The various lucrative and bountiful bonuses offered by online casinos have played a crucial role in the rise of the popularity of the gambling sector. Casinos offer bonuses in the form of free spins or no-deposit bonuses that give players an opportunity to win free money. These rewards are used as marketing strategies to entice new players and to keep existing players interested.
However, these bonuses are prime targets for abuse and exploitation because of their high monetization potential. Some players, known as “Bonus Hunters” or “Bonus Abusers”, sign up at a casino for the sole purpose of profiting from the offered bonuses. Then they go on to register for a different casino and repeat the same process. Others may utilize alternative means to somehow manipulate these bonuses that are offered in good faith, leading some casinos to restrict their promotions.
Read ahead to learn what casino bonus abuse entails and how we can evade it.
What Counts As Casino Abuse?
Registering With Multiple Accounts
Most casino bonuses are limited to one player, though some might even be restricted to one person per household. Regardless of this condition, bonus hunters tend to skirt around this rule and create multiple accounts under different email addresses and try to claim the offered bonuses several times over. This fraudulent act is an instant breach of the casino’s terms and conditions. Since casinos track the IP addresses of their patrons, they can easily detect and flag multiple users from a single IP. However, providing a valid explanation can help players avoid potential bans or account restrictions.
Volatility Arbitrage
Compared to other casino abuses, operators have a hard time catching on to these deceitful activities. Some players tend to claim a welcome match-up bonus when they sign up to a casino and use it to place bets on games with low volatility until they are able to churn their money. Afterward, they hit up the high volatility games using the extra money and if they manage to win, they win big. Although it’s quite hard to detect who the person is, a casino equipped with certain computer software can easily track this fraud.
Placing Large Bets With The Bonus Money
Casinos offer numerous bonuses to their customers. Therefore players can try out different games for free and see which one appeals to them the most. However, some people neglect the funds they are rewarded with and use them up quickly by simply making a huge bet on just one game. These people are under the illusion that big bets equate to big bucks, which is completely false and against the terms and conditions of a bonus.
This type of bonus abuse is regarded as an insult to the casino’s good faith and can lead to the operator flagging them as bonus abusers and taking strict action against them. This is why it is important to pay close attention to the set maximum bet limit, before placing a wager.
Trying To Claim The Same Bonus Twice
The majority of the bonuses, if not all, can only be claimed once per person. Nonetheless, some players attempt to claim a bonus multiple times. Typically, a casino server would detect that a customer has already claimed the bonus and prevent them from claiming it twice by blocking them. However, in some cases, they can slip through the cracks and trigger the bonus repeatedly. It’s just a matter of time before the casino eventually realizes its mistake and seizes the abuser’s bonus money along with the prizes won with it.
How To Prevent Bonus Abuse
Pay Attention To The T&C Of The Bonuses
Practically every casino bonus comes with some form of terms and conditions, which tend to vary from casino to casino. The primary aim of these terms is to ensure that a player has a fair chance of winning. Therefore, it is important to go through the T&Cs of every bonus and adhere to them. If a user has any queries regarding these rules, they can easily get clarification by contacting the support staff of the online casino.
Don’t Make Significant Changes In The Bet Size
One of the reasons that online casinos have employed limitations on placing big bets on bonuses is that more players are “Grinding”. The term grinding refers to a process in which a player keeps on wagering small amounts until they are able to generate the best payout. For example, a player wants to win $500 by wagering $200. Initially, they will claim a 100% match bonus and start the bankroll at $250. Then, they choose a table game and continue to bet until they hit the $500 mark.
Review The Playing Pattern
This is probably the primary means by which casinos can identify bonus abusers among their players. Casinos use special software to pick up on the playing patterns of the players to ensure there aren’t any irregularities such as equal bets, zero margin bets, hedge betting, and placing bets that amount to at least 30% of the entire bonus value. According to a clause in the T&Cs, a casino reserves the right to withhold a player’s winnings if any irregular play is detected.
Dispute Against A Bonus Abuser Charge
Sometimes an online casino might brand a customer as a bonus abuser to avoid paying out their winnings. Therefore, It is highly advised to select a casino that has the eCOGRA seal of approval and a gambling license issued by a reputable regulatory body. If there is a dispute regarding bonus abuse, a player’s best option is to get in touch with the casino’s customer support and sort out the misunderstanding. Players should also check out the T&Cs to ensure that they aren’t violating any of the casino’s rules unintentionally.
While some players are intentional in their exploitation, others unknowingly violate the guidelines due to inexperience or misinterpretation. To avoid such situations it is important to read the terms and conditions attached to each bonus and adhere to them.
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