So, why do they do it? We asked James Booth, the Acquisition Operations Manager of Lindar Media, the company behind MrQ Bingo & Slots.

JB: “The casino landscape is an incredibly competitive industry and welcome bonuses are best online casino payouts used to give customers the opportunity to trial a casino with less risk and more funds (usually) to try the site before they commit to it.

Once the player is a registered customer of a casino, further bonuses are then used to promote new games, competitions and general activity on the site, again to reduce the risk of the player but also to help the casino differentiate itself from its competitors.”

JB: “With the increase in taxation in regulated markets, particularly the UK, the cost of giving bonuses is a huge liability for a casino. The UK’s ‘Point of Consumption’ (POC) tax means that the casino must pay tax on all wagers even if they are free for the customer, so a 100% bonus can effectively double the tax the casino must pay.

So the casino must weigh up the benefits and liabilities and tread a very fine line to remain profitable. All of that is on the assumption that the player loses: if they win of course the cost to the casino is greater still!”

JB: “Exclusive offers allow our affiliates to differentiate from their competitors so we often see different results whether that be positive or negative based on the offer itself. Giving a range of offers has the impact of broadening our appeal as a player may see an offer they prefer on one site over another. Overall we get more volume but the ROI will vary significantly.”

JB: “Bonus abuse for us is a spectrum and not something we can define in a few words. All bonuses are designed to give genuine players an improved chance to test the site and ultimately win, however, we always look for individuals or groups of players who are attempting to take advantage of the site or our genuine players in whichever way, shape or form that may take.

As a UK GC regulated company, we have a responsibility to protect our customers, whether that be in terms of responsible gaming or abuse from third parties.”

JB: “This comes with experience. Every bonus is open to abuse no matter how thought through it is, so we continuously monitor current bonuses and use learnings from previous bonuses to help guide this process.”

They let you play for longer and enjoy the games

How big a percentage of players manages to complete the wagering on the 1st deposit bonus? What about the no deposit bonus?

JB: “The wonderful thing about MrQ is that 100% of our players meet our wagering requirements and they all get their winnings in cash! The same applies for our no-deposit bonus, whereby customers get spins for verifying their mobile number. Everything won by a player at is paid as cash and free to withdraw.”

Are bonuses worth taking?

Bonuses are a paradox. If you play at the casino for the socially accepted reason (i.e. having fun), then all bonuses do the trick.

As a smart player, you want to get some kind of monetary benefit from the bonuses, not just use them for fun. In that case, you have to choose your bonuses carefully.

However, gambling is a hobby where you should expect to lose money instead of winning more. That’s why you shouldn’t be at the casino to make money. Everything you put on the table usually ends up in the casino’s pocket.