Is The Bonus Drop Broken Or Fixed
Published On 21st August 2024
Free to play casino games have become an important retention tool in the arsenal of many top brands such as William Hill, Ladbrokes, Coral, Skybet, Betfair and Paddy Power amongst many others. More recently we revealed that Bet365 Games have jumped on the daily free to play game bandwagon with the launch of Prize Matcher. Whilst these games are designed to encourage regular visits to respective brands as well as depositing, they inevitably also attract players who like a freebie. Now bingo sites, slot brands and casino aren't too keen on freebie hunters and have been known to block them, a practice known as gubbing. However is there another practice at hand whereby operators are potentially fixing their free play games? In this case we're focusing on William Hill and The Bonus Drop.
Long Time Losers
Back in 2022 we wrote an article suggesting that William Hill's Bonus Drop was in need of a revamp. One if the reasons for writing that piece was after a continued period of "no wins". Fast forward to 2024 and we've noticed a similar pattern with The Bonus Drop. Following a recent decent sized win (>£50) using free spins for Immortal Romance 2 the following has occurred: there's been no further free spins made available and plays on The Bonus Drop have either resulted in no win or more frequently "a communication error". This suggests that either The Bonus Drop isn't working properly - and William Hill are in no particular hurry to fix it - or that the account is being limited in activity when it comes to free promotions. Most certainly this seems like a case of gubbing but in a perhaps more stealthy manner. In fairness it's hard to say one way or another.
No More Gaming Promotions For You
Whilst the above is opaque, Steve, a William Hill player who contacted us recently, has a more transparent case. He received an email from William Hill stating "We wanted to let you know that after a recent review of your account, you’ll no longer be able to take advantage of our gaming offers or promotions". This means that he's no longer able to participate in free spins promos or play The Bonus Drop. Steve told us that he "was a regular depositor and played paid games in various rooms throughout the month" so William Hill's decision was perplexing. His account still remains active though and he's able to play other games. According to Steve other players in chat have reported similar issues. Interestingly he also told us this about The Bonus Drop: "I had long since stopped playing that as day after day it was coming up “Lose”. It was clear to me that some kind of restriction had been placed on that feature on my account". We wonder how many other Bonus Drop players are thinking the same thing? Most certainly there seems to be one or two amongst recent Trustpilot reviews.
Restrictions Or Rubbish Odds
Free to play games don't guarantee wins and therefore one can't expect to pick up a prize every turn. However the purpose of the games are to encourage revisits and ultimately game plays and depositing. If a game such as The Bonus Drop, Wonder Wheel or The Prize Machine doesn't even give you a few free spins once in a while then that defeats the purpose of the actual game. It'd be useful if operators gave players the odds of winning! Interestingly the only site that provides the odds for their free to play game is Buzz Bingo. For their Ice Cream Spinner game the odds of a losing spin are 80%. It'd be interesting to know the odds of losing on other games and it'd be interesting to know why the information isn't available. As we've mentioned before winners for the bigger cash prizes are ever mentioned by operators which suggests quite strongly no one ever wins them. If we assume 80% is a baseline for losing plays then perhaps it's more of a case of a rubbish game versus restrictive account activity. A further point to make here is that if players knew the odds of winning then they might not bother with the games!
Fair & Honourable
Our view is that if you run a free play game or run a free prize draw then it shouldn't have restrictions simply because someone isn't spending money with your brand. If promotions are for selected players or visitors then set the promotion accordingly (e.g. must have spent £10 in the last 14 days). According to the CAP code for promotional marketing, a promoter "must conduct their promotions equitably, promptly and efficiently and be seen to deal fairly and honourably with participants and potential participants". We wonder how hiding important information, like odds of winning, stopping players involvement in promotions or just running a free game that doesn't work for long periods falls under being equitable, fair and honourable. That said gambling operators are legendary at covering their backsides and making sure they're fine even if means screwing long term players, affiliates etc. Whilst the odds of winning of a free play game aren't included in the terms you can bet the house there's a clause or two which allows removal of a player from any promotion if they feel that you might be breaking any rule.
How To Win On Free Play Games
If daily free to play casino and slot games are tipped in favour of a loss then how can you increase your chances of winning? For the most part you can't because the odds of winning today are the same as tomorrow. Just because you've lost today won't mean you will win tomorrow. However brands like Ladbrokes and Coral occasionally run guaranteed win todays for Instant Spins and The Rewards Grabber respectively. For sites such asBet365 Games, who have just launched Prize Matcher and Jackpotjoy where you need to visit every day to find icons on a grid then the best advice is visit every day. That way you maximise your chance of finding winning icons. In some cases, for example Sun Bingo, there may be a premium game alongside a freemium one. By wagering on site you may win a spin on the premium wheel the following day and be guaranteed a winning spin. More importantly than all that is what to do about sites that treat you badly and where each play is a "lose". The biggest win you can have is voting with your feet and walking away. But on the way don't forget to tell other players, share your stories and perhaps even post a review on Trustpilot.
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