...red flag
-player registered in UK,connects through own pc,wins money......red flag
-player makes withdrawal request......red flag
-players pc crashes on racing line......red flag
and on and on.......white flag!
:thumbsup:
 

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