It is a good question to ask as to why does online casino offer bonuses and promotions?
The answer to this question will take us back to 1994; when the first online casino called the Gaming Club was launched. Soon Intercasino came in 1996 and soon many casinos followed slowly making its presence in the web. Earlier developments of online casino was slow and not so flashy and attractive. They had simple features with a logo and not much of graphics. All information, games and player support options were available in English only; unlike today; when one can literally choose to enjoy a casino experience in almost every major language of the world
Player support was only available via e-mail and toll free telephone numbers, no online chat facilities existed.
Instead of the virtual books; that general casino have with bonus terms and conditions; there was only a short para describing casino’s player policy. But now things have changed, isn’t it?
At those times there were few games to choose from and now we have vast quantities of game variations.
The companies behind the first online casinos were very transparent and their company profile and contact information were displayed. Some even featured the CEO’s direct e-mail address. So things looked quite genuine. There were no industry watchdog sites; very few if any online casino review sites; and no licensing jurisdictions other than the Caribbean.
Tough Competition among casinos
But over the last decade with the innovation of the latest technology; the casino industry improved and changed the whole scenario of online gaming. There is now tough competition among many online casinos; which brought bonus offers and increased games offerings to sell themselves out and “stand out” from the crowd; and attract customers and increase their revenue.
In the early 2000s only two online casino groups existed so there wasn’t much in the way of competition, yet the owner of the Golden Palace Group decided that it would be a good idea to differentiate the group from the competing English Harbour Group by offering players incentives to play at their online casino instead.
Of course, the English Harbour group wasn’t going to take the new angle lying down and they countered with an offer of their own and so began a competitive tradition. Ever since online casinos have offered players a welcome bonus of some kind or another.
Online Bonus is to attract players
The purpose of online casino bonuses is, therefore, to differentiate casinos from the pack and ensure that they remain attractive to players in a highly competitive market space. After all, the welcome bonus offer is often the first thing that attracts new players to a particular casino.
Soon software providers emerged like Microgaming, NetEnt, Playtech and others bringing in more new online casinos and technological developments, forcing increased competition among casinos. This saw games metamorphose overnight from generic offerings to unique, exciting and feature-filled visual spectaculars that engaged the player on every level.
Same way casino sites were developed and casino review portals and marketers entered the scene as did casino watchdogs and casino players were able to discuss casino-related issues, new games and everything in between on dedicated player forums.
Offering Incentives to Loyal Customers
As the years have progressed, competition in the online casino industry has increased dramatically and casinos have realized that simply attracting new players is not enough, they also have to keep them loyal. Online casinos then introduced a variety of player incentives from loyalty programs, ongoing bonus schemes and a variety of promotions to generous giveaways to keep players interested and playing.
But that is the casino site that we talked about as their marketing strategy and building their brand name in the gaming market. You also need to be aware that not all bonuses and promotions are created equal, therefore it is important to read and understand all bonus and promotional terms and conditions so that you can know which offers will benefit you and which will not.
