Bonuses - Shady Casino Tactics

A lot of casinos who use bonuses to attract new players do so because they don't really have any other unique attractive features to offer an uneducated player. Consequently, a number of the casinos send out bulk emails to players offering them bonuses which a) sound attractive but aren't or b) the player is not eligible for. Bear in mind if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is! Always read the terms!

One of the catches to watch for here is that a number of online casinos will belong to the same parent company. In many instances there is a clause in their terms and conditions that disallows a player from opening more than one account across the group, or more commonly, from taking more than one signup bonus across the group. The problem here is that they don't actually tell you which casinos comprise the group!! So if you have accounts at several casinos and are trying a new one, with the intention of claiming a bonus, you may find you are refused the bonus. More likely however is that they will give you the bonus and then refuse to allow you to cashout if you win, claiming you have breached this Clause!

The only way to really find out which casinos belong to which group is to Google the casino or better still, to email their support department asking them to clarify the casinos and your elligibility for the bonus. Time and time again on the message boards I have seen players fall foul of this unwittingly. This is often exacerbated by a lazy policy some casinos have of sending an emailed bonus offer to a large group of players, hinting they are eligible when in fact they are not! This is also tricky to pin down, and another reason I avoid signup bonuses myself.

Finally, there are casinos out there who, unfortunately, have no intention of allowing a player to cashout from a bonus. These casinos often offer huge bonus incentives - usually 4 figures or more, which can look very attractive but are simply a lure. You will have to use some modicum of sense in these situations...I can only say that they are unlikely to be Microgaming, Cryptologic, Chartwell, Boss Media or Wagerlogic licenced casinos as they are generally better policed. These are designed to take advantage of human greed and often work. If you get stung by these after reading this article, then really you only have yourself to blame...lol...sorry, but you know the risks now ;-)

Which brings me to another pertinent point regards all bonus play. eZbonus aside, it is difficult to keep tabs on how much you have wagered when trying to fulfill a bonus wagering requirement. At most casinos you will either need to keep a manual record of your wagers so that you know at what point you can cash out, or you will need to nag casino support for the information. How much of a PIA is that!

If you intend to play with bonuses, I'd suggest that you read the What To Check For page I've put together first so you are aware of the potential restrictions.

Our next section covers the eZbonus System.

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