There are numerous online casinos all of which wish to attract new customers by offering generous sign-up or welcome online casino bonus promotions. In effect the casinos are offering players some free money to gamble with. However the casinos need to protect themselves from bonus hunters who try to move from casino to casino collecting the money. If everyone did that then the casino would be rapidly out of business.

The casinos use the wagering requirement (WR) to protect themselves. Players are not allowed to cash in or withdraw their winnings, or the bonus money itself, until they have wagered a certain amount at the casino. This is called the wagering requirement. Not all games count equally to the wagering requirement. Games like slots often count 100%, but games like blackjack often may not count, or may just count a small percentage. In general the low house edge games like blackjack will contribute less to the WR.

The online casino regulation organization eCOGRA has a disputes resolution section, which has reported that most disputes with online casinos are concerned with the issue of casino bonuses. These tips should help you choose your casino and play safely.

You can save time by using a specialized bonus comparison site. These usually show the bonus amounts and the wagering requirements fairly clearly: the sites themselves often hide the wagering requirements in the terms and conditions. Pick an online casino which has wagering requirements you are happy with.

Please, please double check the terms and conditions at the casino website. In half the disputes the player was found to be in the wrong, and the casino was right. This seems to suggest that the casino operated within its own terms and conditions, but the player still felt cheated enough to make a complaint. If you don’t understand what the terms and conditions mean then contact the customer services. If you think that the terms and conditions are unfair, or are still unclear after contacting customer services, then you really should take your business elsewhere no matter how attractive the bonus seems at that casino.

Choose a casino which uses software such as “Clear Play Bonus System” from Microgaming. This keeps separate cash and bonus balances for each player, and avoids a lot of the confusion which causes disputes in other casinos. The separate balances gives the player a clear picture of who quickly he is clearing the wagering requirement. Always choose a casino with separate cash and bonus balances.

Play at a casino which is regulated by an organization such as eCOGRA, or who operate from a territory with a strict government licensing regime such as the UK, or territories on the UK white list such as the Isle of Man and Alderney.

When choosing a Casino Bonus be sure to compare all casino bonuses at www.calidagaming.com. The number one for Online Casino Bonus comparison.


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