You may have heard the term reverse withdrawal before and wondered what it was all about; well it’s pretty simple really…when you decide to withdraw or “cash out” your funds at online casinos you start the withdrawal process. Unlike land based venues, funds are not automatically released immediately but rather go into a “pending” period which allows the casino time to process the request. While you wait for your money you may decide that you’d rather use it to continue to play at the casino and so you can request that the withdrawal process be cancelled and the funds be processed back into your player account. This is called a reverse withdrawal. If you didn’t know it existed, now you do!

There is much debate about the “pending period” within the online casino industry and oftentimes casinos that flush player accounts immediately, releasing funds with little or no waiting period are highly sought after for obvious reasons. This however shouldn’t be the deciding factor when choosing a casino as some of the best online casinos have pending periods of 24 to 72 hours. This is part of a greater “business model” that is designed in the hope that during the pending period you’ll get bored and reverse the withdrawal spending your money at the casino instead of taking it out.

The market has become so competitive that while most casinos offer a reverse withdrawal as an option, others have taken it a step further and offer reverse withdrawal or cancellation bonuses! This is definitely a very controversial type of casino bonus, mainly because encouraging you to rather play your money than withdraw it may seem predatory, but as always, it is your choice, and there are of course those who applaud this type of bonus reward.

Reverse withdrawal requests are not as common as one may think, because generally if you’ve decided to cash out it’s because the funds need to be allocated elsewhere in your budget. The most common request for reverse withdrawals occur when people hit jackpots or enjoy huge wins and large payouts are due to them. At times these types of winners may wish to allocate a part of their winnings to additional casino play and so they’ll request a reverse. When a reverse withdrawal bonus is offered, this serves as an even greater incentive to reallocate funds back to their player account. These types of bonuses are usually quite generous and it makes sense to accept them because of the potential for returns should you have further luck and win some more. Of course, terms and conditions and oftentimes wagering requirements do apply so if you’re offered a cancellation or reverse withdrawal bonus, be sure to read these before accepting it.

Most reputable online casinos offer players loyalty programs which reward you for playing at their casino on a continuous basis.  The majority of these programs work on the accumulation of “loyalty points” for regular game play which can be exchanged for casino cash to play with once they reach certain levels.  Other perks of these loyalty programs can range from exclusive promotions and invitations to “reserved” events to standard complimentary giveaways. 

Then there are the VIP levels of the program which are even more rewarding and can offer anything from regular comps, cash giveaways, trips, and tickets to all out red carpet treatment including a dedicated account manager or casino host.  The level that you are on in this tiered system all comes down to how much bet and how often you play at the casinos.

That said, we often get asked the question “Are loyalty and VIP programs really worth signing up for?”  The short answer is they are free and you don’t lose anything at all by doing so, but they are specifically designed to get players to spend more money at the casino and to retain their loyalty.  If you understand that and don’t get sucked into “competing” with others to be the most important VIP you’ll be just fine.   Plus, you’ll have the fun and excitement of enjoying some amazing promotions and incentives.  You just have to remember that these do come with a price and aren’t always entirely “free” as you’ll probably end up still putting money into the casino after the “freebie” offer is finished.

In general, players have access to a few benefits, and the more they spend, the more often you’ll be entitled to claim these:

• Cashback offers - these are the standard comp or loyalty points that you rack up every time you play.  They are redeemable for casino cash (or chips) once they reach a certain level but generally cannot be cashed out.
• Regular bonuses – casinos often send out promotional mailers to their loyalty members offering a variety of ongoing bonuses.  These are usually match deposit bonuses like you receive when you are a new player, just not as large due to the fact that they are offered more frequently.
• Exclusive Specials – these are once off events or promotions that keep you coming back to the casino and can range from free chips to draws or the opportunity to play for high ticket items like cars, cruises and more.
• Promotional events – these are usually “reserved” exclusively for loyalty members and can include things like slots, roulette, poker or blackjack tournaments where you pay a small fee and play for the big prizes.
• Auction Points – A few venues like Jackpotcity casino award auction points as well as cash back points when you play their casino games.  Auction points accumulate and you can then use them to bid on auction items available at the casino such as iPods, ipads, holidays and occasionally cars.

And then of course there are the High Roller VIP Programs…

Usually if you’re a member of these sought after clubs you spend huge amounts of money at the casinos.  As mentioned, some casinos offer all of the benefits of their standard casino loyalty programs but also throw in things like a dedicated account manager to cater to your every whim and if you’re very important (read: whale) then you’ll be able to ask for things like sporting and concert tickets, exclusive stays at difficult to get into hotels, reservations for the best restaurants in town…all on the house…well sort of.  In reality the money you’ve spent at the casinos pays for all of these “free benefits”.

There are a few tricks for aspiring VIP’s that can help you get noticed without having to break the bank though, these include:

1. Play often and slowly.  You don’t have to bet large amounts, rather break your budget up into pieces and visit more often.
2. Refer your friends to the casino – this will make you more of an asset for the casino and they will reward you for it.
3. Be friendly to the casino staff you have contact with, the more relationships you have and goodwill you build up the better.
4. Play in any tournaments offered, they are usually the cheapest way to appear active at the casino.
5. Use all of the offers in your loyalty mailers and of any comps extended by the casino, they offer discounts that help you get your activity levels up while spending less.

Always keep in mind that loyalty programs encourage you to play and spend more, that’s why they exist!  Play responsibly.

The modern world is full of fast paced solutions which promise to save you time and money by getting things done quicker, and while sometimes they do, but getting things done at a fast pace shouldn’t always be your end goal, especially when it comes to online gambling.

When you sit down at your PC for some online casino fun, it should be a time to unwind and enjoy yourself at a leisurely pace and while it’s very tempting to fall into the trap of speeding up the slots spins or bets at the table, it can do some serious damage to your bank roll.

For obvious reasons casinos will try to encourage to you play faster and by doing so play a great deal more than you originally intended.  One clever way of doing this is by adding the “auto play” button on every machine and table, as well as the various multi-reel/spin and multi-hand table and video poker games. While video poker odds of winning increase with the number of hands played, other games like Roulette and Craps when played online, are speeded up exponentially thus increasing the wagering amounts in a given time frame.  This means find yourself happily blowing through your bank roll in minutes and then feeling cheated because you didn’t get as much enjoyment out of it all as you’d hoped.

If like me you find that patience is in short supply and it’s very difficult to slow down, it is possible to manually change the game play speed in your account settings (bet you didn’t know that!).

Also, avoid the “auto-spin” and “auto-play” functions like the plague.  Not only will they eat your money quickly, but will eliminate the enjoyment of controlling the game or applying skill at the tables, and also of waiting in anticipation to see if the next spin or hand will be the one you’ve been waiting for.

So repeat the mantra “I will not auto-play” because it’s really one quick, convenient option that may save you time but definitely won’t save you money.