One of the biggest selling points in modern online casinos are the bonuses they offer to new and old players. With so many bonuses available at different casinos online, it’s very hard to decide which casino to go for. But do you have to choose?
While it is tempting to go from casino to casino and register different accounts to use as many bonuses as possible, often, bonus hopping is a strategy that has become harder with stricter terms and conditions. Bonus hopping used to be much easier in the past, but as time went by casinos got smarter, and started implementing strict bonus conditions, and enforcing no cheating policies.
What Is Bonus Hopping?
Bonus hopping is simply going from casino to casino to take advantage of the welcome bonuses the different casinos offers. This is an issue in the eyes of the casinos, and it has been prevalent ever since online casinos appeared, but even after such a long time, no casino has found an effective way to combat it.
However, not all bonus hopping is cheating. If a player registers an account just to use the welcome bonuses and play by the rules of the welcome bonuses’ Terms and Conditions, nothing illegal happens. These kinds of players usually stay long enough just to use the welcome bonuses offered by the casino and they leave, without doing any harm to the system, or trying to cheat it.
Example of bonuses at a casino:
| Bonus | How it works? |
| Welcome Bonus | This bonus is usually awarded on the first three deposits and it accumulates. Player > Registration > First Deposit > Player receives Bonus |
| Free Spins | These are sometimes given alongside other bonuses. Player > Deposit > Free spins that can only be used on certain games |
| Reload Bonus | These are bonuses that are given on certain days of the time, only in a pre-defined time period during that same day. Player Deposits on Monday after 00:01 > Player receives Bonus. |
| No-Deposit | These are most sought after and most used since they require no deposit. Player > Registration > Bonus |
| Loyalty | These are bonuses that award people for playing for a long time at the same casino Player > Long-time customer > Rewards given out in levels |
| Cashback | Casinos award players a cashback bonus for the loses over a period of time. Player > Loses > Percentage of losses awarded as cashback |
So, what exactly is the difference between bonus hopping and bonus abuse?
What Is Considered Bonus Abuse?
All casinos have a thoroughly written T&C section specially designed to tackle issues which may arise from Bonus Abusing. So before deciding to become a dedicated Bonus Hopper, make sure to read all relevant information to avoid being banned from the casino. Here we’ll briefly go over what might be considered bonus abuse.
- Players who create multiple accounts – These are players who make an account just to deposit enough money to trigger the welcome bonus. Because welcome bonuses can be claimed only once, this type of bonus hopper tries to cheat the system by claiming the welcome bonus multiple times.
- Making bit bets with the bonus money you’ve received – Casinos have a strict policy about how large a bet you can make while a bonus package is activated. If you make a big bet, and you happen to win a lot of money, the casino has every right to void your win. Read the rules carefully before betting your bonus cash.
- Trying to play bonus games not covered by the welcome bonus – Usually, free spins awarded by the welcome bonus can only be spent on certain games. If you use your free spins on games not supported by the casinos any wins you make will probably be taken away by the casinos.
- Claiming the bonus twice – While most casinos have implemented mechanisms that remove the bonuses once you’ve claimed them, a lot of casinos still let you claim an already claimed bonus. So, if you have already claimed your bonus, and notice that the very same bonus is still available to be claimed for a second time, steer away from it. It will most likely get you banned.
All the above-mentioned situations are considered abuse by the casinos and your account will almost surely be banned as soon as the casino notices gameplay of that type. So, if you try to abuse the system on purpose, you should know that it’s not worth it. Online casinos have gotten good with their abuse detection system so your victory will probably be very short-lived.
How Not to Abuse Bonuses?
To avoid any kind of incidental abuse read the terms and conditions of the casino and respect them. If you don’t like to read a wall of text, at least search for some reviews of the casinos you want to play at. Reading reviews will give you a good overview of the general rules of the casino, and you will know what to expect before depositing a single coin.
Always check for the withdrawal and deposit limits and rules. Many casinos have rules regarding their payment methods and payment processing so make sure you understand the process of withdrawing your money before trying to claim any wins. Online casinos take money very seriously so it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Most Used Bonus Hunting Tactics
Here are some of the most used bonus hunting tactics that players usually go for:
- Small bets to meet wagering requirements and then cashing out – players will choose a slot with a high RTP rate and place small bets until they meet the wagering requirements, and cash out as soon as possible.
- Playing High RTP games to maximize wins over a short period of time – is a tactic used often where players seek to spend their welcome bonus on a high RTP game to win as much money as possible before they leave the casino for good.
Conclusion
Even though bonus hopping may yield some short-term benefits for the player, in the long run, it’s not worth it. When you do manage to win some money there’s a high chance that it will be taken away by the casino, and you may even get banned for good, which will prevent you from playing at the casino at all in the future.
Casinos have gotten quite good at catching people who try to abuse the bonus system, while it may work for a time or two, there’s no doubt that you’d get caught. And if enough people from the same country do the same, the casino can even ban whole countries from using it.
