Why You Never Find Great Bonuses at Blackjack Casinos

Josh

29 Jul 2021

Updated: 14 Nov 2023

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It is difficult to find great bonuses at blackjack casinos and this is a let down for many online players. The straight reason is that blackjack bonuses have very high wagering requirements attached and cashing winnings becomes a cumbersome process. If you are new to online casinos, then you probably would not have fully understood the argument, so we take you step-by-step in this article.

What Are Blackjack Bonuses?

Bonuses are free playing money provided by the online casino. The bonus is free because you do not pay for it like you pay for the chips purchased from the cashier. It is playing money because you cannot cash it and convert it to real money. You have to play with the bonus as stipulated in the bonus conditions. Blackjack bonuses are bonuses that can be played on the blackjack games, just as slots bonuses are bonuses that can be used on slot machines.

Players feel a lot more comfortable using free playing money to get familiar with the online casino navigation and the rules of the different blackjack games. If they had to use their own funds in this initial period many might stay away. Blackjack bonuses tempt players to try out the games without making an investment. If they have enjoyed the activity then they can start playing with their own money, otherwise they can move on without having risked or lost anything.

Bonuses also give players the attraction of cashing out a limited amount of their winnings provided the terms and conditions have been met. We discuss some of these in the next section.

Blackjack Bonus Terms and Conditions

As such blackjack bonuses come with quite a few conditions, but two of them are critical in deciding whether the bonuses are good or not.

Wagering Requirements

The wagering requirement associated with a blackjack bonus is the amount that you have to wager using the bonus. It is usually specified as a multiple of the bonus, say 40x. So, if the bonus is $25, you have to wager at least $1000 from it.

The immediate question new players ask is how can you wager $1000 from a $25 bonus. It works in this manner. You start with $25 in your bonus balance. Every time you bet, the balance decreases and every time you win the balance increases. You have to win sufficient to bet $1000 without the bonus balance falling to zero. If you succeed then you can cash out the allowed amount, otherwise the bonus gets consumed without any monetary benefit.

Game Contribution

Different casino game categories have different game contributions to the wagering requirements. Slots have 100% contribution, which means that the wagering requirements as specified remain unchanged. However, blackjack games usually have 5% or 10% game contribution, and this is where the problem lies. A 10% contribution means that for every $1 bet from the bonus balance, the wagering requirement will be reduced by only $0.10. The wagering effectively increases ten-fold and becomes very difficult to complete successfully.

No Deposit and Deposit Blackjack Bonuses

If the blackjack bonus is without any deposit, then players may be inclined to take up the cumbersome wagering requirements. Even if they do not succeed, they are not losing anything at all. These online casinos offer the best blackjack no deposit bonuses.

When the blackjack bonus has been issued against your deposit, then your money gets locked in to the wagering requirement. Then you need to think a hundred times before claiming the bonus.

Why Blackjack Bonuses Have Low Game Contribution

Online casinos have nothing against blackjack players that there is a low game contribution on blackjack bonuses. Nor is this a random decision. The issue is best explained by comparing the risk involved in slots and blackjack games.

Slots offer a return of about 95%, which means you risk losing about 5% to the casino in the long run. If you have mastered the optimum strategy then you get a return of about 99.5% in blackjack games. You only lose about 0.5% to the casino in the long run. If the amount of wagering required is the same, it would be easier to complete it on blackjack. To make the playing field level, online casinos enhance the wagering requirement on blackjack bonuses.

However, a few problems remain.

  • Many of the new players at blackjack online casinos are not up to the mark in the skill required. As a result, they are unable to achieve the 99.5% returns that expert players can manage. However, the wagering requirements are adjusted for expert play and these new players lose out.
  • In slots play you occasionally hit big wins and this allows you to raise the bet amounts to complete the wagering quickly. There is a maximum bet limit which has to be observed. In blackjack the payout is mostly even money and occasionally you get 3 to 2 for a blackjack. The bonus balance builds up only incrementally and completing the wagering is a huge grind even for expert players.

Should You Claim Blackjack Bonuses?

If you are fully conversant with the optimum blackjack strategy and are passionate about the game then please do take up blackjack bonuses. Our suggestion is that most players should stay with slots bonuses. Use your own money and the winnings from your bonuses to play your favourite blackjack games without any hinderances. Check our article on the online casinos offering great blackjack games.