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Home»EXPERTS»Clearing up doubts about bonuses and promotions
EXPERTS

Clearing up doubts about bonuses and promotions

A great opportunity to enhance the casino gaming experience of patrons, bonuses and promotions are key marketing tools to increase permanence in the halls, loyalty and, of course, the investment of gamblers. Based on her extensive knowledge, our expert Solsiree McGowan, Director of Product Compliance at Light & Wonder, delves into the characteristics of these options, taking into account similarities and differences, and listing some of the most popular engagement systems.
September 15, 2022
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Around the world, casinos are in stiff competition when it comes to attracting more players. After all, it’s not so hard to attract patrons to come in the casinos, but it might be a bit harder to get them to stay and invest in playing slots.

Casinos use different methods so that more patrons engage with their games by continuously adding new games, unique experiences, access to payment methods, but above all, they develop bonuses and promotions that players cannot refuse. Many new players do not know exactly how to play and on which machines to try their luck. The most attractive advantage for them when the house pays for their “slot training” is being able to play without using their own money.

KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BONUSING AND PROMOTIONAL SYSTEMS

Bonuses and promotions within casinos are a marketing strategy to attract new players and help them to play consciously. There are different types of bonuses and promotions to captivate these players to win their first games without reaching out for their pockets. At first glance, bonuses and promotions can be thought to be synonymous. However, if we carefully review the actual definition for these types of prizes, we could clearly see what those differences are the following:

a) Per GLI 17: Bonusing Systems in Casinos. An internationally accepted technical standard, bonusing systems are comprised of gaming devices that are configured to participate in electronically communicated bonus award payments from a host system, and the host system that controls the bonus award issuance parameters. The bonus host system provides designated gaming devices with additional features that entitle players to special Bonus Awards based on events triggered by the gaming device. In other words, bonus awards are a derivative of an existing casino feature whereby game events may result in additional pays to those described on the paytable (artwork or help screens).

b) Per GLI 18: Promotional Systems in Casinos. An internationally accepted technical standard, a promotional system is comprised of gaming devices that are configured to participate in electronically communicated promotional award payments from a host system, and the host system that controls the promotional award issuance parameters. Promotional awards are additional features that entitle players to special promotional awards based on patrons play activity. Promotional awards are used by marketing departments and player tracking/clubs rewarding patrons with static enticement awards (such as coupons or cards that can be inserted into devices which entitle the player to free credits) and awards based upon patron play.

Some promotional awards are based on predefined criteria that do not even require patron or gaming machine activity prior to redemption, and are generally single instance use. If we can give some examples of this type of prizes are the Welcome Slot play when joining a Loyalty program.

There is not much difference between bonuses and promotions within casinos; both offer a way to provide the players with prizes outside of the slot machines payment schedule. The bonuses are options that are available at any given time as long as they are properly linked to a series of “Random” conditions that the system will determine and evaluate every time a player enters the bonus round. On the other hand, the promotions are available to all players, independently of being related or not to slot play. The promotions are generally by day, month, or season so they must be taken at the time they are available, and can include restaurants, hotel and/or shows within the casino when the players have enough play activity to cash in their points.

Can winnings from bonuses or promotions be cashed out?

This is actually a tricky question. If the bonus won is tied to a specific event and the player met all the conditions, then yes, the players are entitled to their winnings and can cash out if they wish to do so. But when we talk about promotions, those conditions can be different. The promotional values provided by the casino, so that players can play without fear of losing their own money, obviously the winnings you make with the funds can be withdrawn, as long as the total of the funds (in this case, called non-cashable credits) have been played previously.

Are casino bonuses and promotions worth it?

Of course, they are. Who doesn’t enjoy free money? One of the best things a casino can offer is promotions and bonuses, because players don’t invest their own funds, and get a chance to hit a jackpot. This is definitely one of the best retention strategies in the casino world.

MOST POPULAR BONUSES AND PROMOTIONS

Casinos offer endless bonuses and promotions for their players to thoroughly enjoy. Among the most outstanding, we can mention a few of them (don’t worry! I will let you know what type of prize it is!).

1) Registration Bonus

Almost all, if not all, online and land-based casinos offer some kind of welcome or sign-up bonus to their new members. This can usually be requested when the player makes the first deposit. It usually gets to be a 100 percent deposit bonus. This means that if you deposit USD 50, the platform will “bonus” the player another USD 50.

The amount of bonus players can get from different casinos normally ranges from 50 to 500 percent. It sure is exciting to get something over 100 percent of the deposit that is made, but players must always make sure they understand all the small print to qualify. Things like depositing a minimum amount, credits can only be used on specific games, and many other conditions could apply. By being available without the player having to play a game or get a specific winning combination, this “Bonus” is part of a Promotional system.

2) Loyalty Programs

This system is quite well known and, honestly, all casinos have them. This program is carried out through a collection of points that will take players to a better rank than others, which means that the more points, the more exclusive casino benefits to have, such as unique bonuses, special promotions, prizes and sometimes travel and hotel accommodations.

Another type of prize that is available without the player having to play a game or get a specific winning combination, this “Bonus” is part of a Promotional system.

3) In-Game Bonus

The gaming industry is usually one of the most competitive, so it is normal to find more casinos that give bonuses on different games or banks of games as a strategy to get more players than other casinos. We can find different “Bonuses” in exclusive games, free spins on slot machines, risk-free games and many more that will benefit the players over time, as the bonuses continue to accumulate winnings until they reach a key point, and the players can withdraw the winnings.

However, it should be noted that many of these bonuses have their conditions, such as withdrawing the bonus amount different times, a maximum or minimum withdrawal limit and many others that must be known and accepted. Since these prizes are generally tied to a slot machine and a game, these are part of a Bonusing System.

4) Refund

This is one of the most popular online casino promotions as it is very similar to playing risk free. A key difference is that players bet with their own money, and if they lose, a refund is made, giving them the opportunity to play again but free. It is a promotion where money is risked but a failure is refunded.

These types of prizes are definitely Promotional, because even though they are loses in a game, the refund is not tied to an actual win or a winning combination.

SUMMING UP

The terms and conditions are probably the most important part, and the players must really understand these prior to accepting and playing. Each bonus and promotion has their own unique set of conditions regarding how to be played and how to be cashed out. Most of them even have a term and will be removed when the promotion term ends, plus some are only available for certain games and slot machines. As you can see, bonuses and promotions are a good opportunity to enhance the casino gaming experience. Play responsibly and enjoy an experience like no other.

advantages awards bonuses Bonusing Systems cash-out casinos categories Deposit Bonus devices differences engagement events expert host system In-Game Bonus land-based gaming loyalty program machines marketing strategy non-cashable credits online gaming operators patrons payments players prizes Promotional Systems promotions Refund Registration Bonus responsible gaming similarities slots Solsiree McGowan technical standards types winnings
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Solsiree McGowan
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Solsiree McGowan was born and raised in the small town of La Chorrera, west of Panama City. Since childhood, she always had goals and a clear objective of becoming a successful executive, so she graduated from Industrial Engineering and decided to migrate to the United States to study and learn English. She began her career at Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) as a Quality Control Engineer, supporting accreditations to the company’s ISO standards. She then transitioned to the Compliance department, and ended up managing the U.S. Western Region, which brought with it her relocation to the city of Las Vegas, where she currently resides. In 2020, Solsiree accepted the offer to be Director of Product Compliance for the large slot manufacturer Light & Wonder (previously, Scientific Games). Currently, she works there with an excellent team of professionals that provides services around the globe.

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