Why Online Casinos Stopped Providing No-Deposit Bonuses

Casino bonuses are an organic part of any gambling site. Casinos use bonuses to promote their business, gain new players, and nurture the relationship with their loyal clients.

Common Casino Bonuses

Bonus on the first deposit is No. 1 reward provided by every respectable online casino. The size of this bonus varies depending on the deposit amount. Among all existing types of casino bonuses, a deposit bonus is the largest one. The only drawback is the playthrough requirements that are attached to it. 

That was not always like that, though. The first bonuses didn’t require any deposits and had no wagering requirements attached to them. Players had the freedom to cash out their bonuses right away.

We know you find it hard to believe! This amazing practice would continue all the way till today but players ruined it all. Nowadays, very few casinos are still using no-deposit bonuses as an incentive for players.   

Where Did No-Deposit Bonuses Go?

Instead of spending bonuses on wagers, some players kept withdrawing them from the casino and spending the money on their personal needs. 

These people were dubbed bonuses hunters. Naturally, casinos had to step in and protect their interests. This is how wagering requirements came into existence.

No-deposit bonuses became extinct. Nowadays, there are few casinos that still offer this kind of reward. And even if you’re lucky to find a casino with no-deposit bonuses, you should better keep your expectations low. Gambling sites have become very careful with their money and significantly reduced the sizes of their gifts.

Anyway, all no-deposit gifts come with wagering requirements. It’s very possible that the player may hit a big win using free casino bonuses. To minimize risks, casino operators limit the selection of games eligible for using a bonus. 

As we already mentioned, no-deposit gifts are a rare thing in the gambling world. There are many players that have never come across such a reward in their gambling career.

How Not To Become A Bonus Hunter

Bonus hunters have a questionable reputation, to say the least. Gambling websites don’t hide their dislike for bonus hunters. It’s not uncommon that casinos refuse to even register such players. 

Such a reaction from online casino is quite understandable. What business would want a client to disappear with its money? Nonetheless, this is exactly what bonus hunters were doing. They were the reason why online casinos were losing their money without acquiring new clients. 

It’s important to understand that gambling websites distribute bonuses in the hope that the player will spend this money on wagers, develop interest in gambling, and start making deposits in order to continue playing. This is how it’s supposed to work. Plus, a happy gambler is likely to tell their family and friends about the generosity of an online casino, attracting even more potential clients. 

As for bonus hunters, they’re also promoting a casino, but in a negative way. After hearing that you can easily get a free bounty, other dishonest users will come to the gambling website and claim their bonuses. Some users have turned bonus hunting into a permanent source of income. Professional bonus hunters make their living by collecting bonuses across gambling sites. 

In order to fight bonus hunters, casinos had no other choice but to introduce special terms known as wagering requirements. If casinos continue to toughen up their wagering requirements, they risk losing their loyal clients. To prevent that, gambling sites are creating a shared blacklist of bonus hunters. 

Casinos may refuse to register blacklisted bonus hunters or fulfill their withdrawal requests. Also, a gambling site may reduce the size of bonuses paid out to such users. Although posing such restrictions is, in fact, against the law, casinos have nothing else left to do to protect their budgets. 

It needs to be said that professional gamblers are not welcome both in online and offline casinos. If you know smart (and legitimate) ways to beat a casino, you’re most likely to be banned from ever playing there again. There is an unwritten principle that says that house always beats the player, and casino owners don’t like to watch tables being turned. 

Avoiding a casino blacklist is not that hard. Try not to switch casinos too often. If you’ll keep disappearing from the casino after having released a bonus, your behavior will be noticed and you’re likely to end up on the notorious blacklist.