How to Prevent Bonus Abuse in Sister Casinos
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Bonus Abuse happens everywhere. It’s in our blood to try and find leverage for everything that we do. And when free money is involved as well, there is no need for explanation – people will do everything to get as much as they can.
This is especially true when we talk about sister casinos. If you are not aware of the term, sister casino refers to the casinos that are run by the same operator. It happens often that the operator offers the same bonuses for every casino that it has. Therefore, people will join sister casinos in order to double or triple their bonus.
It can get to a point where it comes off as bonus abuse. In the long run, it’s not fair for the operator. Players should treat every casino as a different experience, and stop hunting bonuses at every corner. Do not force luck, it will come when it wants to.
- But first, how does bonus abuse work?
- Why do players employ bonus abuse?
- Bonus Abuse at Sister Casinos – how did it start?
- How can online casinos find and stop bonus abusers?
- Bonus abusers can be prevented in casinos
But first, how does bonus abuse work?
It’s pretty simple, actually. Bonus abuse is the procedure of creating multiple accounts, even fake ones, so as to receive the same bonus over and over again. In sister casinos, bonus abuse is when people join a casino from the same operator because they already know what bonus they’ll offer, and it will be even easier to employ bonus abuse.
This procedure falls into the category of fraud. Players employ different tactics to open new accounts, even though they already have one. They’ll do anything to trick the KYC procedure.
Why do players employ bonus abuse?
It can get almost impossible for an operator to keep track of everything a player does. Especially if he joins different casinos, no matter if they’re sisters. It’s even hard to keep track of multiple accounts in a single casino. We do not want to imagine how complicated it must be when more casinos are involved.
You might ask, “Why don’t they stop offering a lot of bonuses?”. It’s a fair question, but let’s be honest – it’s hard for an online casino to survive in this competitive market without offering some incentives to the players. After all, what would you choose? An online casino without promotions or one that offers a lot of bonuses? The answer is a no-brainer.
If a casino also offers a huge variety of bonuses, then it will be even more susceptible to bonus abuse. Sign-up, welcome, or no-deposit bonuses are everywhere, and it’s a marketing gimmick that keeps an online casino alive. Unfortunately, it will also mean that people will do anything to get a bigger piece of the pie.
Bonus Abuse at Sister Casinos – how did it start?
This fraud attempt was, and still is, one of the most popular ways to trick casinos. Plenty of gambling operators offered a lot of bonuses, especially at the beginning of the site, with the mission to attract players. These promotions didn’t have a huge wagering amount, therefore players were able to easily withdraw their funds.
Fortunately, online casinos were quick to at least extinguish a bit of the fraudster hype. By employing higher wagering amounts, usually asking players to play the sum that they won at least 30x, it was getting harder and harder to employ bonus abuse.
The fraudsters weren’t left behind though, as they are always on the lookout to find sister casinos where they can abuse that bonus again and again. Two chances of winning are better than one, and that’s why they started to look out for sites from the same operator.
How can online casinos find and stop bonus abusers?
Let’s be honest – it’s almost impossible to get completely rid of bonus abusers. They’ll always find a way to leverage their winnings. It’s the sad truth. But that doesn’t mean a casino operator should give up. There are still many ways to keep the fraudsters away.
Higher wagering requirements
Casinos should implement more requirements, employing bonuses such as $5 deposit bonuses or $10 deposit bonuses. For every money that comes out of a bonus, players should wager that money plenty of times in order to withdraw it. A lot of casinos already have in place 20x or 30x wagering requirements. This can be a disadvantage for honest players, but it’s for the greater good.
Lowering the payouts
Another way of keeping bonus abusers away is by lowering the amount of money they can win from a bonus. If the procedure of bonus abuse is not worth it, then they won’t do it. These fraudsters are looking for big payouts, and if they can’t get it, they will go away. Again, this is disadvantageous for loyal players, but a casino can find other ways of incentivizing these players.
Finding the bonus abusers
How to detect bonus abusers? Easy. Check the IPs of the players and the way they connect to the casino. Be careful here because a lot of abusers will rely on a VPN to mask their real IP.
Still, you can observe some patterns and punish the “trespassers”. Also, a lot of fraudsters will use suspicious devices to join the casino, as they’ll do anything in their power to mask their true identity. This is a blessing in disguise for you, as you’ll be able to detect this easily.
Also, it might be a great idea to improve the KYC procedure. A casino should ask their players for many verification documents in order to withdraw money. Proving that the payment method is yours, along with an ID card and proof of address should be enough to keep bonus abusers away.
Bonus abusers can be prevented in casinos
Even if we like it or not, we should get used to fraudsters trying their best to cheat or get leverage over both the casino and other players. The best thing to do is to employ methods to keep these cheaters away.