In the online gambling market, it is common for online casino operators to provide players with generous bonuses to encourage them to wager. While these promotions are viewed as largely positive, there are some players across Australia who are not happy with these bonuses – and they claim they can be harmful to problem gamblers.

Gambling Research Australia’s Interactive Gambling Study has found that some players do not view online casino incentives positively. They state that free wagers and bonus cash encouraged them to spend money that they would not have wagered if they had not received these promotions.

According to The Age [http://www.theage.com.au/national/punters-complain-that-gambling-is-made-much-too-easy-study-finds-20140401-35wgh.html], some players even stated that they would chase the loss of a promotional wager with their own cash. Several other marketing tactics are also viewed as ‘predatory’ in the online gambling market.

Pop-up ads persistently attempt to compel players to take advantage of new promotions and spend more money while many players found their email inboxes flooded with marketing material from online casino operators. Respondents to the study stated that the frequency with which they received emails could be interpreted as online casino operators targeting vulnerable players.

The study found that promotions and ease of access are the main reasons that punters make the switch from land-based casinos to online gambling websites. Online casino operators can be more generous with promotions because their operating costs are much lower than the average land-based gambling venue. Unfortunately, there are players who perceive this generosity as predatory.

To correct this issue, it may be a good idea for online casinos to relax with the pop-up ads and email marketing campaigns. While they do incentivize some players to spend more money, their persistence certainly turns some players off. It is important to find the balance between being generous and being excessive, and it seems like many online casino operators have yet to find the middle ground.

About the Author

George Anderson
Author George, has over 25+ years’ experience in the Pokies and Casinos industry throughout Australia and New Zealand. Loves to research new Pokies games on the block and follows announcements from top industry providers about their upcoming releases. As soon as a new interesting pokie game appears on his radar, George is there to check it out and give you the scoop before anyone else and tell you about all casino sites where can play the latest game. Before this gig, George worked as Pokie game tester, making him an ideal candidate for this genre of work. He is also an animal lover and a proud owner of three dogs.