7 Signs that an Online Casino Bonus Is Worthless

The most important sign you need to look out for is wagering requirements. When you encounter an online casino bonus with a high wagering requirement, the best thing to do is run. Wagering requirements, also known as playthrough requirements, are the number of times you need to wager a bonus before you can be eligible to claim the winnings.

Keep in mind that the higher the wagering requirements, the longer it takes you to gain access to your winnings. Let's give an example to understand how a wagering requirement works.

Supposing you receive a C$100 casino bonus with a wagering requirement of 40x, you have to play through that amount 40 times to reach C$4,000 before you can withdraw your winnings. You should know that the 40x wagering requirement is the industry standard for a 100% casino bonus. Bonus with a lower wager requirement is excellent, but offers with more than 40x wager requirements should be avoided.

Before you proceed to claim any bonus offers, it’s vital that you check out the terms and conditions. A bad casino bonus will offer unfair terms and conditions making it difficult for players to meet them. Below are some conditions you should be aware of:

• You need to claim the offer within a stipulated time (i.e., 7 or 30 days)
• You need to meet the wagering requirement within a specified time (mostly 30 days)
• Contributions towards the wagering requirement differ depending on the game. Some games offer high contributions, while some offer reduced contributions
• Sometimes, deposits via Skrill and Neteller don’t qualify for bonuses
• Some countries are restricted from claiming the offer
• You can only claim the offer once

Most legitimate online casinos feature reasonable terms and conditions, offering you a fair chance of winning. However, rogue casinos subject their bonuses to unfair terms. For instance, some casinos want players to meet a 50x wagering requirement within 7 days. This is a terrible offer compared to casinos that offer a validity period of 30 days or more.

This is another sign you need to be aware of. Casino bonuses are usually restricted to certain games so that you can only use the bonus to play those games. A casino can place restrictions either by reducing the game’s contribution towards the wagering requirement or excluding the game totally.

Most online casinos place restrictions on games to level the playing field and avoid losing money by offering players a more favourable deal. On the other hand, players should remember that casinos are businesses aiming to profit. For that reason, they restrict players from using the bonus offer to wager jackpot games or games with a high RTP.

This becomes awful when a casino restricts several games and only allows access to games with a very low RTP, reducing your chance of winning with the bonus. It’s important to note that casinos will subject bonuses to conditions that favour them more, but players need to be able to wager games that offer great chances of winning.

This determines the amount of money you can get from the offer once you deposit. In most cases, casinos will match your deposit with a certain percentage. So the higher the percentage, the more bonus funds you’ll receive based on the deposit. So if you deposit C$200 under a 200% match deposit, the casino rewards you with an additional C$400.

Though getting a 400% match percentage deal is not common, you should watch out for offers that give at least a 100% deposit. Some casinos even offer more than 200% deposit under their top-tier offers (i.e., the welcome bonus can spread over your first three or four deposits).

Here is an example of a welcome offer spread over a player’s first four deposits:

• The first deposit offers a 100% match bonus of up to C$400
• The second and third deposits offer a 75% match bonus of up to C$300 each.
• The fourth deposit is eligible for a 50% match bonus of C$200.

Players should avoid wagering at a casino that doesn’t payout winnings promptly. More often than not, these casinos are not financially buoyant enough to keep running the business. Also, these casinos won’t pay the winnings you earn from their bonus within the stipulated time.

It is common among online casinos to require players to verify their accounts before withdrawals, such as requiring you to submit an ID or driver’s license. However, an online casino requesting multiple IDs and rejecting them is a red flag that they’re unwilling to pay your winnings.

We recommend checking online casino reviews before clicking the register button. While reading the reviews, check if there are complaints about the platform. Reviews will provide valuable information about bonuses with unfair wagering requirements, unclear terms, high wagering requirements, bad customer service, and slow payout.

When you are familiar with these bad casinos, you’ll be able to avoid them and not waste your time. Additionally, reviews will provide you with a list of good platforms that offer value for your money.

Rogue casinos will try to confuse you with their terms and conditions. So it’s vital that you read the terms and conditions before claiming the bonus. A good terms and conditions page should clearly state the terms of use.

This should contain what is and isn’t acceptable for meeting the wagering requirement. On the other hand, rogue casinos try to make their conditions difficult to understand. In the end, they may point to one of these terms to avoid paying your bonus winnings.