One of the great things about online casinos is the bonus money, where they reward you for joining or being a returning customer by giving you some free money. People like getting free stuff, and any extra money to help you out with your wagering is bound to be appreciated. Can casino bonuses be bad, though?
Bad is a relative term, but sometimes the deals aren’t nearly as good as you think. Sometimes they are good for some players, but not for others, depending on your playing style. The drawback to casino bonuses is that there are strings attached. Those strings are called wagering requirements.
Wagering requirements are a predetermined amount of times that you have to wager the bonuses before they can be withdrawn. These were created to put an end to people taking advantage of the casinos by joining, taking the bonuses and leaving without ever playing. The bonuses are intended to be used for wagering Togel Hongkong purposes, to help you play more games and have more fun at the casino. If you win money using that bonus, that’s great, but you might be surprised at what happens next.
Let’s say that the online casino gave you a $100 bonus on your deposit. Let’s say that bonus has a wagering requirement of 25 play-throughs. That means you have to wager that $100 in bonus money 25 times. If you’re not good at math, let me put it this way: you would have to wager $2,500 before you can withdraw the bonus money. That’s not bad as long as your winnings are separate, but at some casinos you can’t withdraw the winnings, either, until you have satisfied the wagering requirements.
If you bet a lot of money at casinos, that’s not a big deal. You’ll meet the requirements before long and everything is fine, but what if you don’t have a lot of money in your gambling budget? What if you take that $100, wager it and hit the jackpot on an online slot? I’m sure you’d like to withdraw those thousands of dollars, but depending on the terms and conditions, you might not be allowed to.
For that reason, before you ever accept any bonuses from casinos, check out the terms and conditions and make sure they agree with your playing style. A lot of casual players who only wager small amounts opt out of bonuses and that might be best for you.
How I choose online casinos
If you’re like me, you hate comparison shopping. For me, it’s painful going around test-driving cars, looking at new apartments, checking prices for appliances at different stores and all of that. I would almost rather pay more for something the first place I see it. Therefore, the prospect of finding a good online casino to frequent, given the thousands of options, isn’t exciting one.
With that in mind, I was able to find a way to narrow down my choices and choose casinos for my blackjack needs. First of all, I realized that there are lots of great websites that I will never try. That’s okay. I started by making a list of reputable casinos – online casinos that had earned licenses and reputations for being generous, safe and trustworthy. Casino review websites, consumer reports and government agencies can help with that. Also, if the casino isn’t licensed and approved by a recognized regulatory authority, I’m not taking a risk on them.
After that, I look for a casino with some good blackjack games. Blackjack is my game of choice, so although I will occasionally play games like roulette and slots, I don’t really care how good the slot selection is at the casino. I care about blackjack. Do they have a few variations or just the standard game?
The next thing I look for is whether the casino offers blackjack tournaments. Most online casinos offer tournaments for slots, but only a small percentage have blackjack tournaments. That is because they are not as popular or profitable for the casino. I love playing in tournaments, though, especially if the casino offers head-to-head tournaments. If an online casino has a good variety of blackjack tournaments that run frequently (preferably every week), that is a good sign for me.
The other thing I check out are the promotions. I don’t even worry about the welcome bonus too much, because you’re only going to get that once – when you first join. I look for online casinos that frequently reward repeat customers with cash-back bonuses, match bonuses and more. Good bonuses help you make the most of your money, and an online casino that has those, tournaments, a good selection and is safe and fair is going to get my business.
danielgross