We’ve all been tempted at some point by those wonderful online casino bonus offers that give huge amounts of cash away to those willing to take up the offer. Casino bonuses are a cornerstone of the online casino industry and virtually every casino site has at least one offer for new players as well as several for their existing players.
Take a closer look at any one of these offers and you will notice, usually at the bottom of the banner, a small link to the bonus terms and conditions. While many players, especially newer ones, will simply ignore these and go straight for the bonus offer, we’re going to show you exactly why this is a bad idea.
Why You Should Never Ignore Reading T’s & C’s
Terms and Conditions or just simply T’s & C’s are ubiquitous and accompany every kind of offer on and off the web that you can think of. The main purpose of T’s & C’s is to explain the rules and outline the boundaries of an offer. They tell you exactly what you can or can’t do, what you can reasonably expect to get with the offer and what the brand making the offer available to you, expect in return.
When it comes to online casino bonus offers, the attached T’s & C’s are a way of the casino protecting itself as well as a way for you to know exactly what the offer means in real terms. In other words, you should always read the terms and conditions supplied with ANY bonus offer, regardless of whether you are a newbie or an old casino cat that’s been around several blocks already.
One of the biggest areas of complaint on just about any online casino forum or arbitration site, is “The casino refused to pay me my winnings!” or something along those lines. Of course, every player’s first reaction is usually, “Those underhanded, sneaky casino %$#@**’s!
If only it were that simple to make the casino the villain in all or most of these instances. The fact of the matter is that, probably nine times out ten, the player is at fault for one simple reason – they skipped reading the T’s & C’s. This is because ALL casino bonus terms and conditions come with wagering requirements and, if these are not met in the prescribed manner (outlined in the T’s & C’s), you will lose every time!
What Are Wagering Requirements?
The so-called wagering requirements (also known as the “roll-over”) are at the heart of all casino bonus terms and conditions. This essentially means that the casino expects you to wager your bonus amount a certain number of times at their casino. One of the main reasons that wagering requirements exist is to avoid unscrupulous players taking the bonus cash and heading off to the next online casino.
Wagering requirements vary from one online casino to the next, with some as low as twenty times and others as high as fifty times. The T’s & C’s will indicate how many times you need to wager your bonus amount before you will be able to withdraw any winnings. This is where most players (especially new ones) fall foul of the casino and come up short, they attempt to withdraw winnings before their wagering requirements have been honoured. All T’s & C’s will contain the stipulation that the casino reserves the right to remove your bonus plus any winnings accrued from it, if you violate your T’s & C’s!
Not All T’s & C’s are Created Equally
Finally, casino bonus terms and conditions are as varied as the online casinos that offer bonuses to you. This is another great reason why it is always important to read the T’s & C’s, no matter how many bonus offers you’ve already been through. Not all T’s & C’s are the same or contain the same stipulations, wagering requirements, eligible countries/ nationalities and so on. So, in short, to be a safe and happy online gambler – read the T’s & C’s always. Some bonuses may be attached to certain payment methods such as Paypal casino sites deposits. Being aware of whether your chosen deposit method is qualified for a bonus is essential.