5 Ways to Tell If a Casino Bonus Is Bad
#1: Don’t Play At Unlicensed Casinos
Don’t not play at any casino that doesn’t have a license.
Unlicensed casinos do not have to follow regulations designed to make online gambling safe and fair for consumers.
It is possible that you happen to come across an unlicensed casino that offers a decent bonus, but this same casino may also be fraudulent.
We think you should stay away from them at all costs.
We only list online casinos that have licenses verified by our in-house industry experts.
#2: Check Out Its Online Reputation
Even licensed casinos can have a poor reputation.
The best way to stay away from casinos with abysmal reputations is to read online casino forums.
Since these forums are run by third-parties, players can use them to make complaints. Moreover, you can check to see if anyone has ever encountered poor service at the casino.
Please keep in mind, though, that not all complaints posted online are true. If players omit to read the terms and conditions or carry out the necessary research, they are to blame.
Before NoDepositGuide decides to feature an online casino, we check to see what players are saying online.
#3. Unreasonable Wagering Requirements
In general, you can tell if a casino bonus is second-rate by taking a swift glance at the wagering requirements.
It’s difficult to fulfill the requirements of any bonus. Casinos, after all, do not want you to win.
But not wanting players to win with a bonus does not mean a casino should make it impossible to win.
The likelihood you win is, as you might expect, better if you have to bet less to meet the wagering requirements.
Therefore, it’s vital you avoid casino bonuses that have excessive wagering requirements.
We believe that bonuses with wagering requirements set between 10x and 40x give you a reasonable chance of winning.
#4. Obscure Terms & Conditions
Only claim bonuses that directly and plainly communicate what the terms and conditions are.
You should have no trouble finding the following terms and conditions:
- Wagering Requirements – How many times you must wager your bonus’ value before it can be converted into real money.
- Eligible Games – This is a list that tells you which games you are able to play with the bonus.
- Max Cashout – The maximum you can withdraw in real money using the bonus.
- Maximum Bet Size – The maximum you can bet per spin or bet.
- Expiration Date – This is the date that your bonus will be confiscated.
- Game Weighting Contribution – This is a percentage that determines how much of your stake goes toward the wagering requirements. It varies from game to game.
If the rules are unclear, it’s likely you’ll breach the terms and have your bonus invalidated by accident.
#5. Scrutinize The Game Restrictions
There are two rules that impact the games you can (or should) play with a casino bonus:
- Eligible Games – Games that are valid to play with the bonus are found under the “eligible games” list.
- Game Contribution – This determines the percentage of your stake that counts toward the wagering requirements.
Both of these rules combined make it harder to win real money with your casino bonus.
First, let’s go over the eligible games.
By offering bonuses, casinos are risking their short term profits. Subsequently, casinos prefer not to make their bonuses valid on slot machines, table games, or any other game. with high volatility and high odds.
As a result, you are often limited to playing one or a small handful of slots. And, most likely, these eligible slots will have odds and volatility that are pretty ordinary.
You cannot play any game that does not appear on the eligible games list unless you fulfill the wagering requirements or your bonus expires.
All of this should be fairly easy to understand.
But it gets a tad more complex when you can play games with high odds.
This is where Game Contribution comes in.
Games with high odds, such as blackjack or roulette, are likely to contribute only a small portion of your bet to the wagering requirements.
This can have a massive effect on your chances of winning real money.
Say, for example, you claim a bonus that changes the contribution of blackjack to 5%.
Say, too, that with your bonus you make a bet worth $100 on blackjack. If you were to do this, only $5 of that $100 will count toward the requirements.
Most slots, on the other hand, will have a game contribution of 100%, and therefore the entirety of your bet will contribute.
Unfortunately, it is not worth playing high odds games with a casino bonus. Even in conventional circumstances, you may have to bet 20-25x more on a high odds game to fulfill the wagering requirements.
It’s probably best to stick to slot machines.
Top Tip
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