Online casino bonuses serve as both a valuable marketing tool for gambling websites and an opportunity for players to have more fun for less. At least, this is what promotions represent in theory.
For instance, if you find a promotion with 30 free spins no deposit required, you should usually expect to receive a helping hand as a new player while exploring a gambling platform. This is usually the best-case scenario.
However, some casinos aren’t very transparent about the conditions they impose when granting you access to these bonuses, but still manage to lure you in.
On a psychological level, using promotions compulsively, without even paying attention to what you’re grabbing, can lead to very unfavorable situations.
Some gamblers even enter bonus-hunting communities just to find good deals and boost their dopamine levels. This, in turn, later translates into obsession. Furthermore, users need to pay more attention to details than ever.
Reward Loops
When you find yourself spinning restlessly or chasing bonus after bonus, you are probably experiencing the effects of reward loops. When you’re doing this without stopping, you’re actually searching for a dopamine hit.
The dopamine hormone is released when you’re feeling enjoyment and pleasure. According to Kent Berridge, in a Psychology Today article, “there are two systems, the “wanting” and the “liking,” and these two systems are complementary.
Dopamine is part of the wanting system […]. The liking system makes you feel satisfied and therefore pause your seeking.”
Dopamine Hits During Bonus Search & Use
While spending time searching for the best promotions to use can fill you with desire and hope, in reality, it represents a gratification trap that delays your efforts towards winning.
The anticipation of finding “the perfect bonus” will often produce a stronger dopamine response than what the bonus can actually offer or the feeling of using it. Therefore, each need offer will stimulate the wanting system in the brain.
This is where the imbalance actually begins because the bonus addiction will make you feel motivated and excited while you’re hunting.
However, once you start using that offer, you’ll notice that the experience is not that uplifting. This usually happens because of the requirements that these promotions can impose.
Bonus Hunt Communities
Although these bonus hunt communities might seem helpful because the teammates will provide you with tips and tricks about bonuses and where you can find them, eventually, they turn into hubs that hold back addicted players from reaching out for help.
Psychologically, these online communities normalize compulsive behavior, as constant exposure to new deals creates a sense of urgency. Seeing others celebrate large wins thanks to random bonuses can make you experience the fear of missing out.
When experiencing FOMO, you will likely follow suit and proceed as others do, just because you see them happy and simply wish to feel like them. However, following this lead doesn’t actually guarantee you a winning situation.
Managing the Fun & Responsible Playing
Furthermore, when you’re getting to the playtime, and you’re going for a 30 free spins offer, for instance, you should put your safety before anything else.
Even though you might tend to get overly excited for the spins, you should not turn it into an obsession. Perhaps the best approach is to opt for a casino that operates legally, in accordance with a reputable license.
For example, if you decide to test out a 30 free spins offer at a platform that has a reputable license, you will get the chance to fix some limits before playing, so you won’t risk playing more than you should. Below, you’ll identify some of these helpful limits:
- Deposit/loss limits
- Time-outs
- Reality checks
Additionally, when you choose to play responsibly while using such a bonus, you should:
- Focus on the experience
- Take a moment to breathe before acting impulsively.
- If you can’t focus on anything else, self-exclude.
- Reach out for external professional help if you cannot control your urges anymore.
Final Words
When you focus on having fun while using bonus codes, gambling remains what it should’ve always been: a form of entertainment, not an obsession.
Therefore, you should refrain from letting your urges take control of your behavior and try to maintain stable gameplay. Gambling with offers doesn’t necessarily signify success.