There is no doubting the impact the online casino industry has had on the world since it shot to prominence during the pandemic. Online platforms with casino player’s favourite games like blackjack, roulette, poker, slots, and even baccarat and craps are emerging in markets across the globe, with more people being persuaded onto online casinos by the multiple advantages to be had on them.
One of the biggest benefits of playing on online casinos as opposed to going to a land-based one is the practicality of playing on devices that are being used more each day. Computers, tablets, mobile phones, and even smart watches are equipped nowadays to handle the rigours of online casino software. Such devices extend that practicality to a level of convenience that cannot be rivalled by physical casinos. Choosing where and when to play casino games is providing players with a luxury on a level never seen before.
Bonus benefits!
And then there are bonuses. Potentially the cherry on top of the cake, bonuses come in many shapes and forms. From the start of your online casino journey, there are plenty of bonuses to be gathered along the way. Here are just a few of them:
- Welcome bonus in the form of free spins
- Deposit bonus
- Deposit match bonus
- Bonus for depositing via a certain payment method
- Bonus for playing on a specific day
- Bonuses rewarded by an online casino VIP club
However, while the aforementioned bonuses are standard on nearly all online casino platforms, there is one that is splitting opinion in some markets around Europe.
No skipping to the bonus!
Depending on where you are playing online casino, you might have the opportunity to skip normal game play and advance straight to bonus rounds which usually come with greater rewards. These are called bonus buys. However, if you are playing online slots in the United Kingdom or the Netherlands, you will not have access to this bonus. The UK Gambling Commission banned bonus buys slots UK in 2019 in a bid to protect player welfare and prevent any suffering from gambling addiction. The Netherlands followed suit earlier this year. Since then, Sweden have also been vocal in this debate, with 53% of players asked in a recent survey voting in favour of banning bonus buy games.
Player wellbeing comes first!
Like with any new regulation introduced, opinion has been divided, with players in the UK and the Netherlands who feel they have control of their gambling habits unhappy at being barred from accessing reward rounds quicker. This has been slightly masked in the UK with other limits introduced this year to curb spending on online slots as well as checks on players who incur large losses deflecting the attention away from the continued absence of bonus buy games. However, the fact Sweden have joined the conversation could provoke others to follow suit, opening up the conversation to a wider audience.
The findings from the affordability checks in the UK could work out in one of two ways for bonus buy games. Either the UKGC will feel they have a grasp on players who are at risk, or there might be findings that require tougher sanctions on online casinos. With an ever-evolving digital world, there are still ways for players in the UK to access international online casinos and play on bonus buy games, but although the topic has been somewhat silenced for now, the subject of bonus buy games will still feature on the agenda for the UKGC and British government.
As they attempt to tackle a rapidly rising phenomenon, it perhaps makes sense to put player wellbeing first, while they try to strike the perfect balance between giving online casino players certain liberties and providing a secure, risk-free environment. 2025 will be another important year for the online casino industry, with more markets joining the conversation, along with the potentially influential findings from the pilot projects in the UK being unveiled. These findings could indeed determine the fate of bonus buy games in the UK.