Internet Casino Sign-up Bonus
The only time when an internet casino gives you free cash is when you sign up and join. This sign-up bonus normally varies between $10 to a 100 per cent match of your first deposit. Nowadays there are sites that offer up to 150, 200 and even 300 percent bonuses of your initial deposit. Players would think this means that if they join a site and deposited $500, they would receive an additional $750, $1,000 or $1,500 to wager with. Usually this is not always the case.
Sign-Up Casino Bonus Scams
At times the sign-up bonuses can be very ambiguous and the people behind it are hoping that players won’t bother to read the fine print first. Buried somewhere in the casino’s terms and conditions you will discover that in order to “earn” this bonus you will have to play-through thousands of dollars worth of chips to qualify for slow incremental releases of your bonus.
This must be done usually within a month’s period. Oh and certain casino games you wager at will not count toward the release of your bonus for instance games like: Blackjack, Craps and Baccarat, so to speak all the good games. Sometimes bonuses are not worth having in the first place. Players are normally encouraged to wager as much as possible within a very short space of time and to play the games which offer the biggest edge for the casino instead of the player.
Players must also be cautious for a special bonus offer of $500, $700 or $1,000 to play any games you like for the first hour and you get to keep your profits. Initially it sounds great since you could place a couple of $250 bets at Blackjack and then, assuming you win you could cash out $500. Unfortunately it does not work like this. Firstly, you have to play your cash at least a 100 times through the casino to qualify for anything. Some casino games are excluded from this offer, like Blackjack, Craps and Baccarat, leaving the player with games that normally have very poor odds, in other words where the house’s edge is much higher. Be warned internet casinos guilty of these type of bonuses are rogue casinos. To top it all hidden in pages and pages of terms and conditions it states: players can only cash out a maximum of $50!
Choosing the best Internet Casino and the best bonus
The very first thing a player must do before signing up at any internet casino is to read the terms and conditions first and do not be swayed by some lucrative bonus offer. It’s always better to wager at a site that has been recommended by a friend (they may receive a referral bonus too). Whilst choosing a bonus a player should adhere to the following:
- Verify if the bonus is paid as a lump sum, or incrementally obviously this depends on how much a player plays/wagers.
- Check how many times you have to play through any bonus funds before you’re able to withdraw your money. If it’s more than 50 times, it’s not worth the effort since it necessitates too much play.
- Check that you are able to withdraw your cash and any profit made (probably giving up your bonus entitlement). Normally a very bad feature which occurs at times is when a player’s cash is locked in until he/she has qualified for the bonus; avoid sites as these at all costs. This is one of the main characteristics of a rogue casino.
- We advise players always to shop around first and to deposit small amounts to “test the waters” first. In doing so you will be able to gauge the true nature of the bonus offer, check how simple it is to make deposits and withdrawals and once you’re on the casino’s list as a paying customer e-mails will be sent with special offers, like free gaming chips and bonuses transferred to your account.
- If you want to approach internet gambling professionally and since your own money is at stake we would recommend the following. E-mail the customer service department of the internet casino to test their responses. If they are quick and efficient, this is a good sign. If they take up to four days to reply and don’t even answer your question don’t play at their site. As a player you can e-mail them and request any special promotions they have on offer. You should always e-mail the customer service department, asking them to explain the terms of their bonus offer. If the reply is speedily and the terms are satisfactory this is normally a glimpse that the site is well run and properly managed. If not walk away and find another internet casino to wager at.
- Players can also make use of the casino’s “play money” to try out their software. Some internet casinos have astounding software which is a pleasure to use and adds to the excitement of the casino game. Sites with lousy designs and difficult interfaces can become unpleasant very quickly.
- It is against internet casino policy to make its “play money” games looser or more generous than real money games. Believe it or not some sites have been caught out doing this as an obvious way to attract novice players to wager real money, this is one of the key elements licensing authorities should be paying close attention to.
- If you enjoy playing slots ask the customer service the relative percentage payback and if it makes any difference at what stakes you play.