Why do people gamble? For the fun of it; the thrill of pitting your knowledge, your instinct against the house, against your friends. There is no such thing as a “dead cert” in gambling but just sometimes, players can get the upper hand.
If you’re looking for extra money then gambling isn’t the way to do it. For some players looking for an entertaining day on a new gambling site though, a bit of luck meant that was exactly that they found.
In a real life story, trusted casino operator Magic Red left a loophole open which meant its players benefitted to the tune of thousands of euros. This is just one of those times players got the better of the casino.
What Exactly Happened?
The best thing about being a new player at a casino is the range of boosted offers available to you. These range from deposit bonuses, allowing you to double or even triple your money, to free spins on slot games, free credits and more. New players get to maximise their play, try new games and have more chances to win big straightaway; while casino operators get a boosted community of happy players.
In this case, it was a Free Credit offer which left Magic Red players smiling and cost the operator close to €1 million in free deposits and cash prizes.
The Loophole
One of the first players to discover the loophole *Michael McGee, an experienced casino player from Birmingham, explained:
“Magic Red’s new promotional campaign for new customers in UK was supposed to give €10,000 in prizes of additional free credits to all new customers that deposited at least €10 to their account. Unfortunately for them, they had a wording error in the agreement”
Each new customer ended up with up to €10,000 in guaranteed daily prizes of free credits based on the amount of their first deposit. When the likes of McGee started to win, the bill piled up for the casino operator. Always check the bonus money in your account.
Gambling Laws Helped Players Win
So Magic Red spotted the error and were able to fix the error immediately right? Not quite. Regulation in the market is very tight in order to protect players. As a result, the casino operator couldn’t simply close the loophole by changing the terms and conditions. As Michael continued: “getting these bonuses for free is completely legal.”
Magic Red continue to hand out bumper new customer bonuses which are now capped. But even if they aren’t quite up to the crazy amounts mentioned in the story, you can still sign up now and pick up a €200 bonus on your deposit PLUS 100 free spins! Much more free play for your money.
You Win. The House Wins.
With a lot of players having made the best of the bonus money and even though UK manager Philip Halstead labelled the episode a “costly mistake” – responding via email to our inquiry – nobody really lost. The company is “here to stay” as scores of happy players would agree.
One lucky woman, 26-year-old *Karen Hammond from Liverpool, registered with the casino and claimed the €30 free credit and after making her first €10 deposit for playing, she won a Jackpot of €722,644.
Each of the new customers got to benefit with some bonus wins and Magic Red have a casino of new winning players. Let this episode be an example of the benefits of opting into promotions and bonus offers. You never know what you might miss out on.
*Names have been changed to protect the privacy of our winners.