Why Do UK Casinos No Longer Offer Bonuses?

6th August 2022

Online casino bonus offers can be seen as a crucial part of online gambling programs, offering a wide array of benefits for the consumer and advertisement opportunities for casino websites. But they seem to be noticeably declining as of late due to misleading terms & conditions and regulation enforcement.

Up next, we will take a look at bonus offers in general and see what kind of types can be found on the market, as well as how they interact with the user and why they are lately diminishing in volume. Some of the reasons we discuss in the article are casino transparency problems with bonus offers and restrictions by the UK Gambling Regulations. It is also important to note the future of the market while considering this dynamic between restrictions and casino operators.

What Are Online Casino Bonuses?

Bonus offers are an ever-present part of online casino websites that present the player with various benefits. The most popular types range from Free Spins to Welcome and Friend-referral bonuses, as well as Loyalty and VIP bonuses which encourage further playing. Essentially, each type is meant to reward the player with free goods for interacting with the casino website. Excellent examples of these bonuses and offers can be found on the Best Casinos website.

Some of these bonuses are strictly connected to terms and conditions of the online casino that are not always quite clear. An example is if you received a free deposit bonus of £10 there may be a wagering requirement stated in the terms of use that requires you to wager ten times this amount in order to claim your winnings. Though these bonuses are the main “hook” for online casino advertisements, they are often connected to confusing or sometimes even hidden terms and conditions which you may not be aware of so it is important to be vigilant when browsing through them.

Why Are Bonuses Gone in the UK?

There has been a noteworthy lack of these bonuses recently that can be connected to the aforementioned transparency problem of online casino websites. The repercussions of this being stern measures from the UK Gambling Regulation authority. The UK Gambling Commission affects each online casino that does not adequately display its terms and conditions. These restrictions have forced many casinos to review their bonus offer programs and policies.

Additionally, the strict regulation of online casino websites has caused operators to be held entirely responsible for their transparency and clarity. This greatly affects how they present and advertise their bonuses. In turn, this has lessened their availability or in extreme cases even abolished them due to fear of reprimand or loss of reputation.

However, not all cases of casino bonuses have been shut down. There are still viable gambling websites and operators which have adapted to coexist with these new regulations. The offers are still familiar welcome bonuses and limited Free Spins, yet this time in accordance with clear, coherent, and explicit terms of use with vastly improved transparency.

Should You Use Online Casino Bonuses?

The general outcome of these restrictions and regulations seems to be greatly beneficial for someone using casino bonuses. Decisions made by the UK Gambling Commission have brought quality improvements to the online casino consumer. Now you are much more easily able to distinguish between bonus offers and their requirements.

Where previously the player was required to seek out the terms and conditions of each bonus offer on the website, now the operator is required to make it presentable most commonly on the front page or during sign-up.

The Future of Online Casinos

Striving to maintain transparency of online casino offers is an objective benefit to the public and it is a simple conclusion that these regulations should be maintained. However, the lack of control casino operators have over their wagering requirements may discourage them from offering bonuses in the future. Online casino websites might feel that the limit to wagering requirements can present lesser profit now that the users are fully aware of every gambling prerequisite.

In the same vein, this could be a benefit for operators in this new see-through regime as there might actually be an increase in the willingness of players to engage in wagering. This is due to them feeling safer and more encouraged to participate in bonus offers now that they are in possession of clear and presentable terms of use.

A balance must be kept by the UK Gambling Commission to protect both the interest of the customer and the legitimate profits of the operator. Otherwise, there can be a risk of terminating bonus offers and a more general casino market collapse.