What is Casino Bonus Abuse and How Can it Be Avoided?

Online casinos have various generous bonuses such as no deposit casino bonuses and free spins to offer players which serve as incentives when players sign up and encourage them to continue playing on their website. There are various kinds of bonuses, some of them give away free ships or no deposit bonuses that can be used to try out the game. However, there are some instances when players abuse the casino’s generosity by using up the offer and then sign up to a different casino to do the same without playing again. in addition, there are players who think of other schemes to really abuse the bonus offers.

Examples of Casino Abuse

Creating Several Accounts

By having multiple accounts and using numerous email addresses, people are able to claim a bonus more than once. This is totally violating the site’s terms and conditions, and the ones who are doing it can get caught right away. This is because casinos see the IP address of players, and they are going to quickly investigate when they see that several accounts are registered using the same IP address. Although, you should not worry if your partner or friend uses their account from your IP address since the site gives you a chance to explain before taking action.

Making Huge Bets Using the Bonus Money

Players receive bonus money in order for them to try different games and choose which games they like more. It is not intended for players to make a huge profit on just one game. Although, some people do this and it is usually totally against the T&C of a bonus.

Before placing bets, check to see what the maximum bet is allowed for the games you chose to play. The information can be found under the T&C of the bonus and you should also remember that the gamble feature of slots is part of the bet. This kind of bet cannot be categorized as part of the rollover requirement. Avoid taking advantage of the gamble feature while you are using bonus money.

Attempting to Claim it Twice

Almost all bonuses can only be used once by a person but some players attempt to claim the bonus twice or more. Normally, casinos will detect this and simply stop the player from getting the bonus. Although, players are occasionally able to escape the net, and receive bonuses they are not entitled to. If you were able to claim a bonus twice or more, you think that luck is on your side. Actually, the casino will soon realize the mistake and you will experience confiscation of bonus money and lose the prizes you have won.

Volatility Arbitrage

This is one of the hardest ones to spot among all of the casino abuses that happen. This happens when a customer signs up for a casino, knows the low volatility games and using their match bonus, will play these games until they are able to churn their money. Using the extra money that is left from the 1st time of playing, they will play a game with high volatility and if they are lucky, they ca win a huge sum. It is very difficult to identify something like this.

When this happens, it is almost impossible for a casino to confirm it was a kind of abuse but when they see the betting patterns, they can easily see what’s happening. The difficulty comes in because they have thousands of players making it challenging to identify who it is if they are winning small amounts.

How to Avoid Them

Do Not Violate the Bonus Rules of the Casino

Read and understand the important requirements before you claim the bonus offers. The T&C of the bonus guarantees fairness and the casino can hold any winnings you have if any rules are broken. Therefore, always follow the rules and stick to the bet limits. You should also talk to the casino representative if you require help and go to another casino if they do not respond quickly.

Avoid Making Big Changes to the Size of Your Bet During Playthrough

For instance, there is a player who wants to win $500 with a $200 deposit. He will initially claim a 100% match bonus then starts to play with $250 bankroll.

After that, he picks a table game and makes wagers until he hits $500. After that, he spins the slots with the smallest bet which is also called grinding until the wagering requirement is reached. The casinos that have put restrictions on big bets bonus are because more players are doing the grinding. A player should also endeavor so that grinding can be avoided even if the size of bet is not written in the T&C to let them enjoy site offers.

Monitor Play Pattern

This is a practice used by online casinos to detect any casino abuse. Aside from cheating and player fraud, this is among the major reasons why players are identified as bonus abusers.

Any T&C linked to offers has clauses stating that before your withdrawal is processed, the play will be reviewed if there are any irregularities. These are hedge betting, zero margin bets, equal bets, and placing bets that are at least 30% of the bonus value. All of these are labelled as irregular play under the terms of the welcome bonus play-through requirements. Normally, the clause will say that the casino can recognize these as “irregular play” and hold the player’s withdrawal.

Disputing a Bonus Abuser Accusation

Normally, rogue online casinos will easily call you a ‘bonus abuser’ just to have a reason for them not to payout any winnings you have. This occurrence is rare and unfortunate, and it is something you should really avoid. Only choose the licensed casinos that have the eCOGRA seal of approval because you are sure they are reputable. If you do this, you are ensuring that they have an open dispute channel in case there is a case against you even if you are innocent.

If there is a dispute about the bonus abuse, always contact the customer support to make any clarifications about the issues. After that, check the T&C and other correspondence that you may have with them about restrictions to make sure you are not violating any of them.

In case you are unable to resolve it, you can go further by contacting eCOGRA to file a complaint that they will investigate on your behalf. This will let you take advantage of the consumer-watchdog group as a way to settle disputes with the casinos that are part of eCOGRA.

Online casinos give rewarding bonuses and it could benefit you a lot more when you play on your favorite sites. Although, make sure that you are part of a bonus contract just like entering a legal contract. Read and understand the T&C and always keep your side of the deal, especially if it is about casino bonus abuse. If you accept the offer they give, play honestly and make sure to follow all the rules.

Published on: 2019/04/15

About the Author

Hi, I'm Courtney, the Webmaster at No Deposit Kings - We provide visitors with free and easy access to real money casino gaming thanks to no deposit casino bonuses offered by our hand-picked selection of online casinos.