Back in the day, bonus hunters literally wreaked havoc in the online gambling world. They used the perfect timing to reap benefits from online casinos, making them suffer big losses. Nowadays, bonus hunters are almost extinct and pose no real danger to online casinos.
The only thing honest gamblers regret is that bonus hunters forced online casinos to introduce extremely tough wagering requirements.
Several decades ago, there was no such thing as “wagering requirements.” Pioneer online casinos vied for new clients, trying to outstrip each other in offering better terms. Generous bonuses proved to be the best way to enhance a client base. At some casinos, you didn’t even have to make the first deposit to get a big bonus to your account. Today it sounds almost surreal.
Then everything changed. Most players spent bonus money on games to become loyal clients. However, there were those who simply withdrew bonus money to their credits cards and bank accounts. Then they either register with the same casino under another name, or switched to a new gambling website.
Online casinos tried to heed no attention to fraudsters. First, losses were not so dramatic to blow a massive hole in the budget. Second, bonus hunters boosted popularity by telling everyone about amazing bonuses they can easily get.
Soon it turned out that while bonus hunting was booming, the number of loyal clients was dwindling. Continuing to put up with growing losses could be dangerous. Determined to put an end to the mess, online casinos decided to bite back and toughen their bonus policy.
Now to get a bonus, players had to make the first deposit to online gambling sites. However, sly gamblers found their way around that restriction. Upon getting a bonus, they withdrew it together with their deposit money. This is when they crossed the line. Online casinos’ patience snapped.
New wagering requirements were so harsh that many gamblers lacked both time and money to fulfill them.
Some casinos went a step further and introduced bonuses that could not be released from the system. A bonus like that is called “sticky”, meaning that it can be bet but not withdrawn.
It’s safe to say that strict wagering requirements are a good thing rather than a drawback. Online casinos started to take better care of their loyal clients, encouraging them with bigger bonuses, lucrative offers, and better user support. At the same time, it offer advantageous signup bonuses to give wider betting opportunities to novice players. Don’t be dazzled by big numbers, though. There is no chance you can withdraw your bonus from online casino before fulfilling wagering requirements.