Efti

Thanks, I've been kind of in and out here but hope to post more regularly from now on I tend to have the opposite reaction to being faced with too many games - I end up just playing the same few old favourites, even if I was originally in the mood to try something different.

This seems like a classic example of a FU clause to me, where the player can't win no matter what Even the dodgier sites I've played at all make it clear that any bonus is considered complete when no funds are left to wager with. I would never willingly play at a casino that deems otherwise. Could it be that there was a small balance left from the free spins? Many sites set a small minimum sum (like 0.5 or 1 credit) below which wagering for a particular bonus can be voided, while some require the balance to read zero. A stuck game round could also be the culprit.

I opened this thread hoping to see some proper definition, data, methodology etc. on the topic of RTP, which is one I have a basic grasp of but am keen to understand more fully. However, it seems the OP is more interested in pushing a conspiracy theory based solely on patchy anecdotal evidence. And that's fine - we all have our own personal pet peeves or suspicions about gambling, especially online... I just hoped this would be a different kind of discussion based on the title.

This is an issue I increasingly come across these days and one that certainly influences what games I chose to play and at which casinos. Obviously, everyone has their own criteria and opinions of what constitutes a 'perfect' place to gamble and I often see discussions over who has the fastest payouts, widest selection/variety, biggest jackpots etc. Yet site layout or software design doesn't seem to come up much, even though it is such a crucial part of the online casino experience, especially now that most operators offer games from multiple providers (unlike when I started playing). Players can have have literally hundreds of games to choose from, but the vast choice can quickly become overwhelming if not presented properly. Aside from the basic groupings like card/table games, video poker and slots, some online sites put little effort into categorizing or organizing their product in a way that customers can easily go through and pick what they want. Even basic features like alphabetical ordering or a search bar are not guaranteed to be available, let alone the ability to sort by game provider or other options like the number of paylines or jackpot size.

Thanks for the suggestions It's the AskGamblers side I'm having problems with as I'm just not getting any confirmation text after inputting my phone number.

This seems like a great idea - too bad I've been unable to verify my mobile number(s) despite repeated attempts on separate occasions

A situation like this one is why I'm often wary of bonuses these days, when once upon a time I wouldn't play without them. I agree the timing and wording of the email offer is ambiguous, even if the casino is 'technically' in the right.

I would operate on the assumption that it's option d. That's based mostly on my experience with promotion eligibility, though, as I usually play with small amounts and have rarely (if ever) come close to reaching any set deposit limit.

Also want to point out a glaring factual error at the end of the article: should be the 2005 Gambling Act as Tony Blair was definitely not PM in 2015.

Just saw the news on the website and agree it's pretty major. Not a UK resident but suspect that, like the passing of the UIGEA in the US that ultimately changed the entire online poker landscape, this could have a more profound effect than is immediately apparent.

Wonder why the Instagram account is not linked at the bottom of the forum, though it is on the main site pages?

Not familiar with that site but it's good news indeed if they're moving towards a more player-friendly rewards system

Not had time to go through the entire thread but just the few pages I've read make my jaw drop Wish I had the guts, funds and luck to spin some of those big results.

It wasn't always this way, of course When I started playing online casino way back when, bonuses had far lower wagering requirements and fewer game/bet restrictions. I routinely cashed out on almost all the match deposit promos I claimed before table games were effectively banned from contributing to WR, which at the time was usually no higher than x20. Now it's all about bonuses being graciously granted by casinos in order to 'extend playing time' - in reality, to trap customers into draining away their funds on high house edge slots with a snowball's chance in ***** of completing the almost impossible playthrough

I also played poker online quite a lot until several years ago. Even had vague pretensions of doing it more seriously, possibly making a living from it, until the US ban changed the entire landscape for the worse... Out of curiosity more than anything else, I recently popped onto the poker room at a major online bookie. Players were very few from what I could tell (no overall numbers advertised in the lobby as used to be the norm) and the games tight, based on average pot sizes. @copyyy has already detailed some of the reasons why and I'd already observed the situation for myself some time back. Still, I was a bit surprised and obviously disappointed at the barren rock garden I recently found, even if it wasn't one of the networks cited above.

Assuming the OP was indeed asking about poker freeroll tournaments, they appear to be a dying breed Actually, the online game seems to be a shadow of what it was when I started playing during the poker boom around 15 years ago... I myself drastically reduced my participation once it became clear I was a minnow rather than a shark, and stopped entirely when I could no longer play even casually at a couple of my favourite poker sites. Still, I'll always fondly remember the $1,000 FR victory that kickstarted my online career

I still play bingo - in fact, it's overtaken poker and casino as my main wagering activity online. Not because I find it particularly exciting or interesting, to be clear, but mostly because it's the one game left where I can still play for free and win something tangible without expending too much time and effort.

Wow, how strange Reminds me of a related situation I experienced many years ago, except I didn't even request an account closure: just discovered one day I could no longer log in with my credentials. Never bothered to follow up as the casino wasn't a favourite of mine, just figured it had maybe banned my country and not bothered to inform me (it's happened before). So I forgot all about it... until I received an email from the site out of the blue, asking if I'd be willing to participate in a university study about problem gambling as that's why I'd stopped playing there Meant to reply asking what they were on about but never got around to it.

Coming back to the forum after a long absence, I must say this version is a vast improvement on what I left A lot more user-friendly on mobile especially, which is what I now use most of the time for browsing.

Talk about beginner's luck The one drawback of this guy's windfall is that it is amost certainly going to be all downhill from here as far as online gambling is concerned... I mean, the only way to top this first time experience is by winning an even bigger jackpot!

I am glad that the OP has finally attained a positive outcome but it is a shame that an individual player has to fight (figuratively, not literally I hope!) and raise a public outcry for a company to do the right thing in a case like this. Personally, this story resonates with me as I've endured a similar situation - for a much smaller sum of money - where I was denied my full rightful winnings and terms were changed retroactively as a result. Difference is I was too disillusioned and lacking the will to pursue the matter like this player did, or like I would have earlier in my playing days when I expected better from online casinos and poker rooms.

Wow, that is totally despicable! The fact that, until only recently, BGO had very limited deposit/withdrawal options is what kept me from purchasing and playing there despite what seemed to be generous promotions. Now I'd be hesitant of putting my own funds in, although I applaud the casino rep for enquiring about your case even at this late date... Perhaps the casino had no money left for actual paying customers after compensating the likes of Vern Troyer and Paris Hilton to promote the site

I used to play a lot at Mansion Casino around 10 years ago before they introduced stricter promotional terms and my experience was the opposite of the OP's as I did very well and made many withdrawals - though I was playing mostly table games at the time, not slots. The tougher rules you mention are one reason I have not been back in a long time, even though I generally like Playtech and consider the Mansion group more reputable than most others on that platform.

Beautiful uplifting electronic track

I suspect this apology is too little too late for the poker players that were most affected by the Full Tilt crisis. While I wasn't one of them as I'm not American, had no funds on the site at the time and didn't play there much anyway, the scandal - along with the Absolute Poker and UltimateBet fiascos - contributed to undermining the online poker industry as a whole, which is now a shadow of what it was when I started playing over a decade ago... Now, I practically don't even play the game any more except for the rare occasion I'm given a free chip.