Online gambling has become a fierce market of competition. Because it’s tricky to differentiate beyond game selection, one of the main areas of battle is with the promotions. When you check out just how many there are, it’s understable why so many users sign up for these early bonuses and end up having many different accounts. So is this a good thing, or bad?
The Benefits Of Opening Multiple Accounts
More Welcome Bonuses
The most obvious benefit of having many new accounts is to benefit from the welcome packages. Generally, casinos are most generous when acquiring a customer, so you may not get better bonuses by staying than elsewhere when signing up. While loyalty rewards exist, they’re not usually on par with large matched deposits for first-time users.
A Wider Variety Of Games
No single casino hosts every game in existence. Different licensing agreements between casinos means that while there’s a lot of overlap (many casinos will try and have games from NetEnt, Microgaming, Playtech, Evolution Gaming, etc.), some may not have all of them, and others may focus on smaller developers.
So, having many accounts simply means having more games to choose from which can feel like your own bespoke super-casino.
Finding The Perfect Odds And Return To Player Rates
Having many different sportsbook accounts has a clear advantage: you can choose the one with the best odds for each individual bet. But the same is true, only less obvious, with casinos, as the return to player rates can vary between game developers. Having many accounts means you can shop around a bit more and land on the best ones.
The Significant Downsides To Consider
Difficulty In Tracking Bankroll
Bankroll management is required in order to gamble responsibly. When all your money is in just one account, it’s immediately obvious how your cash flow is doing – you can check what you’ve deposited, withdrawn, and generally get a sense of how things are going.
But the picture becomes very messy when dealing with multiple casinos. Not only might you deposit more than you want because you’re not getting the full picture, you may also lose out on the bonuses you’re getting. These often have wagering requirements, and you’re much less likely to fulfill them when juggling a few at once.
Missed Loyalty Bonuses
Similar to bankroll, you may miss out on loyalty bonuses and random promotions like free spins, simply because you’re not checking your account. While they do send an email, you’re again more likely to miss it if you’re regularly getting mail from 15 operators – it becomes white noise. This can actually lead to less promotions than if you just focused on a couple.
The Tedious Nature Of Verification Processes
Reputable online casinos are bound by strict regulations and licensing terms when it comes to Know Your Customer and Anti-Money Laundering. This means that eventually, you will need to prove your identity.
When you have one account, you do this once and never again. But with 20 accounts, it’s quite the administrative undertaking. You end spending so much time photocopying bills and sending selfies that you can’t ignore this as the cost it really is.
Increased Exposure To Security Risks
Digital hygiene is important when dealing so explicitly with money. But of course, casino sites have nowhere near the same level of security as a licensed bank, which has a greater compliance burden. The result? More responsibility on your own best practices, but this is tricky when dealing with many accounts.
For example, it’s good form to regularly change your password in case it gets breached elsewhere. But this takes too long with 20 accounts, so most don’t bother. If you set up original passwords for each casino, that’s great, but again, you’re going to run into issues when it comes to managing all this.
Fragmentation Of Responsible Gambling Tools
One of the most dangerous things about having many accounts is the circumvention of safety tools. Most casinos allow you to set deposit limits or “cool-off” periods – when you’re overdoing it, they might stop you from playing for a bit.
Of course, they can’t do this when it’s fragmented. If your activity is split across 10 accounts, they’re only seeing 10% of your activity which is unlikely to trigger any alarms. So, if you’re worried about this sort of thing (and you may well be if you have 10+ accounts) then it’s important to consider.
The decision to open various online casino accounts is always going to be a trade-off. What you gain in value, you lose in control. The benefits are clear and tangible. You get better bonuses (and more of them), more games to choose from, and better odds. But, it becomes a pain to deal with the admin – and worse, it may even become insecure. Perhaps most worrying is the fact that finances are spread around, meaning responsible gambling tools and general tracking of bankroll are deceptive.
