Casinos often provide captivating bonuses for their players, whether it’s just after registration or thought the gambling journey. Because some of them see gambling as a means of just getting winnings or even an income, they engage in a practice called bonus abuse. This can lead to severe repercussions, so it’s best to avoid it.
In this article, we have provided you with all the information necessary that prevent you from being prone to bonus abuse and breaching a casino’s terms and conditions.
Common casino bonuses and how they work
First, let’s have a quick look at the most popular bonus options you have when playing at a casino:
- Free spins with no deposit requirement
As a newly registered player, you can take advantage of an offer with 50 free spins on registration no deposit, and this amount is beneficial since the offer is risk-free. These kinds of bonuses are great for testing out the platform before you deposit real money.
- No deposit cash bonus
When you’re first starting at a casino, they might have a no deposit cash bonus in their collection. What this gets you is a certain amount of cash directly deposited into your bonus balance, which you can use on multiple games and providers. You will also be able to switch between bet amounts, making sure not to exceed the maximum.
- Welcome bonus
Welcome bonuses often come with a minimum deposit requirement, but they are carefully crafted to provide a good first impression of the platform.
This is why most of them will get you a match bonus, a set of spins, scratch cards, or even bonus crabs.
- Cashback deal
This kind of offer is available to existing customers right after redeeming the welcome or registration bonuses. It provides a certain percentage of your initial deposit and adds it back to your bonus balance, allowing you to continue playing. For instance, if you deposit $20 and the cashback bonus gives you 10% of your amount, then you will have $22 in total to play with.
- Reload bonus
Reload promotions usually have one or more benefits, including match bonuses and sets of spins. For example, a reload bonus might be 40% up to $100 and include 100 free spins for a specific deposit amount.
To properly use any of the casino promotions, you should be aware of how to refrain from bonus abuse. In the following sections of this article, we will discuss some important aspects you must avoid when taking advantage of any deal.
Having multiple accounts
One strategy that faulty players engage in is creating multiple accounts. One can accomplish this through various means, such as creating a fake identity, where they simply change some credentials so that the casino doesn’t suspect it.
However, some may create multiple accounts by using their family or friends’ credentials. Raising the likelihood of winning is the ultimate objective. However, one shouldn’t forget that gambling must be a fun leisure activity and not a way to make an income.
Typically, players who create multiple accounts do so to be able to redeem the registration bonuses offered by the game. Since there is no need to deposit for them, they want to test their luck multiple times. This is often a sign of gambling issues, so if you find yourself engaging in such behavior, don’t hesitate to take advantage of resources such as GamblingTherapy or GamCare.
In case you win on one of the multiple accounts, you will eventually have to go through a verification process that also includes a throughout checking of your credentials. While the platform’s finance team looks through your KYC documents (ID, driving licence, proof of payment, and so on), they will also check your IP address to ensure there are no multiple accounts from your side.
Providing fake KYC
KYC, or Know Your Customer, refers to the documents the platform will request from you in order to verify your account. Usually, this happens when you have a withdrawal pending. But sometimes they will be necessary even earlier on.
Some players may attempt to forge IDs or other documents in order to receive their winnings. However, the casino’s finance team checks if the KYC information aligns with the IP address or any other details that players provided when creating their account.
Playing with a VPN
Some platforms don’t allow certain jurisdictions to engage in gambling on their websites, which is why players often use a VPN.
Moreover, if the casino allows you to gamble from your location, consider using a VPN for specific games. Not all providers are available in all countries, and you may want to play certain slots that are not available to you. It’s recommended to avoid using VPN in these cases as well, since it can lead to future issues.
For instance, if the game crashes, leaving you with an uncredited round, the gambling platform or the gaming provider might not be able to provide you with proper assistance.
Just like when having multiple accounts, casinos can tell most of the time that you are using a VPN because they have software to check the address you’ve provided, along with your IP address.
Bonus stacking
More than half of the players who participated in a study conducted by the UK Gambling Commission reported receiving an incentive at least once a week. This means that there will often be a variety of promotions available to you.
Some bonuses are claimable multiple times, which is why some players might be tempted to claim them all at once. And truth be told, most casinos don’t have proper technology to help you avoid this, and some new players might not even be aware of this restriction.
Let’s have a look at a real-world example, and what can happen if you stack multiple bonuses. Redeeming both a bonus with wagering requirements and one without leads to using your real money balance.
Here is a quick explanation of how that works:
- Say you have a bonus with no wagering and one that requires 50x wagering, and you play both of them.
- When you finish that process, your winnings from the no-wagering deal will go straight to your real money balance. However, the winnings from the bonus with wagering will go to the bonus balance because you need to finish wagering, of course.
- Therefore, you will have two active balances: the real money balance and the bonus balance.
- Now, you must finish the 50x wagering requirement for your deal, so naturally, you will strive to do that. However, when you place your bets, they will be taken out of your real money balance first until there are no more funds.
- This means that you will first have to spend your real money funds, which you could’ve withdrawn if the wagering bonus had not been active on your account.
- So, it’s better to get one bonus at a time in order to avoid this situation.
Some players might want to engage in bonus stacking by initiating two or more deposits at the same time. For instance, if you found two bonuses that you want to claim, don’t just add two deposits of $20 right away if that is the minimum for the deals.
You will end up with a $40 balance and just one bonus on your account. This way, you will have to play the balance after playing your bonus and only get one of the deals. At most casinos, the bonus claiming process doesn’t work for multiple deals if you’ve initiated the amounts first.
Bonus hunting
Taking advantage of a welcome bonus or registration free bonus and then hopping onto the next platform without the intention of staying at a casino. This can result in the casino having strict registration deals for its new players, meaning they may avoid offering great benefits like no-wagering requirements or large match bonuses for the welcome promotions.
Conclusion
In short, you should restrain yourself from engaging in any activity that leads to bonus abuse. Don’t forget that gambling is a game of chance, and you should treat it as a leisure activity and not as a way to receive an income. Avoid bonus stacking, bonus hunting, creating a fake identity, or using multiple accounts, and refrain from using a VPN.