Online casino bonus terms and conditions can be confusing. However, it is important to read them every time you accept a bonus. This part explains how much must be wagered, if the amount includes the deposit or the deposit plus bonus, how long the player has to clear the bonus, and what games are excluded.
The game exclusion part is one of the most imperative terms to understand before accepting a casino site’s bonus. Some games are excluded. If you play an excluded bonus game, it does not count towards the wagering requirement. It can expire if you are unaware, causing you to get freerolled. Players also may not withdraw any winnings before clearing the bonus. When the bonus expires, the amount is taken out of the account, leaving the player with losses they did not expect.
Common Excluded Bonus Games
The most common excluded bonus games are baccarat, blackjack, craps, roulette, sic bo, and video poker. Live dealer games are also commonly omitted. Some games are not allowed because of the low house advantage. Others have unique betting scenarios that open the door for bonus abuse. Both situations may apply.
Baccarat
Two reasons keep baccarat out of most online casino bonuses. One is the low house edge. The banker bet holds 1.06%, while the player’s house advantage is 1.24%. No-commission games hold 1.46% on the banker.
The other is the ability for the player to bet both sides of a hand. If a bonus returns more than the bets hold for the house, a player can bet both sides for a guaranteed profit. This is considered bonus abuse.
If baccarat is available as a bonus, its wagering requirement is usually much higher than other games with a similar house edge. If permitted in the bonus terms and conditions, never bet both sides of the outcome to clear it. The online casino will likely catch it and take the bonus away. This may also get you banned from the site or future promotions.
Blackjack
Blackjack is another game that is often excluded from bonuses. The house edge is razor thin for many games. It may be as low as 0.3%. Most online casinos reshuffle the deck after every hand. This and other rules are advantageous to players.
A wagering requirement would need to be more than 300 times the bonus or 150 times the bonus and deposit for the house to cover this. Online casinos also have payment processing fees and other expenses, adding more reasons permitting bonuses would make blackjack unprofitable for the casino.
Craps
Craps is another game with a low house edge and the ability to bet both outcomes. The Pass Line and Don’t Pass hold about 1.4% before odds, which when taken at the full amount allowed, drops the house edge below 1%. The Come and Don’t Come give players more opportunities to clear a bonus with little risk on every roll.
Another reason is that some online casino software does not have a way to exclude odds from the amount wagered. In the rare instance craps is a permitted bonus game, do not get caught betting both outcomes.
One solution to this problem would be crapless craps. That game only has a Pass Line and Come side. Don’t bets are nonexistent in crapsless craps. Online casinos do not yet offer this game, though it seems likely that status will change in the future.
Roulette
In the old online casino days, roulette was always excluded from bonuses. Today, many online casinos permit it, even though there were ways to bet both sides and cover zeros for insurance. However, the wagering requirements are still high and players should never bet both sides, like red and black or odd and even. Always ensure roulette is permitted before playing with a bonus because many operators still ban the game.
Sic Bo
Sic Bo has almost entirely gone away at retail casinos. Most online ones offer it. The game uses three dice. All bets are decided on one roll. Like craps, it has many ways to bet opposite outcomes, leaving it out of many bonuses.
Live Dealer
Most live dealer games are bacarrat, blackjack, craps, and roulette. As described above, these games all have low house edges, the ability to bet both sides, or both. Some live dealer versions of poker pit games like Three Card Poker and Ultimate Texas Hold’em are available, yet these options are also commonly barred from bonus wagering requirements.
Live dealer games are usually excluded from bonuses because they are operated by third parties like Evolution. This requires online casinos to pay a royalty, cutting into their revenues on games with a low house edge. Even when operated in-house, these games have higher expenses, like the labor for dealers, the need to rent space, and regularly replacing cards and other gaming equipment.
